Context Matters: Unionized

Competing Against Luck - Post 2/6 (Based on Chapters 2-3)

Context Matters

Question: How do you tell the difference between an electrician and a chemist?
Answer: Ask them to pronounce, "unionized".

I think that’s pretty clever. Of course, you can’t “say” that joke, but it is fun to read. The point is that context matters. If we have a vague definition or simply make assumptions about what a word means, it can change everything. Last week, we kicked off our journey into the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework and introduced the idea that customers "hire" products like a milkshake for a better commute. This week, we'll get more specific about the term "job," and explore how context reveals what customers really need.

What Is a "Job to Be Done"?

As we learned, a job is more than a simple task. It’s the progress a customer seeks in a specific circumstance, blending three key dimensions: Functional: The task they need done (e.g., share files quickly). Emotional: How they want to feel (e.g., confident, stress-free). Social: How they want to be seen (e.g., professional). Think of users hiring a tool like Jira. The job isn’t just to "track bugs" but to "feel in control of a complex project" and "look reliable to stakeholders" by providing clear status updates. This feels familiar because it’s a lot like using the 5 Whys to uncover a problem's root cause. It’s about getting to the heart of what truly matters to the customer.

why Context Matters

Chapter 3 of Competing Against Luck shows that jobs come alive through context—the when, where, and why of a customer’s need. Understanding this context helps us avoid a major trap: feature parity. This is the misguided strategy of copying every competitor's feature to keep up. Piling on features often misses the real job, leading to product bloat and wasted effort.

This is where the Pareto Principle (the idea that 20% of your efforts deliver 80% of the results) comes into play. If we focus on the core features that solve the customer’s essential job, we can deliver most of the value without adding unnecessary complexity.

At Vasion, our CEO once posed a question about how we succeeded with so few features compared to our competitors. The answer was straightforward: our founder had a specific job to be done that our product did exceedingly well.

Real-World Examples of Context

Consider Airbnb. Their original business model seemed unthinkable to traditional hotels. If the job was simply to provide a clean, sanitary, private, and predictable experience, no one would have "hired" a stranger’s couch. But many travelers hire Airbnb for a different job: to "feel at home while traveling." The context of being away from home, craving comfort, and wanting to live like a local reveals a job that hotels simply don't solve. Airbnb didn't need to match every hotel feature; it solved the core job with unique features, providing the right value without feature parity.

For a SaaS solution like Vasion Forms, context might mean users struggling to "share updates quickly" during a crunch. By focusing on that specific job, we can design intuitive workflows and optimize performance, rather than chasing every competitor's feature. Using tools like AI to analyze user feedback can help us spot these contextual patterns and build products that resonate.

Try This Out

Uncovering jobs through context is powerful. Here’s a way to start:

Action Item: Review user feedback (e.g., reviews, support tickets) or recall a recent customer interaction. Identify one context where they used your product (e.g., "sharing files during a deadline").
Ask: "What job are they hiring this for?" Use the 5 Whys to dig deeper: Why do they need it? Why does that matter?
Note one functional, emotional, or social job. For example, "accessing files securely anywhere" to "feel confident."

This exercise helps product managers design core features that fit real needs and helps engineers build efficient solutions. As you get comfortable, you can start weaving these insights into sprint planning to ensure your team is focused on what truly matters. What contexts will you discover?

What’s Next?

This post builds on Chapters 1–3 of Competing Against Luck. Next week, we’ll explore Chapter 4 to see how customer choices are influenced by four powerful "forces of progress." Join me as we continue our journey to make JTBD work!

Bringing it Home

The Jobs to Be Done framework is a powerful tool for understanding our personal lives and relationships. When you find yourself confused by someone’s behavior or a decision they made, think about the context of their situation.

For example, a family member might "hire" a new hobby, not for the functional task of the hobby itself, but to "feel a sense of control" or "connect with others" in the context of a stressful life change. A friend might "hire" a new social group not just to "have plans" but to "feel a sense of belonging" after a big move.

By looking for the functional, emotional, and social jobs that people are trying to get done, we can better empathize with their choices and actions. What "jobs" are the people in your life trying to get done that you can help them with? Be aware and keep Aiming Up!