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The Wheel of Progress® jobs-to-be-done (jtbd) interview framework.
The Wheel of Progress® is a framework created by Eckhart Boehme and Peter Rochel leveraging jobs-to-be-done principles and methods to evaluate why customers "hire" a given product or service to accomplish a Customer Job.

It provides a canvas to be used when conducting consumer research to evaluate the journey a customer takes from first thought to use of the solution (consumption/job satisfaction). In addition, it enables one to evaluate the four forces of progress at play (push, pull, habits, anxieties) in regards to 'switching behavior'. Finally, one is able to evaluate constraints (internal, external, time-based) that impact the customer journey.

 

Four Main Components

The Wheel of Progress can be defined by breaking it down into its four main components:

(A) Cycle of Customer Progress

The first component within the Wheel of Progress® is referred to as the Cycle of Customer Progress, used to map out the timeline from First Thought to JTBD Satisfaction.

(B) Four Motivational Forces

The second component within the Wheel of Progress® is referred to as the The Four Motivational Forces, used to identify both promoting forces (push, pull) and blocking forces (habit, anxiety).


The Customer Cycle of Progress or JTBD Timeline representing the customer journey from first thought (struggling moment) to passively looking to actively looking, to deciding, hiring (and firing), and consuming.

(C) Constraints to Progress

The third component within the Wheel of Progress® is referred to as Constraints, used to identify internal, external, and time-based constraints to customer progress.

(D) Four Quadrants of Wheel

The fourth component within the Wheel of Progress® is referred to as the Four Quadrants, used to map different aspects of the customer journey (awareness, expectations, trade-offs, and experience).

Cycle of Progress or JTBD constraints (external, internal, temporal) that hinder someone's ability to make progress in their lives.
Four Quadrants of The Wheel of Progress, Awareness, Expectations, Trade-offs, Experience, JTBD-based Journey
We'll describe each of these components in further detail below as part of the blog post along with some examples. However, first we'll give a little context regarding jobs-to-be-done theory as it is foundational to utilizing the Wheel of Progress.

JTBD Theory

Customer Jobs-to-be-done (JTBD)

Jobs-to-be-done theory is foundational to the process of finding both problem-solution fit and/or product-market fit as part of the Lean Customer Development process. Customers aren’t looking to buy your product or service. They are seeking to make progress in their lives by accomplishing jobs-to-be-done. They ‘hire’ your product or service to accomplish these jobs-to-be-done and in the process ‘fire’ an alternative solution that no longer meets their needs.

Customer jobs can be aspirational, functional, emotional, and social. It is critical to also recognize that different customer segments might have very different underlying motivations or reasons for choosing or not choosing your product.

B2C Luxrury Apparel

MODESENS

When looking for that perfect outfit.

Discover new luxury brands; buy things that will last/sustainability. [Aspirational]

Ensure the quality matches the price; find the best deals out there; avoid being too impulsive; be able to easily resell it in the future. [Functional]

Feel good about my purchase; enjoy it every time I wear it. [Emotional]

B2C Smart Thermostat

ECOBEE

When considering a Smart Thermostat for my Home.

Get a better night’s sleep; avoid getting up in the middle of the night. [Aspirational]

Control temperature throughout the house; by time of day; lower my energy bills. [Functional]

Feel rested and ready to home school my kids. [Emotional]

B2C Winter Apparell

CANADA GOOSE

When looking for fashionable, yet functional winter wear.

Spend more time outdoors as a family. [Aspirational]

Stay warmer, longer out in the winter cold; fits me well; comfortable to wear; can use for multiple occasions. [Functional]

Enjoy time with family; feel like a I’m a good parent. [Emotional]

B2C Financial Services

CITIBANK

When trying to consolidate debt and applying for a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC).

Be free of all credit card debt. [Aspirational]

Leverage equity in my home; draw funds when needed; avoid high interest payments. [Functional]

Reduce the financial stress in our marriage. [Emotional]

B2B Wellness Program

GYMPASS

When creating a corporate benefits package for employees.

Create a happier, more productive workforce. [Aspirational]

Attract and retain employees through the benefits we offer; provide value (price/benefit) to our employees. [Functional]

Feel good about our employees physical and mental wellness. [Emotional]

B2B Healthcare Transport

ROYAL AMBULANCE

When selecting a provider to transport my patient.

Deliver an exceptional patient experience across the continuum of care. [Aspirational]

Easy to arrange; arrive on time, make available another room/bed for patients. [Functional]

Be confident my patients are being treated “royally”. [Emotional]

B2C Adventure Travel

GADVENTURES

When selecting my next adventure.

Experience the local culture, try new and exotic foods. [Aspirational]

Determine which tours are best; ensure the itinerary fits my pace for travel; be aware of all travel related costs (no surprises). [Functional]

Feel safe traveling with a group; come away with memories for a lifetime. [Emotional]

B2B Hospital Discharge

HOMECARE

When recommending post-acute care for my patients.

Ensuring my patient’s recovery is as quick as possible. [Aspirational]

Ensure that my patient begin their recovery right way; make sure that are receiving high quality care; avoid hospital readmission. [Functional]

Being confident that my patients continue to receive high quality care. [Emotional]

B2B Renewable Energy

TRANSALTA

When selecting a gas and electric utility provider for my business.

Making a difference; partnering with renewable energy leader. [Aspirational]

Avoid peak rates thru long-term contracts; manage my energy costs over time; proactive billing issue and settlement resolution. [Functional]

Know that TransAlta’s got me covered. [Emotional]

B2C Home Services

PORCH

When creating an outdoor kitchen using Porch Pro Services.

Make my home a place for family to gather. [Aspirational]

Vetted professional having insurance; multiple quotes from Pros to select from; avoid paying too much/good deal. [Functional]

Comfort of knowing it will be done right; on budget. [Emotional]

B2C Security Systems

SIMPLISAFE

When purchasing a home security system.

Protect my loved ones as well as my music studio equipment while traveling. [Aspirational]

Easy to install; connects with my Google Home; low subscription fee for video storage/playback. [Functional]

Know that my family is safe; confident that if an intruder showed up I caught them. [Emotional]

B2C Health and Wellness

GYMPASS

Finding a gym with classes that keep me interested.

Stay motivated and get into a workout routine. [Aspirational]

Find a gym close to my office; find classes with fun, easy, social workouts; fit my work schedule; make a few friends. [Functional]

Feel better about myself physically, mentally, and emotionally. [Emotional]

 

The above examples are simply representative snippets of the types of customer jobs-to-be-done findings you uncover when talking to customers about their experiences.

Jobs-to-be-done will often differ by targeted customer segments and highlight what's most important to each of them in relationship to your brand or company.

 
 
 

(A) Customer Cycle of Progress

From First Thought to Continuous Use


The Wheel of Progress® is used to map out the timeline from First Thought to Continuous Use of your product or service. Jobs-to-be-done based interviews with actual users of your product or service help uncover deep insights into how different customers make progress (or not) towards achieving their aspirational, functional, emotional, and/or social jobs-to-be-done.

 
 
 
Leveraging jobs-to-be-done (JTBD) interviews we gain insights into every aspect of the customer journey. We learn about the customers initial struggling moment, their underlying motivations for seeking to make progress in their lives, the triggering events that transition them from passively looking to actively looking for new solutions, the criteria by which they compare competing solutions, and their actual experiences consuming the product or service.

First Thought

An initial recognition, sometimes sub-consciously, that their current situation needs to change, that things could be better. The 'struggling moment'.

Passively Looking

Starting to observe, discover or learn about different ways in which their needs (struggling moment) could be met.

Triggering Event

Something that occurs, a critical moment in time, an event that takes place, causing someone to transition from passively to actively looking or from actively looking to deciding.

Actively Looking

Beginning to expend greater time and effort to find a solution to their 'struggling moment'. Seeking to address or solve a problem sooner rather than later.

Deciding

Having done their research regarding solution alternatives, now evaluating different ways to solve their problem, assessing pros/cons, making trade-off decisions.

Hiring

Making the actual decision to 'hire' your product or service and in the process 'fire' something that no longer is meeting their needs.

Consuming

Starting to make use of the product or service, sometimes simply as a trial, assessing whether it meets their expectations, wants and needs. Which aspects of the jobs-to-be-done (aspirational, functional, emotional, and social) are not being met.

Continuous Use

Building a new habit through the continuous use of a product or service. Confirmation that the original 'struggling moment' has been addressed.

Each individual passes through each of these stages of the cycle of customer progress in their own way. Insights gained at each stage of this journey can be leveraged to rethink how you best engage with customers to meet their expectations, wants and needs. To attain product market fit.

(B) Four Motivational Forces

Understanding Switching Behavior

Critical to achieving product market fit is building an improved understanding of 'switching behavior'. Determining what point does someone decides to 'hire' your product or service and 'fire' an alternative product or service? Critical to this is studying the four motivational forces at play: push, pull, habits, and anxieties.

Two of these motivational forces can be considered promoting forces (push and pull) and two of them can be considered blocking forces (habit and anxiety). Switching behavior occurs when promoting forces become greater than blocking forces.

 
The four motivational forces involved in switching behavior (push, pull, habits, anxieties).
 

Push

The push of the current situation, pain point, unmet want or need motivating an individual to seek out or search for new solutions to their problem (or status quo).

Pull

The pull of the new idea/solution, representing a desired future state or resolution to a known pain point or problem, representing progress.

Habits

Habits are considered a blocking force in that they prevent an individual from deciding to 'hire' your product or service. They represent an allegiance to the status quo (good enough solutions).

Anxieties

Anxieties are considered a blocking force in that they prevent an individual from deciding to 'hire' your product or service due to either concerns and/or unanswered questions.

Once again, a given decision to "hire" a product or service to perform a customer job (aspirational, functional, social, or emotional) represents switching behavior.

This is the point in time where promoting forces are greater than the blocking forces. Studying the switching behavior can help identify ways in which to target other prospective customers, helping them overcome the same blocking forces.

(C) Constraints to Progress

Constraints to Customer Progress


The third component within the Wheel of Progress® is referred to as Constraints to Progress, it is used to identify internal, external, and/or time-based constraints to customer progress.

A combination of internal, external or time-based constraints can get in the way of customer's making progress. It's important to capture these when building an understanding of the customer journey. As well, begin to think about potential ways in which to address these constraints on behalf of the customer.
Below are some definitions to help guide the identification of different types of constraints (internal, external, time-based) that might get in the way of a customer making progress:

Internal constraints

Internal constraints can be physical conditions (e.g., allergy, blindness, disability), psychological conditions (e.g., anxiety, depression, phobias), and/or financial conditions (e.g., income level, credit score, financial debt).

External constraints

External constraints can include legal requirements, physical environment, distance, weather conditions, economic conditions, limited resources or other things outside of one's control.

Time-based Contraints

Time-based constraints can include time of day, home schedule, school schedule, workday, personnel time off, vacation, and/or any other dimension of time that impacts one's ability to accomplish a goal or task.

A customer must overcome these constraints in some fashion before they are able/ready to "hire" your product or service. When segmenting customers both shared motivations and/or constraints can be often be part of your customer segmentation strategy. It's important to design experiences tailored to addressing their unique expectations, wants and needs.

(D) Four Quadrants of Wheel of Progress

Understanding how customers make progress


As customer interviews are conducted different aspects of the customer experience are captured and mapped to the four quadrants of The Wheel of Progress®: awareness, expectations, trade-offs decisions, and customer experience.
The awareness quadrant of The Wheel of Progress® represents the struggling moment, glimpse of the other side, initial motivation to search for a new way of doing things.
The expectations quadrant of The Wheel of Progress® represents expectations, desires and avoidances customer's having even before deciding on which product or service best fits their needs.
The experience quadrant of The Wheel of Progress® represents the inventory of customer jobs, the pains (negatives), and gains (positives), related to their actual experiences consuming your product or service.
The trade-offs quadrant of The Wheel of Progress® represents the point in time when customer's make trade-off decisions while considering their constraints in terms of the most important criteria for deciding which solution best fits their needs.

This mapping of data and insights is performed across all interviews and then synthesized into a customer jobs hierarchy. Opporutunities to help customers make progress are identified in each of the four quadrants.

Want to learn more about leveraging The Wheel of Progress® to map the customer journey?