Think JTBD Can't Do the 5 Senses? Think Again—Here’s How It Can
Beautifying a Room: No One Would Seriously Study This as a Job Map, Right?
One of the things we’ve liked to stay away from in the JTBD world - I mean the ODI Universe of JTBD - is anything to do with our senses. How can you prove what smells good, or what the perfect color is, etc. Worse, what if it’s something that involves several senses?
You can’t. You can only get opinions. Well…
JTBD is rooted in provable facts that can be established before a product or service is designed, and are actionable.. For example, how do you ask a group of people what it means to beautify a room? If you attempt this, you’re going to get a huge job map with far too many metrics when what we’re really trying solve is a problem that is relatively high level (therefore somewhat aspirational)…
Do you struggle to beautify your room? Not “What is a beautiful room?”
There are better ways than JTBD to science your way through granular outcomes that no consumer will want to rate in a survey for 90 minutes. But you can do this easily at a higher level; if you’re primary goal is simply to understand if people are struggling or not (and generally where/how they struggle). This is a theory that you can actually prove at the market level. Below that, it’s more of a concept design exercise.
No, not designing a problem 🤣
Using the Ideal State to Simplify the Research
I’ve updated my prompt for developing Ideal Statements; which are a lighter-weight approach than a map our desired outcomes, but orders of magnitude better than putting your thumb to the wind. The final output you’ll find below would be used in a simple survey …
Example Ideal Statement Questions
How important is it to be able to express your personal style through the room's design (1 to 5 scale)
How much effort (mental or physical) does it take to express your personal style through the room's design (1 to 5 scale)
How frequently do you need to express your personal style through the room's design
Of course, a survey will have a lot of profiling and situational questions as well. But I won’t bore you with minor details.
This gives you a lot of information because now you know what’s important, what takes a lot of effort, and how often they feel the need to do this. If you’re on the front end of innovation, these are the kind of insights that’ll make your design team (pop quiz):
Giggle with delight
Grumble with anger because (that’s our job!)
Should be #1
In the Ideal component outputted below, I’ve included reasoning so you can see how it thinks through the problem of beautifying a Room. I’ve seen humans struggle through this one for weeks. It’s extremely difficult to regurgitate the thought process of a complex job map and 100+ outcomes and hours of debate with people who didn't actually hear the interviews.
But, it can actually be very simple. The following output is from a single prompt:
Okay, here are 20 ideal statements describing a homeowner's preferences or requirements for beautifying a room, along with detailed reasoning for each.
1. Analyze the job and context:
Job: Beautifying a room. This implies a desire to improve the aesthetic appeal of a room, making it more visually pleasing and enjoyable to be in.
End User Perspective: Homeowner. This suggests a personal investment in the outcome, a desire for comfort and personalization, and potentially a consideration for property value.
Context: The broader context includes home improvement, interior design, and potentially social gatherings or personal relaxation within the home.
2. Brainstorm at least 10 potential themes:
Personal Style: Reflecting the homeowner's individual taste and preferences.
Functionality: Ensuring the room remains practical and usable for its intended purpose.
Comfort: Creating a relaxing and inviting atmosphere.
Ambiance: Setting the desired mood or feeling for the room.
Cost-Effectiveness: Achieving the desired look within a reasonable budget.
Durability: Choosing materials and designs that will last.
Maintenance: Minimizing the effort required to keep the room looking its best.
Uniqueness: Creating a space that feels distinct and special.
Harmony: Ensuring the room's design complements the rest of the house.
Value: Enhancing the overall value of the home.
Inspiration: Feeling inspired or creatively stimulated by the room's design.
3. Evaluate the MECE principle for the ideals in this job and context:
Mutually Exclusive (ME): We need to ensure themes don't overlap too much. For instance, "Comfort" and "Ambiance" could overlap, as could "Durability" and "Maintenance."
Collectively Exhaustive (CE): We want to cover all significant aspects of beautifying a room from the homeowner's perspective. It's difficult to be 100% exhaustive, but we should aim for a comprehensive set.
4. Establish Themes (Reasoning):
Theme 1: Personal Expression and Uniqueness: This theme covers the homeowner's desire to create a space that reflects their personality and stands out.
Reasoning: This is a core driver for many homeowners. They want their home to feel like their own. This is distinct from other themes because it focuses on the homeowner's personal input, rather than the experience of being in the room, the financial aspects, or the functional aspects.
Theme 2: Atmosphere and Comfort: This theme encompasses the desired mood, feeling, and level of relaxation within the room.
Reasoning: The ambiance of a room significantly impacts how people experience it. This is distinct as it focuses on the emotional experience within the space, rather than the expression of the homeowner, the physical attributes of the room, or its value.
Theme 3: Functionality and Practicality: This theme addresses the need for the room to remain usable and efficient for its intended purpose.
Reasoning: A beautiful room is less desirable if it's not functional. This theme is unique as it focuses on usability rather than emotion, style or money.
Theme 4: Value and Investment: This theme highlights the financial aspects, including budget, return on investment, and long-term value.
Reasoning: Homeowners often consider the financial implications of their design choices. This is distinct from other themes, as it focuses on the financial benefits and costs associated with the project.
Theme 5: Harmony and Cohesion: This theme includes both the internal consistency of the room and its integration with the rest of the house.
Reasoning: This theme is important for creating a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing experience within the house. It is unique because it pertains to the flow between spaces rather than just the room itself.
Output: Themes: Personal Expression and Uniqueness, Atmosphere and Comfort, Functionality and Practicality, Value and Investment, Harmony and Cohesion
5. Generate the Ideals, Keeping in Mind MECE Principle, Statement Criteria:
Express my personal style through the room's design. - This falls under "Personal Expression and Uniqueness." It emphasizes the desire to showcase individual taste.
Feel relaxed and comfortable in the room. - This aligns with "Atmosphere and Comfort." It focuses on the emotional experience of being in the space.
Use the room effectively for its intended purpose. - This belongs to "Functionality and Practicality." It highlights the importance of maintaining the room's usability.
Increase the value of my home through the improvements. - This relates to "Value and Investment." It focuses on the financial benefits of the project.
Create a cohesive look that flows with the rest of the house. - This falls under "Harmony and Cohesion," emphasizing the importance of visual consistency.
Source unique, one-of-a-kind pieces for the room. - This statement falls under the "Personal Expression and Uniqueness" theme as it helps to make the room feel special and distinct.
Feel inspired when I am in the room. - This falls under the "Atmosphere and Comfort" theme. The ideal describes a want for a room that boosts creativity.
Maximize the use of the available space within the room. - This statement aligns with the "Functionality and Practicality" theme, as it focuses on space efficiency.
Stay within my budget for the project. - This statement relates to the "Value and Investment" theme. Every project needs to be financially sound and the budget is the primary constraint.
Maintain a consistent design theme throughout the room. - This ideal falls under the "Harmony and Cohesion" theme and describes a want for a unified design.
Impress guests with the room's aesthetic appeal. - This statement falls under the "Personal Expression and Uniqueness" theme. A unique room that expresses the owner's personality will likely impress guests.
Feel a sense of tranquility and peace in the room. - This relates to the "Atmosphere and Comfort" theme. The statement expresses a want for an atmosphere that promotes mental wellbeing.
Accommodate the needs of all household members in the room's design. - This statement aligns with the "Functionality and Practicality" theme and highlights the importance of designing for different needs.
Achieve a good return on investment for the project. - This relates to the "Value and Investment" theme, as any homeowner will want their investment to generate financial returns.
Avoid a design that feels disjointed or mismatched. - This ideal falls under the "Harmony and Cohesion" theme. This statement expresses a preference for a unified aesthetic.
Showcase my personality and interests in the room. - This statement falls under "Personal Expression and Uniqueness" as it emphasizes the importance of reflecting one's personality in the design.
Feel energized and uplifted when I am in the room. - This aligns with the "Atmosphere and Comfort" theme. It expresses a want for a room that has a positive impact on one's mood.
Adapt the room easily for different purposes, as needed. - This ideal speaks to the "Functionality and Practicality" theme as it focuses on the versatility of the space.
Minimize the time and effort required for upkeep. - This statement relates to the "Value and Investment" theme, as time is a valuable resource. This expresses a desire for a low-maintenance space.
Create a design that will remain stylish for years to come. - This falls under the "Harmony and Cohesion" theme as timeless designs will flow better into future designs. This statement highlights the importance of longevity in design.
End Ideation Process
Final Output
Express my personal style through the room's design. - This falls under "Personal Expression and Uniqueness." It emphasizes the desire to showcase individual taste.
Feel relaxed and comfortable in the room. - This aligns with "Atmosphere and Comfort." It focuses on the emotional experience of being in the space.
Use the room effectively for its intended purpose. - This belongs to "Functionality and Practicality." It highlights the importance of maintaining the room's usability.
Increase the value of my home through the improvements. - This relates to "Value and Investment." It focuses on the financial benefits of the project.
Create a cohesive look that flows with the rest of the house. - This falls under "Harmony and Cohesion," emphasizing the importance of visual consistency.
Source unique, one-of-a-kind pieces for the room. - This statement falls under the "Personal Expression and Uniqueness" theme as it helps to make the room feel special and distinct.
Feel inspired when I am in the room. - This falls under the "Atmosphere and Comfort" theme. The ideal describes a want for a room that boosts creativity.
Maximize the use of the available space within the room. - This statement aligns with the "Functionality and Practicality" theme, as it focuses on space efficiency.
Stay within my budget for the project. - This statement relates to the "Value and Investment" theme. Every project needs to be financially sound and the budget is the primary constraint.
Maintain a consistent design theme throughout the room. - This ideal falls under the "Harmony and Cohesion" theme and describes a want for a unified design.
Impress guests with the room's aesthetic appeal. - This statement falls under the "Personal Expression and Uniqueness" theme. A unique room that expresses the owner's personality will likely impress guests.
Feel a sense of tranquility and peace in the room. - This relates to the "Atmosphere and Comfort" theme. The statement expresses a want for an atmosphere that promotes mental wellbeing.
Accommodate the needs of all household members in the room's design. - This statement aligns with the "Functionality and Practicality" theme and highlights the importance of designing for different needs.
Achieve a good return on investment for the project. - This relates to the "Value and Investment" theme, as any homeowner will want their investment to generate financial returns.
Avoid a design that feels disjointed or mismatched. - This ideal falls under the "Harmony and Cohesion" theme. This statement expresses a preference for a unified aesthetic.
Showcase my personality and interests in the room. - This statement falls under "Personal Expression and Uniqueness" as it emphasizes the importance of reflecting one's personality in the design.
Feel energized and uplifted when I am in the room. - This aligns with the "Atmosphere and Comfort" theme. It expresses a want for a room that has a positive impact on one's mood.
Adapt the room easily for different purposes, as needed. - This ideal speaks to the "Functionality and Practicality" theme as it focuses on the versatility of the space.
Minimize the time and effort required for upkeep. - This statement relates to the "Value and Investment" theme, as time is a valuable resource. This expresses a desire for a low-maintenance space.
Create a design that will remain stylish for years to come. - This falls under the "Harmony and Cohesion" theme as timeless designs will flow better into future designs. This statement highlights the importance of longevity in design.
Mike Boysen - www.pjtbd.com
Why fail fast when you can succeed the first time?
Book an appointment: https://pjtbd.com/book-mike
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