Method
A short sprint to run and synthesize JTBD-style interviews focused on pushes, pulls, anxieties, and habits.
Artifact preview
JTBD force map
Understand needs · High
Decide fit before you spend session time.
The core facilitation flow, with enough structure to run the method confidently in the room.
Standard variant for Mixed in remote delivery. Waypoint is adapting timing, facilitation emphasis, prep, and recovery guidance here, but the room still needs final tailoring to the exact stakes and participants.
Total planned time: 20 min
What happens
Select recent switchers, non-adopters, or churned users.
Facilitator does
Keep the framing tight enough that later steps stay coherent. Resolve vague nouns, mixed audiences, and hidden assumptions before progressing.
Participants do
Agree the boundaries, actor, or decision first so the room is working on the same problem before the method expands.
Output / signal of success
The group is aligned on the exact challenge, actor, or scope the rest of the method will serve.
Watch for
Treating JTBD as a survey.
Recovery tip
If the framing is fuzzy, stop and resolve the actor, decision, or scope before proceeding.
What happens
Probe timeline, triggers, alternatives, and outcomes.
Facilitator does
Keep the standard cadence and protect the decision point at the end of the step. Balance sponsor framing with practical delivery detail so the room stays aligned. Use a visible shared board, explicit turn-taking, and shorter bursts before reconvening. Translate between sponsor goals and delivery reality as you move. Pause after each move to confirm people can see the current board state before continuing.
Participants do
Work from the prompt, keep contributions concrete, and let the shared artifact carry the discussion.
Output / signal of success
Opportunity hypotheses
Watch for
Treating JTBD as a survey.
Recovery tip
Treating JTBD as a survey.
What happens
Map push, pull, anxiety, and habit themes.
Facilitator does
Keep the standard cadence and protect the decision point at the end of the step. Balance sponsor framing with practical delivery detail so the room stays aligned. Use a visible shared board, explicit turn-taking, and shorter bursts before reconvening. Translate between sponsor goals and delivery reality as you move. Pause after each move to confirm people can see the current board state before continuing.
Participants do
Work from the prompt, keep contributions concrete, and let the shared artifact carry the discussion.
Output / signal of success
Evidence-backed priorities
Watch for
Treating JTBD as a survey.
Recovery tip
Treating JTBD as a survey.
What happens
Prioritize opportunity areas and messaging hypotheses.
Facilitator does
Keep the standard cadence and protect the decision point at the end of the step. Balance sponsor framing with practical delivery detail so the room stays aligned. Use a visible shared board, explicit turn-taking, and shorter bursts before reconvening. Translate between sponsor goals and delivery reality as you move. Pause after each move to confirm people can see the current board state before continuing.
Participants do
Work from the prompt, keep contributions concrete, and let the shared artifact carry the discussion.
Output / signal of success
JTBD force map
Watch for
Treating JTBD as a survey.
Recovery tip
Treating JTBD as a survey.
Tune the method to the room without changing the core synthesis move.
Standard variant for Mixed in remote delivery. Waypoint is adapting timing, facilitation emphasis, prep, and recovery guidance here, but the room still needs final tailoring to the exact stakes and participants.
Prepare the room, the evidence, and the working surface so the session can stay focused on synthesis.
Standard variant for Mixed in remote delivery. Waypoint is adapting timing, facilitation emphasis, prep, and recovery guidance here, but the room still needs final tailoring to the exact stakes and participants.
Recruit criteria
Optional
Interview guide
Optional
Recording consent process
Optional
Operational context note
Optional
Bring examples, pain points, or service evidence the room can point to quickly.
Synthesis board
Optional
Remote facilitation choreography
Required
Pre-plan handoffs, breakout usage, and how people rejoin the main board.
Synthesis board
Required
Shared digital board with timer and voting
Required
Keep instructions and voting visible at all times.
JTBD interview guide
Use this to judge whether the session produced something clear enough to act on tomorrow.
Read these like live facilitation coaching, not a reference table.
Standard variant for Mixed in remote delivery. Waypoint is adapting timing, facilitation emphasis, prep, and recovery guidance here, but the room still needs final tailoring to the exact stakes and participants.
Failure mode
Why it happens
Common facilitation blind spot.
Recover now
If this happens, pause, restate objective, and re-anchor the group.
Prevent next time
Next time, interview real decision-makers, not only proxies.
Failure mode
Why it happens
Common facilitation blind spot.
Recover now
If this happens, pause, restate objective, and re-anchor the group.
Prevent next time
Next time, ask for timeline events, not generic opinions.
Failure mode
Why it happens
Facilitation cues and visual state changes are not made explicit enough online.
Recover now
If this happens, pause, restate the current decision point, and narrate exactly what changed on the shared board before moving on.
Prevent next time
Next time, assign one visible working board, one timer, and one facilitator voice for transitions.
Use this only after you understand the flow and have checked the method fits the room.
Open the facilitator pack when you need a one-session version you can run now. Move into Workspace when this method needs broader coordination, decision tracking, or follow-through.
Sources and references used in this recipe.
Ulwick outcome-driven innovation resources.
Foundational interview and qualitative research guidance.
Reviewed 2026-02-27 by Discovery Waypoint Editorial Team