Using the Wheel of Progress to Understand Customer Jobs: A Guide for Growth and Retention

If the Business Model Canvas, has saved businesses from writing hundreds of pages about their business plan, the Wheel of Progress® Canvas does the same for understanding customers.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of learning how to use Eckhart Boehme’s Wheel of Progress Canvas® while interviewing customers. The simplicity and power of this framework struck me instantly. It beautifully captures a truth that shapes both our personal lives and customer behaviour: we are always striving to progress. Whether it’s upgrading to a new car, changing jobs, or switching service providers, we are perpetually looking for something that better serves our needs.

You can watch Eckhard explain the Wheel of Progress on Product Circle Chat

Let me walk you through the elements of the Wheel of Progress, why this approach helps businesses acquire, retain, and engage customers, and how understanding customer jobs-to-be-done (JTBD) can unlock opportunities for referral and long-term loyalty.

The Psychology of Progress: How Customers Move Through Life

We are all in pursuit of something—a better job, a more reliable car, or an upgraded home. And as soon as we reach that goal, another one takes its place. This never-ending cycle of striving and reassessing is elegantly visualised in the circular Wheel of Progress.

The truth is, humans rarely make decisions in isolation. 

They reflect on past experiences, weigh current alternatives, and evaluate whether the solution they “hired” is still working for them. This wheel captures how people evolve through life—continuously seeking progress, evaluating whether their past decisions still serve them, and finding motivation to make the next move.

Why Every Business Needs to Understand the Wheel of Progress

The Wheel of Progress goes beyond surface-level marketing insights. When businesses understand the forces that drive their customers’ decisions, they unlock new ways to:

1. Solve the Most Valued Problem: Create product experiences that solve the most important problem or highest level job that customers are seeking.

2. Increase Acquisition: Align products and messaging with customers’ underlying motivations to make buying easier.

3. Retain Customers: Keep customers engaged by anticipating their evolving needs and reducing friction in their experience.

4. Create Referral Opportunities: Delight customers to the point that they bring others along through referrals, tapping into the human tendency to share good experiences.

The result? A deeper connection with customers, increased loyalty, and a natural pathway to sustainable growth.

What would an increase in sales of your product mean for your business?

What would it mean to turn customers into raving fans that can’t help but tell others about your product and bring other customers?

Forces of Progress

The forces of progress reminds me a little of Lewin’s Forces of Human Change and force field analysis. You can definitely map change and the human response to change or organisational transformation using this canvas.

Inhibitors of Progress

1. Habits
   Change is hard. Habits are the comfort of the status quo, where familiarity and routines reduce the urgency for change. Examples include:

   • A homeowner sticking with their existing, less efficient air conditioning system because it "still works fine."

   • A professional staying with a familiar software program despite its limitations, due to their comfort with the user experience.

2. Avoidances
   Avoidances are fears or negative images of the future that discourage change. They focus on risks or downsides of a new situation. Examples include:

   • A potential buyer avoiding a new electric vehicle due to concerns about charging infrastructure or range anxiety.

   • A team resisting a new collaboration platform because of worries about the time needed to learn it.

3. Anxieties
   Anxieties involve apprehensions about the uncertainties of change. These stem from doubts, mistrust, or perceived risks. Examples include:

   • A shopper hesitating to purchase a new mattress online, fearing it may not meet their comfort needs without trying it first.

   • A manager anxious about transitioning to a new vendor due to concerns about reliability or unexpected costs.

Drivers of Progress

1. Push
   Push refers to dissatisfaction or negative feelings about the current situation that create a strong need for change. Examples include:

   • A professional frustrated by outdated tools that make tasks inefficient, pushing them to seek modern alternatives.

   • A person experiencing boredom with their current exercise routine, prompting them to look for exciting new activities.

2. Pull
   Pull represents the allure of a better future state or the appeal of a new solution. It focuses on the positive feelings or benefits associated with change. Examples include:

   • A consumer attracted to a smartphone with innovative features like an exceptional camera or extended battery life.

   • A business owner drawn to software offering streamlined processes and cost savings, backed by positive reviews.

3. Desired Outcome
   The desired outcome reflects the vision of an ideal future—a compelling aspiration for improvement or transformation. Examples include:

   • A family envisioning a simpler, healthier lifestyle with a new meal-planning app that meets their dietary needs.

   • A company desiring increased productivity and better employee satisfaction through an advanced project management tool.

Unpacking the Wheel of Progress Canvas

The Wheel of Progress Canvas is a one-page view of the customer story—as simple and effective for understanding customers as the Business Model Canvas is for understanding businesses. It provides a framework to map out customer motivations, struggles, and decision points in a visual way. There are four key quadrants to their wheel.

Wheel Of Progress® Canvas

Quadrant 1: Current Experience and Job-to-be-Done

Bottom left

• Starting point: What is the customer hiring the product or service to do?

• Pains: What are the frustrations or issues they are trying to avoid?

• Gains: What positive outcomes are they seeking?

• The buying journey begins with the first thought or trigger that sparked their search?

Example: A customer feels frustrated with frequent breakdowns in their old car. They begin thinking about upgrading to something more reliable.

Quadrant 2: Passive Search and Constraints

Top left

• Habits: What routines or behaviours hold them back from change?

• Pushes: What dissatisfaction makes them consider switching?

• Alternatives: What competitors or substitutes have they explored, and why haven’t they committed?

Example: A user starts exploring car dealership websites when they get a chance but isn’t fully committed yet. Life gets in the way.  Their car may be frustrating, but it’s still working.  Plus they have other things to think about.  So they passively search.

Quadrant 3: Triggering Event and Active Search

Top right

• First trigger: A specific event forces the customer to move beyond passive browsing into active search mode.

• Desired outcomes: Now they define what they want to achieve and what they must avoid.  

Example: After receiving an expensive repair bill, the customer urgently looks for a new car and begins comparing models and financing options.

Quadrant 4: Anxiety, Trade-offs, and Final Decision

Bottom right

• Second trigger: An offer or opportunity pulls the customer toward making a decision.

• Anxieties: What worries them about switching? Are there learning curves or perceived risks?

• Trade-offs: What are they willing to compromise on to move forward?

Example: A great discount on a new car catches their eye, but they hesitate—worried about learning how the new tech works. After weighing trade-offs, they decide to buy.

That’s the “Big Hire”.  That initial big purchase. 

Returning to the First Quadrant: Evaluating the New Solution

Bottom left

Once the customer has made their decision, the cycle isn’t over. They reassess their experience with the product or service they’ve chosen. Did it meet expectations? Were there any unexpected benefits or frustrations?

Example: After purchasing the new car, the customer wonders if it lives up to their needs—or if it’s already time to consider a future upgrade. Was the cost of running the car what they expected?  Does it continue to fit their life (with family, car park considerations etc)?

These are the many “Little Hires” customers think about every day.  Wanting to see proof that they made the right decision with the purchase.  

This continuous cycle shows the importance of staying attuned to your customers’ changing needs and motivations. Businesses that understand these struggling moments are in a better position to innovate, build loyalty, and grow profitably.

One too many paper cuts, means they’ll start looking again.

Avoid the paper cuts

Design how your customer will experience every interaction with the product and your brand - online and offline. Eliminate friction or pain in the customer journey. Design for engagement and growth. Look for opportunities to amplify joy. Timely designed prompts to request referrals, recommendations and/or drive upgrades. Tailored to your end users state, emotion and need.

Why the Wheel of Progress Matters for Every Department

While the Wheel of Progress might seem like a tool to understand customers for the research department, it’s a powerful framework for the entire organisation. Every department—from marketing and customer service to operations—benefits from understanding how customers make decisions and move through their journeys.

• Product Teams can design and shape their product experience around the most painful problems or jobs customers have

• Sales Teams can tailor their pitches to customer anxieties and triggers.

• Customer Service can address concerns before they turn into dissatisfaction.

• Marketing Teams can craft messaging that resonates with the deeper motivations behind purchases. 

Understanding your customers at every stage of the customer journey through the Wheel of Progress along with understanding human motivations and habits, can uncover opportunities to turn customers into raving fans that refer other customers to your product.  Amplify moments of joy in your product experience and achieve product growth through your existing customers.  

Understand what Motivates your Customers

While traditional market research often focuses on what customers want right now, the Wheel of Progress takes it a step further by identifying why customers are motivated to change in the first place. This deeper understanding allows businesses to stay ahead of customer expectations—leading to better acquisition, retention, and referrals.

Just like the Business Model Canvas revolutionised how businesses plan, the Wheel of Progress Canvas simplifies the process of understanding customers’ evolving needs.

Ready to Understand Your Customers on a Deeper Level?

If you’re ready to uncover the most valuable jobs-to-be-done for your customers and unlock growth opportunities, I’d love to help. With customer discovery interviews and the Wheel of Progress, we can align your product or service with what your customers truly need—creating a pathway for long-term success.

Let’s talk! Email me at irene@phronesisadvisory.com and let’s explore how we can harness customer insights to drive your business forward.

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