This recipe produces JTBD force diagrams, job stories, and switch timeline maps from structured interviews with recent buyers or switchers. The output reveals the true causal factors behind purchase decisions — the functional, social, and emotional forces that drive switching behavior.
| Path | Who to Interview | Key Question | Primary Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| A: Competitor Switch | Recent competitor customers | "What were you using before?" | Competitive opportunity map |
| B: Own Customer Switch | Your recent customers | "Walk me through deciding to buy us" | PMF validation |
| C: Churn Analysis | Recently churned | "Walk me through deciding to leave" | Retention strategy |
| D: Workaround Analysis | People using makeshift solutions | "Show me how you handle this today" | Category creation messaging |
Duration: 30 minutes | Tool: Study/reference
Internalize the four forces: Push (dissatisfaction), Pull (attraction), Anxiety (fear of change), Habit (comfort with status quo). Purchase happens when Push + Pull > Anxiety + Habit.
Duration: 1-2 hours | Tool: Document editor
Create a 45-60 minute script that reconstructs the purchase timeline backward through four phases: purchase moment, active evaluation, passive looking, and first thought/trigger event. Then probe all four forces explicitly.
Duration: 2-3 weeks | Tool: Zoom + Otter.ai
Execute interviews using timeline reconstruction. Think like a documentary filmmaker. Note emotions explicitly. Use the "Columbo technique" and 5-second silence rule.
Duration: 1-2 hours per batch | Tool: Miro + spreadsheet
Extract and classify all four forces from each interview with intensity ratings and functional/emotional/social dimensions.
Duration: 4-6 hours | Tool: Spreadsheet + Miro
Aggregate across interviews to find dominant push, pull, anxiety, and habit factors with frequency and intensity rankings.
| Metric | Minimum | Good | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switch interviews completed | >= 8 | >= 12 | >= 20 |
| All four forces per interview | >= 70% | >= 85% | >= 95% |
| Timeline fully reconstructed | >= 60% | >= 80% | >= 90% |
| Validated job stories | >= 2 | >= 4 | >= 6 |
| Error | Cause | Recovery |
|---|---|---|
| Can't remember timeline | Purchase too long ago | Recruit within 90 days |
| Only functional forces | Not probing feelings | Add "How did that make you feel?" |
| Price cited as only driver | Surface-level answers | Probe: "If price were same, would you still switch?" |
| Post-purchase rationalization | Choice-supportive bias | Use timeline reconstruction for pre-decision view |
| Component | Free | Paid | At Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video calls | Google Meet ($0) | Zoom ($13.33/mo) | Zoom Business ($18.33/mo) |
| Transcription | Zoom ($0) | Otter.ai ($8.33/mo) | Rev ($1.50/min) |
| Recruitment | Own customers ($0) | Respondent.io ($150/each) | UserTesting ($300/each) |
| Total (12 interviews) | $0 | $800-2K | $3K-5K |
Direct "why" questions trigger post-hoc rationalization that doesn't reflect the actual decision process. [src1]
Walk backward from purchase to first thought. Timeline reconstruction bypasses rationalization.
Emotional and social forces often outweigh functional ones in purchase decisions. [src5]
For every force, ask about practical impact (functional), feelings (emotional), and social context (social).
Use this recipe when you need to understand the true motivations behind purchase decisions. Critical for product positioning, competitive strategy, and messaging that addresses real anxieties and leverages real push/pull factors.