Users and Jobs

How does the idea of “Users and Jobs” change the decision we make?

Use Users and Jobs to inspect evidence in Product Thinking; identify who owns Users and Jobs, then note what still needs checking. Look at Users and Jobs through a decision: what information is available, who owns the result, and what happens if the assumptions are wrong. The goal is to use Users and Jobs to clarify a decision, not simply add another term to remember.

After this lesson

• Use Users and Jobs to inspect evidence in Product Thinking; identify who owns Users and Jobs, then note what still needs checking.
• Use the idea of “Users and Jobs” to interpret one realistic situation.
• Explain the limits of the concept and the information that still needs to be checked.

Start with the situation

Understand the situation first. The label can come later.

A request to 'build a chatbot' often hides a broader problem, such as difficulty finding reliable information. This lesson uses the idea of “Users and Jobs” to examine that situation without treating a single term as the answer to every problem.

Use Users and Jobs to inspect evidence in Product Thinking; identify who owns Users and Jobs, then note what still needs checking. Begin with the user, the job they need to complete, the evidence, and the outcome they need. Connect the term to a decision someone genuinely needs to make.

Do not rush the choice

Two ways to look at Users and Jobs

The stronger choice is the one whose evidence, owner, and limits can be explained, not simply the more sophisticated option.

Visual model

Map the parts before choosing what to do.

Read the diagram as a map of Users and Jobs: begin with the context, follow the connections, and inspect the highlighted point before making a decision.

Let’s see how it works

Reading the situation in practice

Look at Users and Jobs through a decision: what information is available, who owns the result, and what happens if the assumptions are wrong. Begin with what can be observed, then separate facts, assumptions, and open questions.

A request to 'build a chatbot' often hides a broader problem, such as difficulty finding reliable information. Identify the part of the situation most closely connected to the idea of “Users and Jobs”. Use the case as a thinking tool, not as proof that one solution fits every context.

Pause for a moment

What evidence could change this decision?

Answer before opening the discussion. Name one fact and one assumption.

A tempting shortcut

A familiar term can still lead us to the wrong decision.

Why this can seem reasonable

A problem statement that already names the solution narrows the options too early. This mistake often appears when a label is used before the problem is understood. Write down your assumptions so another person can review them.

How to check it

Look at Users and Jobs through a decision: what information is available, who owns the result, and what happens if the assumptions are wrong. Begin with what can be observed, then separate facts, assumptions, and open questions.

Try it on your work

Try it with one small piece of real work.

1. Choose one real situation related to Users and Jobs.
2. Separate what you can observe from what you are assuming.
3. Write one decision, its owner, and the evidence needed to review it.
4. Name the signal that would make you stop or change direction.

Choose a task you know. List what is known, what is still an assumption, and what must be tested before using the idea of “Users and Jobs”. The larger module activity is: Turn the available evidence into one clear problem statement. Keep the first version small enough for another person to review in a few minutes.

Quick practice

Choose a task you know. List what is known, what is still an assumption, and what must be tested before using the idea of “Users and Jobs”. The larger module activity is: Turn the available evidence into one clear problem statement.

Summary

• Use Users and Jobs to inspect evidence in Product Thinking; identify who owns Users and Jobs, then note what still needs checking.
• Use examples and evidence to test your understanding.
• Record the limits, risks, and conditions that should trigger another review.

Continue from here

• Outcomes: Continue the idea from Start with the Problem, Not the Hype with a closely related example.
• Pain, Frequency, and Value: Connect this lesson to Applied AI and test the idea in another context.
• Quality and Provenance: See how the same decision changes when viewed through Data Literacy.

Sources and further reading

• People + AI Guidebook: Google PAIR · official-guidebook. Primary reference for the definition, evidence, or limits discussed in “Users and Jobs”.
• Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework: NIST · official-framework. Further evidence and context for checking the explanation in “Users and Jobs”.
• Rules of Machine Learning: Google for Developers · official-guidance. Further evidence and context for checking the explanation in “Users and Jobs”.