Jobs To Be Done Strategic Research

Problem

Angel Studios, a crowdfunding and distribution platform for screen-based entertainment, needed to understand the aspirational goals of their crowdfunders. Aligning platform functionalities and messaging with these goals would lead to faster conversions, increased engagement, and improved user retention.

A radial graph, one of many data visualizations, illustrates the large category jobs to be done by color and individual desired outcomes in each category for crowdfunding investors. It provides a concise way to visualize and compare the relative importance investors place on multiple dimensions beyond just financial returns.

By mapping crowdfunder goals, gaps and opportunities were identified, resulting in aligning culture-impacting investment opportunities with key crowdfunder unmet needs.

Actionable Research Outcomes

• Measurable Impacts: 
  • Conversion rates on investment pages increased  30%
  • One show's crowdfunding campaign increased investments by 250%
  • Another show's livestream saw dramatically increasing engagement demonstrated by a 1,200% increase in sales
• Crowdfunder Persona: Key findings were synthesized into a user persona that represented the core crowdfunder archetype
• Holistic Improvement
  • ​​​When the research was integrated into the overall design and marketing strategy, the platform saw a 10% revenue increase
  • Iterative Product Testing: The crowdfunding portal was redesigned to enhance information architecture, measurably reducing user confusion contacts to customer support
• Long-Term Influence: ​
  • Insights influenced strategic messaging and product innovations
  • Subsequent product updates and testing: Marketing, Product, and Funding teams continue to leverage these research insights for messaging and features on web, mobile, TV, and in theaters. 

My Role
Lead UX Researcher 

• Defined research objectives and confirmed outcomes
• Planned multi-phase, mixed method research 
• Conducted and debriefed interviews with the research team
• Created journey maps, job maps, audio/visual presentations, and report  documentation to socialize findings
• Managed vendor relationship with desktop-based texting platform for research participant communications
• Mentored research team ​
  • Coached design of effective data visualization and storytelling techniques
  • Encouraged mock presentations and provided constructive feedback
  • Guided tailoring communication styles for diverse stakeholder audiences

​Approach
​Leveraging the Jobs to be Done (JTBD) framework, we embarked on a six-week research sprint to uncover the primary jobs and desired outcomes for Angel Studio's crowdfunders.

JTBD, a user-centric approach, starts by identifying the functional, emotional, and social needs that motivate users to engage with a product or service.

Collaboration for clarity: In cross-departmental meetings, we identified key unknowns:

• Priorities: What matters most to crowdfunders when choosing screen-based entertainment projects?
• Motivations & Aspirations: What drives them to financially support these projects?
• Pain Relievers: What benefits do they expect from contributing to crowdfunded shows?
• Competitive Landscape: Where else do these viewers find quality screen-based content?
• Resource Allocation: Where else do they invest their entertainment dollars?

Research Methods

• Qualitative Interviews: 20 in-depth interviews with crowdfunders were conducted to unearth the most critical and least satisfied customer needs. Interviews were tagged and grouped based on JTBD outcome statements.
• Quantitative Survey: Following interview analysis, a survey confirmed/disproved the qualitative findings regarding crowdfunders' most important and least satisfied needs. (Survey confidence level: 95%, Confidence interval: +/- 5%)​​

​Analysis
Qualitative jobs-to-be-done (JTBD) research interviews were analyzed using affinity diagramming in FigJam. 

1. Data Collection: In-depth interviews were coded to understand crowdfunder motivations, pain points, and desired outcomes 
2. Data Preparation: We used FigJam to create digital sticky notes with key quotes, observations, and insights from each interview.  Each sticky note represented a single idea or data point.
3. Affinity Mapping: The research team collaborated to group related ideas based on perceived similarities or affinities. Themes and patterns emerged from the data.
4. Labeling: A concise heading captured the core idea represented by a cluster.
5. Supergroups: We looked for higher-level connections between labeled groups, combining related groups into "supergroups" and giving them an overarching label.
6. Insights: The affinity map identifiued key jobs-to-be-done, desired outcomes, unmet needs, and opportunities. These insights were used to craft a quantitative survey to confirm/disprove assumptions from the qualitative research.

Quantitative JTBD survey analysis

1. Calculated descriptive statistics: mean, median, and mode for importance and satisfaction to determine opportunities.
2. Partnered with Data Analyst to jitter results for data visualizations.
3. Visualized information through charts, graphs, and storyboards to facilitate cross-functional discussion, collaboration, and customer-centric innovation.​​

Individual interview findings were grouped (bottom section). Survey findings confirmed interview findings (top section). Figam facilitated collaborative questions, comments, and concerns. Comments are identified by the circles.

Lessons Learned
Collaboration is Key: In Angel Studio's fast-paced environment, strong collaboration and clear communication were essential to keep research findings relevant to teams and stakeholders.

Actionable Recommendations: Design recommendations and impactful marketing copy resonated more effectively than heavy research documentation, though documentation was created for future reference and has been valuable for presentations. 

This project initiated the research repository in Notion, where documentation is organized and accessible by product, service, and user type. 

This case study demonstrates the power of JTBD research in driving user-centric design and achieving significant business outcomes. By aligning platform functionalities and messaging with the core needs and aspirations of crowdfunders, Angel Studios was able to significantly increase engagement, revenue, and user satisfaction.

Back to Selected Projects