I'm not satisfied with the satisfaction question in jobs-to-be-done, are you?

What if we replace it with a different question in Jobs-to-be-Done Research?

When we unwittingly approach disruptive times, even the best methods can obscure the future by asking customers questions that can only be answered based on what they know. "Are you satisfied" is one of those questions, in my opinion.

Let's pretend we are in the 1980's again and we've just been unshackled from component stereos systems. We knew we wanted to listen to hi-fidelity music and we could. We just couldn't do it on-the-go. We literally could not transport component stereo systems around with us.

Suddenly Boom Boxes came on the scene to solve that problem. But the 24 D-cell batteries you had to put in them lasted an hour, and they were clunky and heavy. You might recall people carrying them on their shoulders

Everyone wanted to hear what we were listening to, right? Right.

We ultimately solved the portability and privacy problem with the Sony Walkman, and related devices. It was portable (unified and compact), it was private (headphones), and the batteries could spin that CD the l…