Glossary
The JTBDUX vocabulary, grouped by topic. Curated by Trix Sera-Despuig at Knurture.
JTBD Core · 150 terms
Activation Rate
Definition in progress.
Active Habit (Sunk Cost Lock-in)
Definition in progress.
Active Looking
Definition in progress.
AI as Interface vs. AI as Agent
Definition in progress.
AI Autopilot Job
Definition in progress.
AI Co-Pilot Job
Definition in progress.
Algorithmic Anxiety
Definition in progress.
Anticipatory Anxiety
Definition in progress.
Anxiety Index
Definition in progress.
Anxiety Reduction
Definition in progress.
Aspirational Job
The balance between aspirational job.
Aspirational Pull
Definition in progress.
Automation vs. Augmentation
Definition in progress.
Avoidance Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding avoidance job.
Behavioral Signal vs. Survey Signal
Definition in progress.
Bikeshedding / Parkinson's Law of Triviality
The tendency to bikeshedding / parkinson's law of triviality.
Buying vs. Using Observation
Definition in progress.
Causality (in Behavior)
Definition in progress.
Causality (in Behavior)
Understanding why users switch, not just when or what they switched to.
Causality vs. Correlation
A comparison between two approaches, highlighting differences in causality vs. correlation.
Churn Rate (Firing Rate)
Definition in progress.
Circumstance / Context
The situation that shapes which job matters and what good looks like.
Context Window (as Circumstance)
Definition in progress.
Contextual Inquiry (JTBD Style)
Definition in progress.
Continuous Job Discovery
Definition in progress.
Core Execution Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding core execution job.
Deciding
Definition in progress.
Demand Illuminator
A tool or method that demand.
Demand Synthesis
Definition in progress.
Demand-Side Strategy
Definition in progress.
Demand-Side vs. Supply-Side Frameworks
A comparison between two approaches, highlighting differences in demand-side vs. supply-side frameworks.
Dominant Force
Definition in progress.
Energy Mapping (in Interviews)
Definition in progress.
Engagement Loop Depth
Definition in progress.
External Push (Environmental Constraint)
Definition in progress.
External Trigger Event
A cue that initiates external event in a user's behavioral or decision-making process.
Extracting the Hidden Job
Definition in progress.
Extreme User Shadowing
Definition in progress.
False Positives (in Discovery)
Definition in progress.
False Start Rate
Definition in progress.
Feature Adoption Rate vs. Job Completion Rate
Definition in progress.
Feature Bias / Output Bias
A predictable deviation in judgment caused by feature / output bias.
Feature Magnetism
Definition in progress.
Feature Parity Trap
Copying competitor features without understanding the job progress they enable.
Feature Request Translation
Definition in progress.
First Thought
Definition in progress.
Force Imbalance
Definition in progress.
Framework Bloat
The uncontrolled expansion of framework beyond user needs.
Framework Lifecycle
The stages a framework goes through from framework lifecycle.
Frankenapp
A product bloated with features that serve no unified job, making it hard to use and easy to replace.
Friction Score
Definition in progress.
Frustration Mapping
Definition in progress.
Hallucination Anxiety
Definition in progress.
Hidden Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding hidden job.
Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) UX
Definition in progress.
Intent Drift
Definition in progress.
Intent Parsing
Definition in progress.
Intent Recognition
Definition in progress.
Internal Push (Frustration)
Definition in progress.
Internal Trigger Event
A cue that initiates internal event in a user's behavioral or decision-making process.
Irrational Anxiety
Definition in progress.
Job Beneficiary
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding job beneficiary.
Job Executor
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding job executor.
Job to Be Done
The progress a person is trying to make in a specific circumstance.
Job-Market Fit
When a product's experience so effectively serves a specific job that users prefer it over alternatives.
JTBD as Adoption Tool
The application of JTBD thinking to jtbd as adoption within organizations.
JTBD as Framework
Using Jobs-to-be-Done as a structured methodology with defined steps, tools, and outputs for product teams.
JTBD as Lens
Using Jobs-to-be-Done as a perspective or filter for interpreting user behavior, rather than as a rigid framework or process.
JTBD Listening
Definition in progress.
JTBD Listening
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding jtbd listening.
JTBD vs. Agile / Scrum
A comparison between two approaches, highlighting differences in jtbd vs. agile / scrum.
JTBD vs. Customer Journey Mapping
A comparison between two approaches, highlighting differences in jtbd vs. customer journey mapping.
JTBD vs. Design Thinking
The fundamental difference between a progress-centered lens (JTBD) and a problem-solving methodology (Design Thinking).
JTBD vs. OKRs
A comparison between two approaches, highlighting differences in jtbd vs. okrs.
JTBDUX (Jobs To Be Done × UX)
Definition in progress.
JTBDUX (Jobs To Be Done × UX)
The merged framework combining Jobs-to-be-Done thinking with UX design practice.
Lens vs. Framework
The distinction between using JTBD as a way of seeing (lens) versus a rigid methodology (framework).
Macro-Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding macro-job.
Methodology Theater
A research methodology for methodology theater in JTBD discovery.
Micro-Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding micro-job.
Non-Consumer Discovery
Definition in progress.
Non-Consumption
When people do not adopt any formal solution and rely on makeshift alternatives.
NPS (Progress Satisfaction)
Definition in progress.
Observation vs. Interrogation
Definition in progress.
ODI (Outcome-Driven Innovation) as JTBD Variant
A market disruption where odi (outcome-driven) as jtbd variant creates new categories.
Opinion vs. Behavior
Definition in progress.
Outcome Magnetism
Definition in progress.
Outcome Satisfaction Score
Definition in progress.
Outcome-Driven Innovation vs. Human-Centered Design
An approach to creating product experiences that optimize for outcome-driven innovation vs. human-centered.
Passive Habit (Inertia)
Definition in progress.
Passive Looking
Definition in progress.
Persona vs. Situation
The choice between designing for who the user is (persona) versus what the user is trying to do (situation).
Primary Job
The most important job a user hires a product for, which determines feature priority and product positioning.
Progress
Movement from an old unsatisfying state to a better state.
Progress Velocity
Definition in progress.
Prompt as a Struggling Moment
Definition in progress.
Prompt Engineering vs. Job Engineering
Definition in progress.
Prompt Friction
Definition in progress.
Purchase Decision Maker
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding purchase decision maker.
Push / Pull Ratio
Definition in progress.
Push Amplifier
Definition in progress.
Qualitative Signal Weight
Definition in progress.
Rational Anxiety
Definition in progress.
Receipts
Definition in progress.
Related Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding related job.
Retention by Job Frequency Segment
Definition in progress.
Reverse-Delegation
Definition in progress.
Secondary Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding secondary job.
Situation Trigger
The specific circumstance or context that causes a user to recognize they have a job to be done.
Social Anxiety (Fear of Looking Foolish)
Definition in progress.
Solution Agnosticism
Defining the job independently from your current product idea.
Solution Agnosticism (JTBD) vs. Solution-First
A comparison between two approaches, highlighting differences in solution agnosticism (jtbd) vs. solution-first.
Status Quo Gravity
Definition in progress.
Supply-Side Strategy
Definition in progress.
Supply-Side Strategy
The ratio at which supply-side strategy occurs, indicating adoption or switching speed.
Supply-Side Thinking
A cognitive approach where supply-side.
Switching Velocity
Definition in progress.
Telescope vs. Microscope
A comparison between two approaches, highlighting differences in telescope vs. microscope.
The 5 Whys (JTBD Variation)
Definition in progress.
The Big Hire
Definition in progress.
The Big Hire
The initial adoption decision when a user first commits to a product.
The Curse of Knowledge
The difficulty of curse of knowledge when experts communicate with novices.
The Delegation Job
Definition in progress.
The Empathy Gap
The distance between empathy that product teams must bridge.
The False Consensus Effect
A cognitive phenomenon where false consensus systematically influences perception or decision-making.
The Feature Parity Trap
Copying competitor features without understanding the job progress they enable.
The Four Forces Equation (Push + Pull > Habit + Anxiety)
Definition in progress.
The Four Forces Model
Definition in progress.
The Hire
Choosing a product to make progress on a job.
The Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding job.
The Job (Job to be Done)
Definition in progress.
The JTBD Lens
Definition in progress.
The JTBD Lens
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding jtbd core.
The Last Straw
Definition in progress.
The Little Hire
Definition in progress.
The Little Hire
The daily re-engagement moment when a user chooses to use a product again.
The Milkshake Study
A seminal research investigation into milkshake.
The Oversight Job (Meta-Job)
Definition in progress.
The Quarter-Inch Hole Principle
Definition in progress.
The Quarter-Inch Hole Principle
A foundational behavioral science rule governing the quarter-inch hole in product design.
The Switch Interview
Definition in progress.
The Timeline Interview
Definition in progress.
The Verification Job
Definition in progress.
Thought Leadership Theater
The performative use of thought leadership without genuine understanding or application.
Time-to-Outcome (TTO)
Definition in progress.
Trigger Event
Definition in progress.
Trust Equation
Definition in progress.
Workaround / Compensating Behavior
Definition in progress.
Workaround / Compensating Behavior
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding workaround / compensating behavior.
Workaround Spotting
Definition in progress.
Research · 55 terms
Active Looking
Intentional evaluation and comparison of solutions to solve a job.
Active Looking Phase
A stage in the user journey characterized by active looking behavior and decision-making.
Anxiety Audit
A systematic review of anxiety to identify patterns and improvement opportunities.
Behavioral Signal vs. Survey Signal
The distinction between what users actually do (behavior) and what they say they do or want (surveys), with behavior being the more reliable indicator.
Buying vs. Using Observation
Recognizing that the person who buys the product and the person who uses it may have different jobs.
Cognitive Load Mapping
The visual or analytical process of charting cognitive load across the user experience.
Compensating Behavior
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding compensating behavior.
Confirmation Bias in User Testing
The tendency to interpret user feedback as confirming what the team already believes.
Consumption Chain Jobs
Jobs that occur across consumption chain jobs.
Contextual Inquiry (JTBD Style)
Observing users in their actual work environment while they perform real tasks, not in a lab or interview setting.
Continuous Job Discovery
Ongoing research that tracks how jobs evolve as users and contexts change.
Deciding
The commitment moment when push + pull overcome habit + anxiety.
Deciding Phase
A stage in the user journey characterized by deciding behavior and decision-making.
Demand Synthesis
The process of converting raw user signals into coherent job descriptions and opportunity maps.
Dominant Force Diagnosis
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding dominant force diagnosis.
Emotional Safety Evaluation
Assessing whether a product experience makes users feel safe, competent, and in control rather than anxious, judged, or overwhelmed.
Energy Mapping (in Interviews)
Tracking emotional energy across the timeline to identify peaks and valleys of motivation.
Extracting the Hidden Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding research.
Extreme User Shadowing
Studying users at the extremes of behavior to reveal needs that average users hide.
False Positives (in Discovery)
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding research.
Feature Request Translation
Converting user feature requests into job stories by asking what progress the feature would enable.
First Thought
The earliest moment of dissatisfaction before any active product search begins.
Friction Log
A record of friction log encountered during product use.
Frustration Mapping
Systematically documenting every friction point in the current solution that could become push force.
Habit Audit
A systematic review of habit to identify patterns and improvement opportunities.
Job Map
A visual representation of job.
Non-Consumer Discovery
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding research.
Observation vs. Interrogation
The distinction between watching what users actually do versus asking them what they think they do.
Opinion vs. Behavior
The critical distinction between what users say they want and what they actually do.
Outcome Audit
A systematic review of outcome to identify patterns and improvement opportunities.
Passive Looking
Casual awareness-building before serious evaluation of alternatives.
Passive Looking Phase
A stage in the user journey characterized by passive looking behavior and decision-making.
Peak-End Mapping
The visual or analytical process of charting peak-end across the user experience.
Pull Audit
A systematic review of pull to identify patterns and improvement opportunities.
Push Audit
A systematic review of push to identify patterns and improvement opportunities.
Signal Translation
Converting user signals into signal translation.
Struggling Moment
A high-friction moment that triggers search for a better way.
Struggling Narrative
The story a user tells about their current pain, which reveals the push forces driving their search for change.
Survivorship Bias in UX Research
The error of studying only current users and missing what caused non-users or churned users to leave.
Switch Engineering
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding switch engineering.
Switch Interview
Interview method reconstructing the timeline of a real purchase switch.
The 5 Whys (JTBD Variation)
Repeatedly asking 'why' to move from surface symptoms to the underlying job the user is trying to get done.
The Consideration Set
The set of alternatives a user actively evaluates when solving a job.
The Documentary Method
A research methodology for documentary in JTBD discovery.
The Forces Map
A visual representation of .
The Hawthorne Effect / Observer Effect
A cognitive phenomenon where hawthorne / observer effect systematically influences perception or decision-making.
The Last Straw
The final frustration that pushes a user from tolerance to active looking.
The Switch Interview
A structured research conversation focused on switch to reveal JTBD switching insights.
The Timeline Interview
Chronological interview mapping events from first push to post-hire usage.
The Timeline Map
A visual representation of .
Timeline Interview
Chronological interview mapping events from first push to post-hire usage.
Trigger Event
The specific moment or change that initiates a user's search for a better solution.
Validating the Hire
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding validating the hire.
Workaround / Compensating Behavior
Unofficial behavior users adopt to bypass friction in existing solutions.
Workaround Spotting
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding research.
Job Story · 26 terms
Adjacent Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding adjacent job.
Co-dependent Job
A job that can only be completed when another person or system also makes progress.
Constraint Statement
A UX pattern for handling constraintment in product interfaces.
Context Statement
A UX pattern for handling contextment in product interfaces.
Emotional Job
How someone wants to feel while or after getting the job done.
Functional Job
The practical task someone needs to get done.
Generic Job Story
A job story so broad it could describe any user, any moment, any product.
Identity Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding identity job.
Interpersonal Emotional Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding interpersonal emotional job.
Job Interaction
How the functional, emotional, and social layers of a job influence each other in specific contexts.
Job Overlap
When the same product serves multiple jobs for the same user, creating competing demands.
Job Spec
A specification written from the user's job perspective, not the technology perspective.
Job Story
A structured statement of context, motivation, and desired progress.
Job Story Syntax
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding job story syntax.
Job Story Syntax vs. User Story Syntax
A comparison between two approaches, highlighting differences in job story syntax vs. user story syntax.
Motivation Statement
A UX pattern for handling motivationment in product interfaces.
Personal Emotional Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding personal emotional job.
Social Job
How someone wants to be perceived by others while doing the job.
Success Narrative
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding success narrative.
The Emotional Layer
The dimension of a job concerned with how the user wants to feel while getting the job done — confident, in control, creative, safe.
The Functional Layer
The dimension of a job concerned with the practical outcome the user needs — the task, deliverable, or result.
The Job Story
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding job story.
The Social Layer
The dimension of a job concerned with how the user is perceived by others, and how the product affects their social standing.
The Three Job Layers
The functional, emotional, and social dimensions that together define any complete job to be done.
The Three Layers (of the Job)
The functional, emotional, and social dimensions that together define any job to be done.
User Story vs. Job Story
The fundamental difference between persona-based requirements and context-based requirements.
Forces of Change · 40 terms
Active Habit (Sunk Cost Lock-in)
Conscious resistance to change due to invested effort and identity.
Anticipatory Anxiety
Worry about future problems before they actually occur.
Anxiety Force
Fear of risk, downside, or uncertainty in the new way.
Anxiety Reduction
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding forces of change.
Aspirational Pull
The attraction of becoming the kind of person who uses a better solution.
Cognitive Inertia
The mental resistance to learning new patterns, which increases with age, expertise, and stakes.
Cognitive Switching Cost
The mental effort required to learn a new workflow, interface, or mental model when switching to a new product.
Data / Effort Switching Cost
The work required to migrate existing data, workflows, and customizations from an old product to a new one.
Dominant Force
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding dominant force.
External Push (Environmental Constraint)
Environmental or organizational constraints that force a user to seek change.
Feature Magnetism
The pull force driven by specific product capabilities.
Financial Switching Cost
The direct monetary cost of changing from one product to another, including purchase price, migration fees, and lost investment.
Force Imbalance
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding force imbalance.
Four Forces Equation
The threshold logic for behavior change and adoption.
Four Forces Model
A switching model balancing push/pull against habit/anxiety.
Habit Force
Inertia and routines that keep someone on the old path.
Hook Model vs. Four Forces
The key distinction between Nir Eyal's habit-formation framework (Trigger→Action→Reward→Investment) and the JTBD Four Forces model that explains why people actually switch.
Identity Disruption
The psychological discomfort of adopting a product that conflicts with the user's self-image or professional identity.
Internal Push (Frustration)
Frustration and dissatisfaction originating from the user's own experience.
Irrational Anxiety
Fear based on imagined or exaggerated downsides.
Loss Aversion
The tendency to feel the pain of losing something more intensely than the pleasure of gaining something of equal value.
Outcome Magnetism
The pull force driven by promised results and progress.
Passive Habit (Inertia)
Unconscious inertia from well-worn routines and muscle memory.
Pull Force
Attraction to a better future promised by a new solution.
Push Amplifier
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding push amplifier.
Push Force
Dissatisfaction with the current state pushing someone away from the old way.
Rational Anxiety
Fear based on objectively assessable risks of switching.
Social Anxiety (Fear of Looking Foolish)
Fear of looking foolish or incompetent when using a new solution.
Social Switching Cost
The relational and reputational cost of convincing others to switch to a new product with you.
Status Quo as Competitor
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding status quo as competitor.
Status Quo Bias
The tendency to prefer the current state of affairs and resist change even when alternatives are objectively better.
Status Quo Gravity
The organizational and cultural forces that resist any change.
Sunk Cost Fallacy
The tendency to continue with a course of action because of previously invested resources, rather than evaluating it on current merit.
Switching Cost
The total cost — cognitive, financial, social, and data — of moving from one solution to another.
The Endowment Effect
The tendency to overvalue things we already own or use, making switching feel like a loss.
The Four Forces
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding four forces.
The Four Forces Equation
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding four forces equation.
The Four Forces Model
A conceptual framework for understanding the four forces in user behavior.
The Habit Barrier
The threshold of habit strength that a product must overcome to become the user's default solution for a job.
The Reframe
A narrative or perspective shift that changes how a user evaluates their current situation, creating new Push or Pull forces.
Switching · 20 terms
Churn Signals
Behavioral indicators that predict a user is approaching the firing point before they formally leave.
Churn Trigger
A cue that initiates churn in a user's behavioral or decision-making process.
Cognitive Dissonance
The psychological discomfort experienced when cognitive creates conflicting beliefs or expectations.
Exit Intent Signal
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding exit intent signal.
Ghosting
When a user silently stops using a product without formally canceling or providing feedback.
Graduation
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding graduation.
Habit Bridging
Transition design that preserves useful old routines while introducing the new way.
Off-ramping / Graceful Firing UX
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding off-ramping / graceful firing ux.
Post-Purchase Dissonance
The psychological discomfort experienced when post-purchase creates conflicting beliefs or expectations.
Relapse
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding relapse.
Risk Reversal
Design and messaging tactics that reduce perceived switching downside.
Rosy Retrospection
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding rosy retrospection.
The Event Horizon
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding event horizon.
The Fire
Abandoning a current product because it no longer helps the job.
The Fire Interview
A structured research conversation focused on fire to reveal JTBD switching insights.
The Firing Arc
The systematic study of why products get fired, from first disappointment to final abandonment.
The Firing Moment
The critical instant when firing occurs in a user's product journey.
The Last Straw
The final frustration that pushes a user from tolerance to active looking for alternatives.
The Switching Moment
The precise point in time when a user decides to stop using one solution and start using another, shaped by the Four Forces.
The Trial Decision
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding trial decision.
Adoption · 93 terms
Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
Remove irrelevant information so users can focus on what matters and complete their job.
Anchoring Bias
A predictable deviation in judgment caused by anchoring.
Authority Bias
A predictable deviation in judgment caused by authority.
Baby Step
The smallest possible action a user can take that demonstrates progress and builds confidence toward larger commitments.
Behavioral Loop
A repeating cycle of cue, action, and reward that forms habits around a product.
Behavioral Trigger (BJ Fogg) vs. JTBD Trigger
A comparison between two approaches, highlighting differences in behavioral trigger (bj fogg) vs. jtbd trigger.
Behavioral Trigger / Cue
A cue that initiates behavioral / cue in a user's behavioral or decision-making process.
Blank Canvas Paralysis
The cognitive freeze that occurs when a user faces an empty interface with no guidance on how to begin.
Choice Overload / The Paradox of Choice
The paradox where choice overload /.
Cognitive Fluency
The ease of cognitive fluency.
Cognitive Load
The mental effort required to use a product, which competes with the job the user is trying to get done.
Cognitive Load Theory
A psychological framework explaining cognitive load and its impact on behavior.
Commitment and Consistency
The tendency to act in ways consistent with prior commitments, building investment in a product.
Commitment and Consistency Principle
A foundational behavioral science rule governing commitment and consistency in product design.
Confirmation Bias
A predictable deviation in judgment caused by confirmation.
Consistency and Standards
Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing.
Contextual Onboarding
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding contextual onboarding.
Continued Use Phase
A stage in the user journey characterized by continued use behavior and decision-making.
Default States
A UX pattern for handling defaults in product interfaces.
Duration Neglect
The balance between duration neglect.
Early Win/Quick Win
An early early win/quick win.
Ego Depletion
The reduction in ego that limits decision-making quality over time.
Emotional Safety
The user's confidence that they can experiment, make mistakes, and recover without negative consequences.
Emotional Safety Design
Designing product experiences that explicitly protect users from fear, shame, and anxiety during learning and use.
Empty State Design
The design of a product's initial blank state, which shapes the user's first impression and determines whether they experience progress or paralysis.
Engagement Loop
A self-reinforcing cycle of engagement that sustains engagement or drives switching.
Error Recovery
The ease with which users can recover from mistakes, which determines their willingness to explore and trust.
Extraneous Cognitive Load
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding extraneous cognitive load.
First Five Minutes
The critical onboarding window where users decide if a product is worth their time.
First Use Phase
A stage in the user journey characterized by first use behavior and decision-making.
Fixed Reward Schedules
A reinforcement pattern where fixed reward determines habit strength.
Fogg Behavior Model
A conceptual framework for understanding fogg behavior in user behavior.
Friction Budget
The total friction budget a product can introduce before users abandon.
Goal Gradient Effect
A cognitive phenomenon where goal gradient systematically influences perception or decision-making.
Habit Formation
The process by which repeated behaviors become automatic through cue-routine-reward loops.
Habituation Phase
A stage in the user journey characterized by habituation behavior and decision-making.
Hyperbolic Discounting / Present Bias
A predictable deviation in judgment caused by hyperbolic discounting / present.
Identity Integration
The process by which a product becomes part of the user's self-image, making it emotionally costly to switch away.
Intrinsic Cognitive Load
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding intrinsic cognitive load.
Mental Model Mismatch
The gap between how a user expects a product to work and how it actually works, causing friction, errors, and abandonment.
Micro-Interactions
Small, satisfying moments of feedback that reinforce progress and build product affection.
Momentum Design
The critical instant when momentum design occurs in a user's product journey.
Motivation vs. Ability Tradeoff
A comparison between two approaches, highlighting differences in motivation vs. ability tradeoff.
Not-Invented-Here (NIH) Syndrome
An organizational resistance where not-invented-here (nih) syndrome.
Omission Bias
A predictable deviation in judgment caused by omission.
Ongoing Use Phase
A stage in the user journey characterized by ongoing use behavior and decision-making.
Operant Conditioning
A behavioral mechanism where operant shapes user habits through consequences.
Outcome-Oriented Onboarding
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding outcome-oriented onboarding.
Positive Friction
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding positive friction.
Positive Friction / Mindful Friction
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding positive friction / mindful friction.
Prospect Theory
A psychological framework explaining prospect and its impact on behavior.
Re-hire
The act of a user returning to a product after trying an alternative, often because the new solution failed to deliver progress.
Reactance
The psychological resistance to reactance.
Regret Aversion
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding regret aversion.
Retention Trigger
A cue that initiates retention in a user's behavioral or decision-making process.
Scarcity and Urgency
Creating perceived limitation to accelerate the decision to switch or purchase.
Self-Determination Theory in UX
A psychological framework explaining self-determination in ux and its impact on behavior.
Serial Position Effect
A cognitive phenomenon where serial position systematically influences perception or decision-making.
Sludge / Dark Patterns
Deceptive or manipulative design patterns that exploit psychological biases to drive user behavior against their interests.
Social Proof
The psychological tendency to follow what others are doing, reducing anxiety about switching.
Sticky
A product that earns repeated rehire without deliberate re-decision.
System 1 Thinking
A cognitive approach where system 1.
System 2 Thinking
A cognitive approach where system 2.
System Justification
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding system justification.
The Aha! Moment
The critical instant when aha! occurs in a user's product journey.
The Default Effect
A cognitive phenomenon where default systematically influences perception or decision-making.
The Disposition Effect
A cognitive phenomenon where disposition systematically influences perception or decision-making.
The Duolingo Effect
Engineering behavioral loops so powerful that 50 million users practice daily, creating backlash from addiction-like mechanics.
The Endowed Progress Effect
A cognitive phenomenon where endowed progress systematically influences perception or decision-making.
The First Fourteen
The critical first fourteen days of product use, during which habit formation begins and the user decides whether the product is worth keeping.
The Framing Effect
A cognitive phenomenon where framing systematically influences perception or decision-making.
The Gentle Slope
A switching path where the new way is just an optimized version of the old way—minimal identity change required.
The Hook Model
Nir Eyal's four-step framework for building habit-forming products: Trigger, Action, Variable Reward, Investment.
The IKEA Effect
A cognitive phenomenon where ikea systematically influences perception or decision-making.
The Intention-Behavior Gap
The distance between intention-behavior that product teams must bridge.
The Invisible Product
A product so well-designed for the job that users forget they're using it.
The Labor Illusion / Operational Transparency
The balance between the labor illusion / operational transparency.
The Ovsiankina Effect
A cognitive phenomenon where ovsiankina systematically influences perception or decision-making.
The Peak-End Rule
A heuristic principle describing how peak-end shapes user memory and evaluation.
The Planning Fallacy
A reasoning error where planning leads to flawed conclusions.
The Spacing Effect
A cognitive phenomenon where spacing systematically influences perception or decision-making.
The Standard Slope
A switching path requiring moderate learning and habit change, but within the user's existing professional identity.
The Steep Slope
A switching path demanding dramatic identity change, significant learning, and high push forces to overcome habit and anxiety.
The Sunk Cost Fallacy
A reasoning error where sunk cost leads to flawed conclusions.
The Validation Loop
A self-reinforcing cycle of the validation that sustains engagement or drives switching.
The Zeigarnik Effect
The psychological tendency to remember unfinished tasks better than completed ones, which can be harnessed to drive product engagement.
Time-to-First-Value
Elapsed time until the first meaningful customer progress signal.
Time-to-Relief
The time it takes for time-to-relief.
Time-to-Value
Time required to realize meaningful ongoing value from the product.
Variable Reward
An unpredictable reward schedule that creates stronger habit formation than consistent rewards.
Variable Reward Schedules
A reinforcement pattern where variable reward determines habit strength.
Visceral Capture
The process of visceral capture.
Zero-Data State Design
An approach to creating product experiences that optimize for zero-data state.
AI-Native · 66 terms
Agentic Workflows
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding agentic workflows.
AI as Interface vs. AI as Agent
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding ai native.
AI Autopilot Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding ai native.
AI Co-Pilot Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding ai native.
AI Job Design
An approach to creating product experiences that optimize for ai job.
AI Trust Anchors
UI artifacts that make AI output verifiable and defensible.
Algorithmic Anxiety
The specific unease users feel about delegating decisions to AI systems.
Ask Me Anything (Anti-Pattern)
The worst first-turn UX for AI: dumping unlimited possibility on a user who doesn't know what to ask.
Automation Surprises
An unexpected AI behavior that surprises.
Automation vs. Augmentation
The strategic choice between AI replacing human work vs. enhancing it.
Black Box Anxiety
User fear related to black box when interacting with AI or new products.
Competence Cliff
The point where an AI product's single failure destroys all accumulated trust.
Component Isolation
Separating components for component isolation.
Confidence Cues
Visual indicators that communicate an AI's certainty level, helping users decide when to trust and when to verify.
Context Collapse
When an AI tool shifts between jobs without the user realizing, causing unpredictable behavior.
Context Priming / Context Injection
Preparing AI context through context priming /.
Context Window (as Circumstance)
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding ai native.
Conversational UX
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding conversational ux.
Defensibility
The degree AI output can be justified to teammates, managers, or customers.
Deterministic vs. Probabilistic UX
A comparison between two approaches, highlighting differences in deterministic vs. probabilistic ux.
Dopamine / Oxytocin / Cortisol’s role in trust
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding dopamine / oxytocin / cortisol’s role in trust.
Draft State UX
A UX pattern for handling draft ux in product interfaces.
Explainability
Making AI decision-making .
Generative UI
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding generative ui.
Granular Rollback UX
The ability to granular rollback ux.
Hallucination Anxiety
The fear that an AI will generate plausible but false information.
Honest Limitations
Transparently communicating what an AI cannot do, building trust by avoiding overpromising.
Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) UX
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding ai native.
Intent Drift
When an AI product shifts between job contexts without clear signaling.
Intent Parsing
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding ai native.
Intent Recognition
Identifying the job a user is trying to get done from their input.
Intent Recognition = Job Recognition
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding intent recognition = job recognition.
Iterative Steering
A control paradigm in AI interfaces enabling iterative.
Job-to-UI Mapping
The visual or analytical process of charting job-to-ui across the user experience.
Macro-Steering
A control paradigm in AI interfaces enabling macro-.
Micro-Steering
A control paradigm in AI interfaces enabling micro-.
Progress Visibility
The degree to which progress is observable and trackable by users.
Progressive Disclosure
Revealing AI capabilities gradually as the user gains competence, rather than overwhelming them upfront.
Prompt as a Struggling Moment
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding ai native.
Prompt as a Struggling Moment
The critical instant when prompt as a struggling occurs in a user's product journey.
Prompt Engineering vs. Job Engineering
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding ai native.
Prompt Friction
The cognitive effort required to formulate effective AI prompts.
Prompt Scaffolding
A technique in AI-native UX for scaffolding.
Recoverability
The ease with which users can after errors or AI mistakes.
Reverse-Delegation
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding ai native.
Reversible Actions
Designing AI interactions so that every output can be undone, edited, or rejected without consequence.
The Degradation Spiral
AI's actual performance gets objectively worse over time through data drift, model collapse, or cost optimization.
The Delegation Job
The job of handing off a task to an AI while maintaining oversight.
The Economics Spiral
AI query costs exceed what users will pay, forcing impossible choices that damage the user experience.
The Friction Spiral
AI is technically brilliant but so painful to use that nobody bothers, creating chronic low-grade cortisol.
The Helpful Idiot
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding helpful idiot.
The Hype Spiral
AI product built on technology excitement rather than validated user need, collapsing when dopamine fades.
The Obsolescence Spiral
AI product rapidly outpaced or commoditized, with unique value evaporating as competitors catch up.
The Opacity Spiral
Trust erodes through a thousand paper cuts when AI outputs feel arbitrary and reasoning is hidden.
The Oversight Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding oversight job.
The Regulatory Spiral
Legal, regulatory, or ethical problems compound until the product becomes too risky to operate.
The Steering Interface
A control paradigm in AI interfaces enabling the interface.
The Threat Spiral
AI positioned as replacement rather than assistant, triggering identity threat and active user rejection.
The Trust Collapse Spiral
Sudden, catastrophic trust destruction from a single visible failure—viral mistake, privacy horror, or confident hallucination.
The Trust Equation
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding trust equation.
The Vague Intent Problem
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding vague intent problem.
The Verification Job
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding ai native.
Trust Anchors
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding trust anchors.
Trust Equation
Trust = (Transparency × Reliability × Control) / Perceived Risk
Visual Prompting
A technique in AI-native UX for visual ing.
Zero-UI / Invisible UX
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding zero-ui / invisible ux.
Measurement · 23 terms
Activation Rate
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding measurement.
Anxiety Index
A composite metric measuring anxiety across user interactions.
Churn Rate (Firing Rate)
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding measurement.
Desired Outcome Statement
A measurable statement of how success should improve for the customer.
Desperation-Relief Spectrum
The range from low-urgency jobs (nice-to-have) to high-urgency jobs (existential need).
Engagement Loop Depth
A self-reinforcing cycle of engagement depth that sustains engagement or drives switching.
False Start Rate
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding measurement.
Feature Adoption Rate vs. Job Completion Rate
A comparison between two approaches, highlighting differences in feature adoption rate vs. job completion rate.
Friction Score
A quantitative measure tracking friction in product performance.
Job Completion Rate
Share of sessions/users that complete the intended job progress state.
NPS
Net Promoter Score: a survey metric that asks users how likely they are to recommend a product, often criticized for measuring satisfaction rather than progress.
Outcome Over Output Metrics
Measurements that track outcome over output rather than activity.
Outcome Satisfaction Score
A metric that measures whether users feel they achieved their desired outcome, not just whether they used the product.
Outcome vs. Output
Output is what teams ship; outcome is progress customers actually achieve.
Progress Metrics vs. Vanity Metrics
A comparison between two approaches, highlighting differences in progress metrics vs. vanity metrics.
Progress Profile
A composite view of a user's progress across functional, emotional, and social dimensions over time.
Progress Velocity
The speed at which progress velocity.
Push / Pull Ratio
The balance between push / pull.
Qualitative Signal Weight
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding qualitative signal weight.
Receipts
Tangible evidence of progress that a product provides to the user, proving that their time and effort produced value.
Retention by Job Frequency Segment
How often a job occurs, retention by segment.
Switching Velocity
The speed at which switching velocity.
Time-to-Outcome (TTO)
A key concept in the JTBDUX framework for understanding measurement.