Future Jobs to Be Done – Gender

The traditional “Jobs to Be Done” framework builds on the theory that people buy products and services to fulfill certain needs or accomplish specific tasks. For example, we don’t buy a taxi ride; we hire one to get us where we want to go. We don’t buy body wash; we hire it to bathe and smell good.

Ipsos takes this theory forward with future Jobs to Be Done (fJTBD). We envision powerful and plausible future scenarios through strategic foresight. While many needs are enduring and do not change over time, the context of that job will change along with the potential solutions and alternatives. These scenarios help us define the circumstances in which people may find themselves, like in a retail store with gendered fitting rooms. For nonbinary shoppers, how could retailers update to be more inclusive? We use fJTBD to tie these scenarios to actions that organizations can take to help people meet future needs.

While it’s typical in foresight to create fJTBD clusters, we’re sharing one scenario here for brevity and clarity.

Help me to live in and express my gender identity​

In a world where more people express gender fluidly, brands can help by offering safe, gender-expansive products and services.

Potential fJTBD:

• Help me find products by promoting benefits rather than gender cues
• Help me be myself by using gender-expanded imagery and staff badges
• Help me feel safe and included with all-gender, locked changing rooms

Imagine a world where … A retailer makes it easy to shop for and try products that fit across a gender spectrum to express whatever you feel.