Job Stories are a powerful framework to capture users' needs in given contexts. The presentation includes -a case study on the piano manufacturing industry in the US and its disruption by radio broadcasting. The framework provides insights into why this disruption happened. The presentation furthermore provides examples on how to apply the framework into design projects.

1. Who disrupted the piano manufacturing industry
in the early 20th century?
A job stories - perspective.
By Holger Rhinow (2015) under Creative Common License CC BY-SA 2.0

2. 0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
350000
400000
Piano Sales in the USA (1900-1934)
1 2 3
By Holger Rhinow (2015) under Creative Common License CC BY-SA 2.0

3. 0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
350000
400000
Piano Sales in the USA (1900-1934)
1 2 3
Growing wealth and a rising
middle class in the US

4. 0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
350000
400000
Piano Sales in the USA (1900-1934)
1 2 3
Growing wealth and a rising
middle class in the US
Post World War 1
timber shortage

5. 0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
350000
400000
Piano Sales in the USA (1900-1934)
1 2 3
Growing wealth and a rising
middle class in the US
Post World War 1
timber shortage
Radio broadcasting becomes
dominant home entertainment
experience

6. 0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
350000
400000
Piano Sales in the USA (1900-1934)
1 2 31905:
When I am coming back home from work (situation),
I play the piano (action)
for enjoying a relaxed entertainment evening with my family (motivation/need).
1935:
When I am coming back home from work (situation),
I turn on the broadcast radio (action)
for enjoying a relaxed evening entertainment with my family (motivation/need).
From a job stories – perspective, piano manufacturers and radio manufacturers
and broadcasters competed in the same market in the early 20th century - home
entertainment. Broadcasting, amongst others, addressed the same need in the
same situation, but offered and improved action opportunity for users:
• less financial investment
• less personal investment (training)
• better music quality
The job stories of a piano & a radio broadcast
By Holger Rhinow (2015) under Creative Common License CC BY-SA 2.0

7. Learnings:
• disruption of an industry does not necessarily come from a similar industry
• disruptors or creative destroyers (Schumpeter) fulfill existing needs in existing
contexts with a more advantageous action opportunities
About Jobs to be done:
• Not a method to design new action opportunities
• Framework to identify existing job stories (situation, actions & needs) of real
users and their shortcomings
Disruptions from a job stories - perspective
By Holger Rhinow (2015) under Creative Common License CC BY-SA 2.0

8. Identifying job stories
When
_________________________________________
_, situation
I am
_________________________________________
_ action
so that I can
_________________________________________
_. motivation or need
By Holger Rhinow (2015) under Creative Common License CC BY-SA 2.0

9. Interviewing users on their job stories
“Please guide me through your day”
“What does the situation look like?”
“What are you doing in these situations?”
“For what reason do you do this?”
“What happens next?”
By Holger Rhinow (2015) under Creative Common License CC BY-SA 2.0

10. Identifying multiple job stories in a user journey
t
By Holger Rhinow (2015) under Creative Common License CC BY-SA 2.0

11. Brainstorming with job stories
“What other actions might
address the same motivation
in the same situation?”
By Holger Rhinow (2015) under Creative Common License CC BY-SA 2.0

12. Sources
Pictures:
“Mulberry Street 1900” by Susanne (CC BY-SA 2.0): http://bit.ly/1E8yGWg
“Men working at lumber mill 1911” by Seattle Municipal Archives (CC BY 2.0): http://bit.ly/1BPj3Tt
“Radio Broadcast” by Cliff (CC BY 2.0): http://bit.ly/1DIDj6O
Inspiration for Job Stories from Alan Klement: “Replacing the User Story with the Job Story”: https://medium.com/the-job-
to-be-done/replacing-the-user-story-with-the-job-story-af7cdee10c27
Insights into the fall of the piano industry: http://freakonomics.com/2015/01/29/how-safe-is-your-job-a-new-freakonomics-
radio-podcast/
Data from Piano Sales in the US:
http://www.bluebookofpianos.com/uspiano.htm