Forming an Opportunity Belief

Assignment 4A – Forming an Opportunity Belief

            I believe an opportunity exists with the congestion of popular UF libraries like Library West and Marston. These libraries are meant for students to have a place to study in peace and quiet and often they are actually a nightmare. Too many students are going to these two libraries so they are either too crowded, too loud, or both. Students are spending time they should be studying with scouring the library for a quiet, or simply just an open place to sit. I believe all college students at UF have this problem, and has probably been a problem for a long time. This is only my second year at UF so I’m not sure how long it’s been going on, but since I’ve been here I’ve always found this to be an issue when I need a place to study. Right now, to meet this need students are just searching all floors of the libraries in order to find a place to sit which is a waste of time. Or, they have to leave and find somewhere else which is even more of a waste of time. I believe a system can be put into place which addresses this unmet need by displaying to students once they walk into the building a map of the library and where the open seats are. This way they can take a quick look at the map, and know exactly where they need to go in order to start studying right away. I also think something online that tells you how many students are at the library at any given time will help students figure out ideal times to go instead of being bombarded when they get there. I am fairly confident that this is a significant issue that needs to be addressed.

Prototypical customer #1: UF Sophomore management major, female

·      How often do you study at library west or marston?

o   At least three times a week for at least 3 hours, sometimes more.

·      How often is it difficult to find a place to sit/how much time do you think you waste searching?

o   I spend about 10-15 minutes trying to find an open table.

·      Does it deter you from going during exam week if you know that it will be too crowded?

o   Yes, I hate going to the library during exam week, but unfortunately I need a place to study so I go anyway.

·      How satisfied would you be with a map that tells you where open seats are in the library as soon as you get there? What about something online that tells you peak times of the day? Would you use it?

o   I would love to have a system that told me available seats.

Reflection: This would be one of my more ideal customers, someone who studies in these libraries about 3 times per week and is frustrated with spending as much as 10-15 minutes searching for a place to sit. This encourages me to continue pursuing this opportunity.

Prototypical customer #2: UF Freshman pre-med major, male

·      How often do you study at library west or marston?

o   Maybe once every 2 weeks.

·      How often is it difficult to find a place to sit/how much time do you think you waste searching?

o   Somewhat difficult, maybe 5 minutes.

·      Does it deter you from going during exam week if you know that it will be too crowded?

o   Yes definitely.

·      How satisfied would you be with a map that tells you where open seats are in the library as soon as you get there? What about something online that tells you peak times of the day? Would you use it?

o    That would be extremely satisfying.

Reflection: This would not be an ideal customer, someone who only goes to the library once every two weeks and only spends about 5 minutes searching for a place to sit. However, they were still enthusiastic about the map solution.

Prototypical customer #3: UF Junior marketing major, female

·      How often do you study at library west or marston?

o   I study at Marston about once a month.

·      How often is it difficult to find a place to sit/how much time do you think you waste searching?

o   I usually spend about 5 mins walking around trying to find a seat.

·      Does it deter you from going during exam week if you know that it will be too crowded?

o   Yes I avoid going to the library during exam week.

·      How satisfied would you be with a map that tells you where open seats are in the library as soon as you get there? What about something online that tells you peak times of the day? Would you use it?

o   I think both options would be very helpful that way I could check accessibility before leaving my apartment. I would definitely use that, an app would be helpful.

Reflection: This is another person that only goes to these libraries about once a month and doesn’t spend a lot of time searching for a seat. However, they were also excited about the idea of being able to see accessibility. She even suggested an app for this, meaning she would use it even if she only goes to the library once a month.

Summary

I think my original opportunity is still there, it just may not be as much of a problem for students as I once thought. Two out of three of my prototypical customers didn’t frequent the libraries more than once every two weeks and didn’t spend more than 5 minutes searching for an open seat. However, all three were open and even enthusiastic about the solution I proposed, telling me that I should continue to pursue it. I believe entrepreneurs should definitely adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback because these customers are the ones that will be using your product/idea and maybe the problem isn’t as prevalent as you believe it to be. I think the solution to my opportunity would definitely be appreciated but is not necessarily needed for everyone.