Jobs-to-Be-Done Canvas Template

Five to eight switch interviews is the typical range for a reliable JTBD canvas. After 5 interviews, patterns emerge. After 8, you rarely learn new job-level insights (though you may uncover new pain points or solutions). If you are hearing the same themes repeated by interview 6, you have enough data to synthesize.

A [user story](/glossary/user-story) describes a feature request in the format "As a [user], I want to [action], so that [benefit]." It is solution-oriented. A JTBD statement describes the underlying motivation independent of any solution. The same job ("keep leadership informed about project health") could be served by a dashboard, a weekly email, a Slack bot, or a meeting. JTBD helps you discover which solution best fits the job context.

Both. For existing products, the canvas reveals why customers hired your product (to validate your positioning) and where the current solution is underserving them (to identify improvement opportunities). For new products, it reveals what job the market needs done and what current solutions are failing at.

The desired outcomes table directly feeds prioritization. Outcomes with high importance and low satisfaction are underserved. Use the [RICE Calculator](/tools/rice-calculator) to score potential features that address those underserved outcomes. The JTBD canvas gives you the "Impact" and "Confidence" inputs for RICE scoring.

An [empathy map](/templates/empathy-map-template) captures what a user Says, Thinks, Does, and Feels. It is a snapshot of their current state. A JTBD canvas captures the job they are trying to get done, the solutions they hire, the forces that drive switching, and the outcomes that define success. Empathy maps describe the person. JTBD canvases describe the progress they are trying to make. Both are valuable. Start with empathy maps for user understanding, then move to JTBD for product strategy. ---