In Part 1, we explored the forces that generate demand: the push of dissatisfaction with the status quo and the pull of a better future. Together, they explain why customers look for change and what attracts them to a solution.
But even when push and pull are strong, adoption isn’t guaranteed. Hidden forces often prevent products from being hired. These are the demand reducers: Inertia and Anxiety. As Alan Klement describes, these forces are as real a competitor as any rival company.
To succeed, product leaders must not only generate demand but also remove the friction that blocks adoption. And because customers operate within complex environments, applying systems thinking is critical to understanding how these forces interact.
Inertia: The Pull of the Status Quo
Inertia is the tendency to stick with what you know, even when better options exist. Habits, routines, and sunk costs make change difficult.
Two forms of inertia matter most:
- Habits-in-choice: The friction of switching. Customers weigh the time, effort, or risk of moving from an old solution to a new one.
- Habits-in-use: Even after adoption, customers may relapse into old behaviors or combine the new product with compensatory habits.
Case study: Microsoft Teams vs. Slack
Slack had a strong push (email fatigue) and a strong pull (real-time collaboration). But when Microsoft rolled out Teams, inertia favored them. Organizations were already entrenched in Microsoft 365. Switching costs were high, integration was easy, and many users defaulted to the familiar ecosystem. Even when Slack offered a superior user experience, inertia kept Teams adoption high.
Case study: Quibi’s failure
Quibi promised “quick bites” of mobile video. Yet inertia killed adoption—users were already entrenched in Netflix, YouTube, and TikTok habits. Despite strong funding, Quibi couldn’t overcome the entrenched routines of how people consumed video content.
Takeaway for PMs: Products rarely compete on features alone. They compete against ingrained habits. Map out not only what your product does, but what routines it must replace.
Anxiety: The Fear of the New
If inertia is about sticking with the familiar, anxiety is about fearing the unfamiliar. Customers hesitate not just because of effort, but because of doubt.
Two forms of anxiety matter most:
- Anxiety-in-choice: Fear of whether the product will work as promised. Customers hesitate at the purchase stage.
- Anxiety-in-use: Frustration or difficulty once they start using it. Even a strong first impression can sour quickly if onboarding fails.
Case study: Zoom vs. WebEx
When Zoom emerged, customers faced anxiety: “Will it scale? Will security hold? Can it replace established players?” Zoom reduced choice-anxiety with free trials, freemium models, and word-of-mouth trust. It reduced use-anxiety with a single link to join, smooth onboarding, and reliable performance. The result was rapid adoption.
Case study: Mobile payments in the U.S.
Despite a strong push (cashless convenience) and pull (Apple Pay, Google Pay), adoption lagged for years. Anxiety around security, privacy, and acceptance reduced uptake. The providers addressed those hurdles to reach the current compelling state in this space.
Takeaway for PMs: Anxiety thrives in uncertainty. Reduce it by building trust before and after adoption—through transparent communication, easy onboarding, and support that builds confidence.
Redefining Competition
Traditional competitive analysis compares products. JTBD reframes competition as anything customers use to get the job done.
- Netflix’s Reed Hastings once said, “Sleep is my greatest enemy,” acknowledging that competition wasn’t just Hulu or HBO, but time itself.
- The ChotuKool fridge failed because its competition wasn’t other fridges—it was cultural habits of daily food buying and preservation.
Case study: Kodak vs. Digital
Kodak invented the digital camera but hesitated to push it. Their competition wasn’t Fuji—it was the customer’s desire for immediacy, sharing, and convenience. By failing to recognize the job customers wanted (instant, digital memory capture), Kodak ceded the future.
Takeaway for PMs: Don’t define competition by industry reports. Define it by customer progress. If customers are “hiring” workarounds, analog methods, or even doing nothing, those are your competitors.
Systems Thinking: Seeing the Bigger Picture
Customers live within systems: networks of habits, culture, technology, and environment. Systems thinking helps product leaders see how different parts interact, rather than treating problems in isolation.
Levels of systems thinking:
- Events: A customer cancels after onboarding frustration.
- Patterns: Many cancellations occur at the same stage.
- Systemic structures: The deeper causes—poor onboarding design, misaligned incentives, and lack of customer education.
Feedback loops in systems:
- Reinforcing loops accelerate adoption (Dropbox’s referral program created viral growth).
- Balancing loops resist change (privacy concerns slow new tech adoption).
Case study: Dropbox’s growth loop
Dropbox tapped into a reinforcing loop: invite friends, get more storage. Adoption spread rapidly because the system itself encouraged growth. Contrast that with balancing loops in fintech adoption, where regulation and compliance slow down uptake despite a strong push and pull.
Takeaway for PMs: Don’t stop at customer feedback. Map out the system—habits, culture, structures, incentives—and identify levers that drive sustainable progress.
Making JTBD Practical
So what does this mean for product leaders? The four forces of progress aren’t theory—they’re tools for daily decision-making.
Checklist for applying JTBD + Systems Thinking:
- Identify the push (customer frustrations).
- Clarify the pull (the future vision).
- Map the inertia (habits and switching costs).
- Reduce anxiety (choice and usage fears).
- View adoption through a systems lens (feedback loops, interdependencies).
Closing the Series
JTBD helps us move beyond features to the deeper reasons products succeed or fail. Part 1 showed how push and pull generate demand. This part showed how inertia and anxiety silently reduce it, and how systems thinking equips us to address the bigger picture.
For product leaders, the call is clear:
- Don’t just ship features. Ship progress.
- Don’t just generate demand. Remove friction.
- Don’t just study products. Study systems.
When you do, you stop competing on features and start competing on progress—helping customers make meaningful changes in their lives.