Understand
Four forces of progress
Also called Forces of progress, Switch forces
Map what pushes customers away from today's solution, pulls them to a new one, and the anxiety and habit that hold them back.
- Time45 to 60 minutes
- People2 to 8 people
- Steps3
What it's for
Switching to a new product is a tug of war. Two forces push people towards change: the push of a problem with how things are today, and the pull of a better way. Two hold them back: anxiety about the new way, and the habits of the present. People switch only when the first two outweigh the second two.
Fill it from interviews with people who recently switched, or nearly did. Products often win more by easing anxiety and habit than by adding more pull.
How to run it
Push and pull15 min
What frustrated them about the old way, and what attracted them to the new one, in their words.
Anxiety and habit15 min
What worried them about switching, and what kept them where they were.
Decide what to change15 min
How could you strengthen the push and pull, or ease the anxiety and habit?
Tips
- Ask about the moment they decided, and what they did the day before. Specific stories beat opinions.
- Free trials, import tools and guarantees all exist to reduce anxiety and habit.
Where it comes from
Developed by Bob Moesta and Chris Spiek as part of their jobs to be done switch interviews, and described in Moesta's Demand-Side Sales 101 (2020).
Pairs well with
Jobs to be done canvas
Describe the job a customer is trying to get done, the stages they go through, and the outcomes they use to judge whether it went well.
Empathy map
A shared picture of one type of person: what they say, think, do and feel, built from research rather than guesses.
Journey map
Map what a person does, thinks and feels at each stage of getting something done, and find where it goes wrong.