Thursday, January 30, 2020

Assignment 5A – Identifying Local Opportunities


Story 1
1.      Title: UF student dies days after being struck by vehicle
3.      Story Description: A student was crossing the street at night and using the crosswalk when she was hit by a car, leaving her in critical condition. She passed away two days later.
4.      Problem Description: People driving cars are not paying attention to the road as they are driving. People are constantly distracted by their phones, the radio, or are always in a rush to get somewhere. This causes tragedies like this to happen.
5.     Who Has the Problem: Distracted drivers, students, parents, anyone who walks to campus and uses the crosswalks.

Story 2
1.     Title: Brain injuries in Iraq put attention on invisible war wounds
3.      Story Description: There is an increasing number of American troops in Iraq that are reporting brain injuries. These injuries do not immediately present themselves and can develop over time. These injuries are usually described as ‘mild’ because there is a lack of knowledge about the effects and damage these physical and psychological injuries can cause.
4.      Problem Description: Brain injuries are known as the ‘invisible wounds of war’. You can’t directly see these wounds so they are hard to diagnose. They are life-long injuries and there needs to be an improvement in diagnosis and treatment.
5.     Who Has the Problem: American soldiers, war veterans, doctors


Story 3
1.     Title: Swastika in campus bathroom promts new UNF task force
3.      Story Description: Bathrooms on campus at the University of North Florida were vandalized during thanksgiving break with graffiti. Obscene things were written in three of the campus bathrooms, including a swastika. The university president has created a task force to help facilitate discussions and conduct workshops on inclusivity, respect, and civility.
4.      Problem Description: The problem is people vandalizing school property and creating an environment where certain groups of students feel at risk and unsafe.
5.     Who Has the Problem: Faculty, students, university president, campus police


Story 4
1.     Title: Troubled UCF frat suspended through the end of 2020
3.      Story Description: Sigma Chi fraternity at the University of Central Florida has had its suspension extended through the rest of 2020 after violating campus conduct policies. Several members of the fraternity behaved inappropriately at a bar, leading to the increase in suspension. The initial suspension was given after the fraternity claimed they were a UCF business club when they booked a hotel in the Florida Keys and acted disorderly during their stay.
4.      Problem Description: Fraternities have a lack of rules and order. This results in them causing issues and ultimately more and more of them are getting suspended and kicked off campus.
5.     Who Has the Problem: Fraternities, men, university faculty


Story 5
1.     Title: Mag 7.7 quake hits between Cuba and Jamaica, but no injuries
3.      Story Description: A magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurred Tuesday afternoon in the Caribbean sea. The effects of the earthquake were felt from Mexico to Florida and surrounding areas. No deaths or heavy damage occurred. Some South Florida buildings were evacuated as a precautionary measure.
4.      Problem Description: Natural disasters like earthquakes are unpredictable and if the proper precautionary measures and infrastructure are not put into place they can have long lasting and devastating effects.
5.     Who Has the Problem: Government, island inhabitants, citizens in areas where earthquakes are common

Assignment 4A- Forming an Opportunity Belief


Beginning Point: E-commerce is on the rise, more and more people are doing their shopping online and getting their items delivered right to their front doors. With this increase in packages being delivered has come an increase in packages being stolen. Especially around the holidays, people are driving around neighborhoods and stealing these exposed packages from people’s homes. I believe there is an opportunity to create something to protect and stop these packages from being stolen.


Description of the Belief: 
·      Unmet Need: stop packages from being stolen
·      Who has the Need: Anyone who orders items from online and has them delivered to their home
·      Where did the Need Come from: This need has come with the rise of online ordering from sites like Amazon and fast fashion websites. More packages being delivered has led to more package left
·      What are People Doing to Meet the Need: Many people now have purchased doorbell devices that have cameras. These cameras don’t necessarily stop people from stealing, but it deters them slightly. Most individuals order packages and just hope they are not stolen. Delivery drivers try to hide packages near people’s front doors.
·      I am 80% that this is an opportunity that exists

Prototypical Costumer: Anyone who orders anything online. A large portion of the population from teens to adults.

Iteration #1:
Female age 21
Tam is a college student at the University of Florida. She said she is very aware of the need. She said packages have been stolen from houses back home in her neighborhood of Coral Gables, Florida. She said she has heard of people getting their packages sent to lockboxes in a certain location but says this isn’t as convenient as packages being delivered right to your door. She said although she knows there is a possibility that her packages could get stolen, this will not stop her from ordering things online.

Iteration #2:
Female age 53
Elizabeth is a mother of 2. She said she is not so much aware of the need, although she said she has seen a number of videos on Facebook of doorbell cameras showing packages being stolen by people. She said no one has ever stolen a package from her doorstep. She believes it is because she lives in a gated community, so not everyone can drive into her neighborhood unless they live there or are approved to come in. She said when she orders items online she never thinks that they will get stolen, but she said she has heard that the steps that need to be taken to report a stolen package are quite tedious and annoying.

Iteration #3:
Male age 31
Robert is a newly-wed who lives in the Gainesville area. He said he is completely aware of this need as he has had multiple packages stolen from his house before. He said that the delivery drivers always try to tuck his packages behind pots near his door or under his doormat but this doesn’t stop these thieves from taking his packages. He agrees that something needs to be created so packages cannot be stolen so easily as he said he is constantly ordering things on Amazon on a monthly basis. He said he is hesitant about ordering expensive items online due to the risk of them being stolen.

Reflection:
All three individuals I interviewed had either heard of this problem before or experienced it firsthand. I found it surprising that although everyone was aware of the risk that their packages could be stolen from them, they all agreed that this would not deter them from online ordering. The convenience of ordering online and getting something delivered directly to you without having to leave your home is a luxury we are all pretty much accustomed to. Unlike Elizabeth, most people don’t live in gated communities so it is easier for people to drive around ungated neighborhoods and take packages.

Summary:
While I don’t think this opportunity is a dire necessity, I do feel like an opportunity definitely exists. I think if some sort of lockbox could be supplied at everyone’s individual homes this would eliminate package left. A lot of people are aware of this issue and creating something to stop this problem would help people who order things online, delivery drivers, and would help business. It is a hassle for customers and businesses who have to go through a tedious process to report these thefts, eliminating the issue would make things much smoother and easier for a lot of people. I’m not sure if my opportunity is more accurate but I think this problem is well known. I definitely think entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback. If a product is not something the consumers would want, then there is no point in making it.