4A – Forming An Opportunity Belief

1) Your beginning point.

 

I do believe that opportunities exist. Life changes constantly, and the technology, society are also changing at a rapid speed. People are no longer satisfied with their past lifestyles, and they want more. I think students in the university of Florida (also in other colleges) need some places to store up their furniture and commodities since some of them will change to a new apartment next semester. 

 

2) Describe your belief. 

The unmet need is that students do not have a place to store up their commodities. The semester-end at the beginning of May and students come back home, and the lease for the old apartment is at the end of July. However, the lease for the new apartment usually starts from the end of August. So students cannot move their furniture or commodities to their apartments after a semester.  For the students who need to move to a new apartment in the new semester, they really need some place to store up their commodities. In order to solve this problem, students may contact their friends who do not need to move and put their commodities to friends' home or rent storage for the whole summer. As I know, most students live on campus for the first year and move out for the next year. Half of the students are not satisfied with their apartment and want to change a new one. I am sure more than half of the students have the need to store up their commodities and furniture.

 

3) Identify the prototypical customer. 

My roommate: Thea Wang

 

4) Iteration No. 1: 

Question: What is the exact nature of the need? 

Answer: I really have a lot of commodities like my snacks, cooking pot, bowls, makeup, quilt, pillow, cloth, etc. I do not want to just throw them away, but my home is really far from Gainesville so I can not take them home.

 

Question: When do they become aware of the need

Answer: When the final exams come, I realize the semester will end soonly. I find I have a lot of stuff and I do not know where to store them.  

 

Question:  How long have they had the need?

Answer: not very long, just the last period of the semester. 

 

Question: When did they first become aware of their need? Why? 

Answer: When my other friends are talking about renting storage.

 

Question: How are they currently addressing their need?

Answer: I rent storage nearby my apartment.

 

Question: How satisfied are they with this solution?

Answer: Not very satisfied, because the price of storaging is a little high. In addition, I have a lot of stuff that needs to be packed, it really took me nearly five hours. I had to get an uber to send me the storage and carried all this stuff in the storage. The whole process is really time-consuming and exhausted. But I have no other choice--I  can not find a friend who has the apartment.  

 

3) Identify the prototypical customer. 

My friend, Meggi Liang

 

4) Iteration No. 1: 

Question: What is the exact nature of the need? 

Answer: I really need it a lot. I live at the school's dormitory and I move to Enclave next semester. I have tons of cloth and furniture, which were expensive. I can not just throw them, and they are part of my first-year memory, 

 

Question: When do they become aware of the need

Answer: When I decide to live at Enclave and I signed the lease, I notice the lease starts from the end of August and I realize that I have a lot of stuff 

 

Question:  How long have they had the need?

Answer: During the summer vacation, I need storage. 

 

Question: When did they first become aware of their need? Why? 

Answer: When I notice the lease starts from the end of August. 

 

Question: How are they currently addressing their need?

Answer: So I tried to contact some of my friends if they will not change a place to live next semester. But all of them change an apartment. (Maybe my friends are all the first-year student so most of them want to rent an apartment in the second year?) I rent storage finally.

 

Question: How satisfied are they with this solution?

Answer: I am satisfied because I rent the storage with the other two friends together and we share the storage fee. The price is affordable for me. Packing stuffs really cost time, but it actually gives me the opportunities to reorganize my stuff. 

 

3) Identify the prototypical customer. 

My second roommate, Nora Qi

 Question: What is the exact nature of the need? 

Answer: I absolutely need it because I have no place to put my stuff. I am an international student so I can not fly to the U.S. to move my stuff to China. 

 

Question: When do they become aware of the need

Answer: Thea told me we should rent storage together. 

 

Question:  How long have they had the need?

Answer: For the whole summer, until I can move to my new apartment. 

 

Question: When did they first become aware of their need? Why? 

Answer: Again, Thea told me to rent storage. 

 

Question: How are they currently addressing their need?

Answer: I find the storage price is a little high and I know a second-year student who does not change the apartment. I paid only $10 per month to storage all of my stuff. It is a good solution. 

 

Question: How satisfied are they with this solution?

Answer: I am really satisfied. Compare to the high price of renting storage or find some other friends to rent together, I prefer to put my stuff on a friend's home. Her home is close to mine and the price is low. It actually gives me the opportunity to know her better. 

 

5) Reflect. 

I find this problem because I also need to change an apartment for the next semester. I have no idea at first and just thinking about throwing my cloth away. But my friends told me we can rent storage.  It really fixes the problem, but it is not as convenient as I think. I interviewed these two friends, one is satisfied and one is not, I think it is not because the solution is bad but the packing process itself is really exhausted. No one likes packing. Finding a friend who can help can be better, but some students do not have much acquaintance. I think this solution is actually good.

 7) Summarize.

The original opportunity is still there. Students need to move to a new apartment and they need a place for storage. I believe the opportunity is more accurate since I realize some customers may find the price high and inconvenient to go to the storage. I think the company can actually minimize the single room in storage and lower the price. If students can not find someone else to rent, they can actually rent very small storage and paid a low price. If the price is high, he may rather throw his stuff away. And there should be more storage place since some of the students do not have a car, it is inconvenient for them to travel a lot.