Journey Mapping Meets Jobs to be Done

WORKING PAPER
By Stephen Wunker, Charlotte Desprat and Connor Fitzpatrick

Reveal the ‘Why’ Behind the Customer Journey

Make your customer journey maps more powerful with Jobs to be Done.

Traditional journey maps show what customers do. But they often miss why customers take those steps—their underlying goals, motivations, and frustrations. That’s where Jobs to be Done adds transformative value.

By integrating Jobs to be Done into journey mapping, organizations move beyond surface-level touchpoints. You start to uncover unmet needs, emotional triggers, and overlooked opportunities for innovation. The result? Journey maps that are more actionable, more strategic, and more aligned with what truly matters to your customers.

 Download our free guide to learn how Jobs to be Done journey mapping leads to better decisions and smarter innovation

Why Traditional Journey Mapping Isn’t Enough

Customer journey maps were created to improve customer experience and spark innovation. Yet in practice, many fall short. Here's why:
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  1. They don’t explain the customer’s motivation.
    Most journey maps focus on behaviors—what people do—but skip over the reasons behind those actions.
  2. They oversimplify real-life decisions.
    Customer behavior is emotional, nonlinear, and full of trade-offs. Traditional maps often treat users like rational machines.
  3. They become visually cluttered and hard to act on. 
    Without a guiding structure, maps get bloated with icons and anecdotes, making insights harder to extract.

How Jobs to be Done Elevates Journey Mapping—And How We Can Help

​We’ve spent over a decade applying Jobs to be Done to help organizations better understand what their customers are truly trying to achieve. When you apply this thinking to journey mapping, it becomes a much more powerful, actionable tool.

Understand the 'Why' Behind Every Step

Jobs to be Done focuses on goals—functional and emotional—that drive customer behavior. For instance, a hospital might assume patients come for treatment, but Jobs to be Done reveals their real goal is to regain control of their lives. This deeper view leads to more effective, customer-aligned innovation.

Embrace Real-World Complexity

Customer journeys aren’t linear. They involve emotion, hesitation, competing priorities, and multiple stakeholders. Our approach captures this complexity—while keeping the map coherent and usable.

Create a Strategic Tool for Growth

Jobs to be Done provides a stable structure to compare journeys across segments, markets, and time. Whether you're redesigning a digital platform or launching a new service, this approach ensures your journey maps remain relevant—and power your strategic planning.

Case in Point: Buying a Car Isn’t Just About Price

In our working paper, we share the story of two car buyers—Dan and Maria—who are both looking for value but follow radically different journeys. One is fast, confident, and solo. The other is cautious, emotionally complex, and involves a parent.

The insight? The same customer “job” can take many forms, depending on context. When you map journeys through the lens of Jobs to be Done, you uncover these variations—and design better solutions around them.

​Want the full story and visual journey? Download the guide to explore the complete case study and what it means for your business.

Work With Us to Build Better Journey Maps

At New Markets Advisors, we partner with organizations to embed Jobs to be Done into their customer journey efforts. Our team helps you:

  • Identify high-value customer jobs through research and fieldwork
  • Build journey maps anchored in motivation, not just behavior
  • Uncover white space for innovation and differentiation
  • Translate insights into roadmaps and growth strategies

​Want to see how this could work for your team? Book a free strategy call to explore how we can partner together.
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