Opportunity Belief

The Opportunity Belief:
When the RTS app doesn't line up with the actual buses.

Description: 
1) The unmet need is that students, staff, and locals arrive late for their various activities due to a delay in the app that makes it so unreliable that people are steering away from using the app.

2) People that use the RTS in order to get around Gainesville

3) This need has existed since the app was formed.

4) People that I have talked to have recently started leaving their houses earlier and abandoning the app altogether.

5) I am 75% sure this opportunity exists and that riders would benefit from an improvement in the system.

Identify the Prototypical Customer:
1) Professors would be a good start because they have more power and money than students and still have the need for the improvement while being conscious of the problem.

2) Alumni would also be a good customer because they have money and a desire to give back as is seen in the Alumni hall and once experienced the problem hands on like the rest of us so they are aware of the problem.

3) The next customer would be the actual students they might not have the money the other two types provide but there is power in numbers and if enough students complained the administration who has money and power would set into motion these ideas of improvement, they are also very aware of the need as so many complain on a daily basis.

Interview the Customer:
1) I interviewed my organic chemistry professor who was once a student as well and he was very passionate about the need for a renovated system. He said he experiences this every time he tries to rely on the app showing how it is consistently malfunctioning. He is currently addressing this need by just not using the app and now driving to campus instead of riding the bus.

2) I talked to my grandmother who is an alumni and she didn't experience this firsthand because she lived on campus the entire time she was at UF but once I discussed this with her she realized their was definitely a need for it and told me to complain to someone about it. She only became aware of the need once I brought it up to her but then was interested and saw how it could be an issue.

3) I talked to a girl next to me on the bus and she said that she can't stand riding the bus and is almost always late to her classes because of the ill-advising app and ends up having to drive to campus pretty regularly. She has been aware of this problem since she first got onto campus, two years ago. She experiences it almost every time she uses the app. She is currently having to fall back on her car but she doesn't have a parking sticker so she has to leave her car super far from campus just so she won't get towed and is pretty upset with this solution.

Reflect:
I learned my opportunity actually has some real need and it validated this issue within my own life which definitely made me feel better about complaining about it since it is actually valid. This experience also helped me realize how easy it is to interview people because they are pretty willing to talk to you for the most part especially if you get them stuck like on a bus, sorry to the poor girl I harassed. My grandmother's was pretty interesting because it was really easy to explain the issue to her and get her to understand it even though she hadn't experienced it first hand (this could also be due to our shared blood but she is a pretty unbiased customer if you ask me). It also gave me a opportunity to talk to my organic chemistry professor which gave me a foot in the door for later on when I am begging him to explain an issue. Overall this experience was really fun and helpful in eliminating some of my initial fears.

Summarize:
1) I realized my opportunity is actually more present than I initially thought as I was reassured by everyone I spoke too.
2) I believe that is definitely more accurate now because now I have some ideas as to who is more aware than others like alumni might not be the best market since they are no longer really affected by this problem and might not be as easily persuaded as my grandmother.
3) There has to be a trade-off if you remain firm and don't listen to your customers you are losing an opportunity for improvement and might be missing a new need that arises in those conversations. Being flexible is key in the entire experience as you might find new opportunities and even change your own entirely ending up with something better that actually has a market.