4A - Forming An Opportunity Belief

1)    Beginning point: I have a belief that an opportunity exists. Being at UF has led me to use public bathrooms constantly. Whether it is in a classroom, library, or sport facility. Taking my phone in the bathroom and having nowhere to put it is something that bugs me. There is an opportunity for a pocket box in the stalls of the bathroom to hold your phone.

2)    The unmet need is having nowhere to put your phone when you are using the toilet. Everyone almost always brings their phone in the bathroom, so this can be a problem for many different people. I would say women have the need more than men because women tend to have clothing that does not have pockets. If a woman were to be wearing a dress it may not have pockets and they have to hold their phone the whole time in the bathroom. If a woman is wearing clothing with a pocket, the pockets may not be deep enough and it could cause the phone to slip out easily. This need is fairly new because of the increased use of cell phones and the fact that people rarely go anyway without their cell phones. To meet this need, people are leaving their phones on unclean places in the bathroom. People can also put the phone away in their bag. I would say I am 30% sure this opportunity exists.

3)    The prototypical customer would be a young adult/college female.

4)    Interview #1

She said the nature of the need is to promote sanitation in an unsanitary area. She experiences her need almost all the time. She finds herself not having anywhere to put her phone while she is in the bathroom. The interviewee says that she has had the need ever since she has had a smartphone. She first became aware of her need when she had to put her phone on the toilet paper dispenser because there was nowhere else to put it. She is currently addressing her need by finding alternative places to place her phone in the bathroom or by asking a friend to hold her phone before she goes into the bathroom. She is very satisfied with the solution.

3) Another prototypical customer is an older female.

4) Interview #2

She said the nature of the need is for the protection of phones. She experiences the need sometimes. She says she can bring a purse to put her phone in. But, she does wear dresses often, so she experiences the need when she wears dresses. The interviewee says that she has had the need ever since she has owned a phone. She became aware of the need after remembering she almost dropped her phone in the toilet one time. She is currently addressing her need by trying not to bring her phone in the bathroom as much. She is very satisfied with the solution. She thinks it is a good idea to prevent her phone from falling in the toilet.

3) Another prototypical customer would be a college male.

4) Interview #3

He said the nature of the need is for women’s bathroom stalls. The interviewee said that men have pockets in basically ever pair of pants so the need is not as prevalent in the men’s bathroom. However, he did note that on rare occasions when he wears basketball shorts without pockets, he experiences the need. He also mentioned that in some men’s restrooms, they even have shelves on top of urinals, so men can put things on top of it, but he has never even used one of these. The interviewee said he only experiences the need on rare occasions, when he wears basketball shorts without pocket. He said he had the need for as long as he has owned a pair of basketball pants without pockets. The interviewee mentioned that he never really thought about his need; mostly because as a male, he owns many shorts and pants that have pockets in them. He said he is currently addressing his need by wearing mostly shorts and pants that have pockets. He is satisfied with the solution because he thinks it’s a good idea for women’s bathrooms but it does not apply to him all the time.

5) Reflection: After conducting the interviews, I found out that this product would cater more towards females. I wanted to interview a male to get their opinion since I have never thought about the need from a man’s perspective. I learned that women do feel the same way I feel about the need. One of the girls’s brought up the point of sanitation, which is a very good point in my opinion.

7) Summary:

I would say much of the original opportunity is still there. I was originally thinking of a bug that happens mostly for women which was shown to be true in the interviews. Now that I received feedback, I believe my opportunity is more accurate than when I started. I think there should be a good balance between adapting to customers and staying firm. Pleasing the customer is important but you have to remember the audience and that you cannot please everyone.