‘when coffee & kale compete’, written by Alan Klement, talks about providing solutions that help accomplish the Job to be done – building and iterating your product around solving a customer’s problem.
It sounds like a simple concept, but I wanted to share some of the things I’ve learned and provide some ways of leveraging that concept for developing with new technology and creating solutions people want and will use.
I’ve recently heard of many people talk about Web3, crypto, blockchain, VR, AR, AV, and more that don’t have any (or very little) affiliation with the tech sector (ie: non-engineers). This means that the space is certainly growing and getting closer to full adoption. It is likely with crypto we’re in the tail end of an Evaluation and entering a Trial Stage of companies and startups looking for opportunities to integrate or offer products and services that leverage core features and benefits of crypto: immutability, decentralization, consensus, security.
Back to what Jobs are and what they mean in this context. There are many people looking to create the next OpenSea, MagicEden, secondary markets for NFT’s minted to x blockchain…These are great services because it allows people to interact with the blockchain in a new way. One that is tangible and a purchaser can walk through the steps of purchasing their first NFT (if you’re lucky, there are free mints but be careful for rugpulls!!).
But what the average Joe or Jo often comes to me about are products that maybe leverage AR, crypto, or something else but they don’t have the experience or awareness of the level of challenge they are talking about. And when I first started trying to build projects, I always myself in mind (I was always my first user). I was interested in solving problems for myself. But when I started reading ‘when coffee and kale compete’, I began to think of building projects that were solving a problem that people already had. Even better, a problem they were already paying for. How do I take a process someone is already familiar with, even paying for, and simplify (cut out steps) for the user to have a better and or quicker experience in hopes of completing a Job they were needing or wanting done.
With new technology, I want to challenge you to not think of your wildest idea (if anything were possible, I would build x; this could be wanting to build the next great concept car or concept augmented mixed-reality glasses). This can be difficult due to many constraints. And rather, identify current patterns people share (like identifying that people need groceries when they are sick or busy at home, or lack the desire to exert energy in making or gathering resources to cook a meal; and there you have Uber Eats, Instacart, etc). Those companies took existing steps that people already take to solve a Job (I want to be replenished or nourished with good food, and they cut out the steps for users having to get off their computer and drive, walk, bike to the store. They can save users time, money, and allows them to get back to things in their lives they would like to focus on.
This book helped me think of it more in terms of cutting out or replacing existing steps (that may not be crucial) which may directly enhance someone’s lives. They currently live one way and have a desire to improve their live situation to not have to do x, or to be able to do x. It’s variable and dependent on many things, but helped shift my focus and I have found it valuable when trying to personal side projects. Instead of building something for one customer (just me), think about processes that are inhibiting people from achieving their ideal state (like not wanting to leave the couch or being able to spend quality time with loves ones).
Improving our lives is instinctual. It is natural to want, envy, hope for better circumstances in many of our lives. The book references a popular quote by Revlon founder, Charles Revson, ‘In the factory we manufacture lipstick, in the store we sell hope’. This is spot on. The Job here that many makeup wearers have is a desire for a new look or an adjustment to look like someone or something else (our ideal state).
Another quote I have heard many times that I really like is, ‘do things that don’t scale, so that you can do things that do scale’. Just get something out the door and iterate upon your idea until you’ve got an MVP. And from then on, be customer obsessed with helping them solve problems. They will even offer great suggestions or helpful feedback to iterate on existing features or requesting brand new features. But think of the Job a customer is needing done, and solve That. Most people have cars, but when you think about buying a car it’s not normally so that you can just have a car. It’s so that you can get from location A to location B. Maybe that’s visiting loved ones far away, or going to work each day. There’s a Job to be done that improves and enhances lives (could even be our own). So I encourage others to keep that in mind when considering developing or leveraging new technologies like VR, crypto, NFTs, you name it. Go build something that improves the world for the better!
HERE is a great place to get started with developing on new and cool technology like the blockchain or launching an NFT project.
