12A: Figuring Out Buyer Behavior
Need Awareness & Information Search Interviews:
Interview One: I started off by interviewing one of my roommates who has a car, but never uses it to get around campus due to getting too many parking tickets. She tends to walk everywhere or take the bus on a daily basis. She said she hates walking to her classes, because she gets extremely hot and sweaty, and it takes her a really long time. She also emphasized how much she hates the bus service since sometimes the bus doesn't even show up, it isn't always on time to where she needs to be, and it isn't always running when she needs it most. She sometimes wishes she had a bike or a scooter, but mentioned it's a little too expensive and out of her budget. She told me a story about how on one occasion, she had an exam, and the bus didn't show up when it was supposed to. She couldn't walk to her class because she was short on time, and had too much in her arms and backpack to run there. She said she had to order an Uber, which is a source of convenient location, but can definitely be pricey at times. She expressed how annoyed she was that she had to order an Uber when she thought she could've trusted the bus service. This is an example of someone who was definitely in need of a convenient and cheap source of transportation.
Interview Two: On this occasion, I spoke to someone who owns a scooter, but had to turn her scooter in for maintenance for over a week. She stressed to me how hard her life was without her usual convenient source of transportation, and without it, she kept showing up to things late. She missed dinner at our sorority twice, almost missed a Dance Marathon Interview, and told me how she showed up to the majority of her classes drenched in sweat and feeling disgusting. Although this is someone whose unmet need is not long-lasting, she did have the short-term need of cheap and convenient transportation. She too had to Uber to a few locations at times, and that's not necessarily cheap at all. Even those who own scooters and bikes face troubles at times and need convenient transportation too.
Interview Three: In my last interview, I spoke to one of my coworkers who doesn't own a car, bike, or scooter. He told me he walks everywhere, and honestly enjoys it, but he finds himself being late to things at times, or being too lazy to even walk somewhere. He told me about a week that he had to be at his fraternity multiple nights, and work on several days, so instead of his usual schedule of going to the library during the week, he was too lazy to walk and stayed home. Instead of getting homework done, he played video games all day, just because he didn't have a convenient source of transportation. He mentioned he's stubborn and normally walks home from the bars at the end of the nights too, to avoid an expensive Uber Fee. Not every kid has the money for Ubers, and a cheap BikeShare station could solve this problem.
For this specific segment of people, the essential need is a cheap and convenient source of transportation. Transportation that can be done on a specific persons time, when they need it, and transportation that isn't too expensive. When people run out of options, they tend to turn to Ubers, or just dealing with being late, but BikeShare would be a great alternative for these things.
Interview One: I started off by interviewing one of my roommates who has a car, but never uses it to get around campus due to getting too many parking tickets. She tends to walk everywhere or take the bus on a daily basis. She said she hates walking to her classes, because she gets extremely hot and sweaty, and it takes her a really long time. She also emphasized how much she hates the bus service since sometimes the bus doesn't even show up, it isn't always on time to where she needs to be, and it isn't always running when she needs it most. She sometimes wishes she had a bike or a scooter, but mentioned it's a little too expensive and out of her budget. She told me a story about how on one occasion, she had an exam, and the bus didn't show up when it was supposed to. She couldn't walk to her class because she was short on time, and had too much in her arms and backpack to run there. She said she had to order an Uber, which is a source of convenient location, but can definitely be pricey at times. She expressed how annoyed she was that she had to order an Uber when she thought she could've trusted the bus service. This is an example of someone who was definitely in need of a convenient and cheap source of transportation.
Interview Two: On this occasion, I spoke to someone who owns a scooter, but had to turn her scooter in for maintenance for over a week. She stressed to me how hard her life was without her usual convenient source of transportation, and without it, she kept showing up to things late. She missed dinner at our sorority twice, almost missed a Dance Marathon Interview, and told me how she showed up to the majority of her classes drenched in sweat and feeling disgusting. Although this is someone whose unmet need is not long-lasting, she did have the short-term need of cheap and convenient transportation. She too had to Uber to a few locations at times, and that's not necessarily cheap at all. Even those who own scooters and bikes face troubles at times and need convenient transportation too.
Interview Three: In my last interview, I spoke to one of my coworkers who doesn't own a car, bike, or scooter. He told me he walks everywhere, and honestly enjoys it, but he finds himself being late to things at times, or being too lazy to even walk somewhere. He told me about a week that he had to be at his fraternity multiple nights, and work on several days, so instead of his usual schedule of going to the library during the week, he was too lazy to walk and stayed home. Instead of getting homework done, he played video games all day, just because he didn't have a convenient source of transportation. He mentioned he's stubborn and normally walks home from the bars at the end of the nights too, to avoid an expensive Uber Fee. Not every kid has the money for Ubers, and a cheap BikeShare station could solve this problem.
For this specific segment of people, the essential need is a cheap and convenient source of transportation. Transportation that can be done on a specific persons time, when they need it, and transportation that isn't too expensive. When people run out of options, they tend to turn to Ubers, or just dealing with being late, but BikeShare would be a great alternative for these things.
Hello Kasey, I have to say that I find myself very related to your interview individuals since I arrive late several times a week to class because of the bus service. Walking for me its not an option since I live off campus, and a friend of mine who owns a scooter tells me that parking a scooter at UF is very difficult because of the lack of parking spots. This being said, the idea of BikeShare would aliviate many people who feel frustrated by the transportation methods at Gainesville.
ReplyDeleteKasey, I love how your business idea is based on convenience and inexpensiveness because that is what majority of society wants. In addition, I find myself in similar situations like the people you have interviewed. I am sure that I will use your service plenty of times if you continue with it. One way that you can improve your opportunity is to make a contract with the University of Florida so nobody else can copy your idea and take away your clients.
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