4A Forming an Opportunity Belief

Introduction

1. Your Beginning Point: I believe that a need exists in the realm of UF and Gainesville parking.  The problem is that there is not enough parking for both on-campus students, and off-campus students using neighborhood parking as well as campus parking such as parking garages.

2. Describe Your Belief: The unmet need is that there is not enough parking garages around UF and Gainesville in general.  Almost everyone in Gainesville with a car has this need, unless they have a special accommodation like a handicap parking pass or a reserved parking spot.  This need has not always existed, as there have not always been too many people admitted to the university.  Unfortunately, there is little being done to meet this need now.  Many students must sustain being ticketed if there are no parking spots left at the end of the day, or students are forced to not bring a car to school at all because it is too difficult to find a spot every day. I am 100% sure that this need exists, because everyone I talk to that owns a car complains that it is extremely difficult to find a spot.

3. Identify the Prototypical Customer: The prototypical customer for a new parking garage would be anyone in Gainesville with a car and without special parking accommodations, but more specifically UF students who live on/around campus and must use their cars to get around campus.

Interviews

Iteration No. 1: Interviewing my boyfriend Matt

What is the exact nature of the need? He can never find parking outside of my fraternity house. They don’t have a private parking lot, so he has to use Gainesville neighborhood parking.

When do they become aware of the need? He notices the need every time he drives his car, but specifically in the evenings. It’s almost impossible to find a parking spot past 6:00 pm.

How long have they had the need? Ever since he moved into the fraternity house and has brought a car to UF, he has had an issue finding parking.

When did they first become aware of their need? He first became aware of the parking issue when he moved into the on-campus fraternity house.

How are they currently addressing their need? He oftentimes has to park illegally at night, and then has to wake up early to move his car before it gets ticketed.  Or, just not drive his car at night to avoid losing his parking spot.

How satisfied are they with this solution?  Matt is extremely unsatisfied with these solutions because they are inconvenient.  He feels that UF/Gainesville needs to do better in providing accessible parking for students, especially ones that live on campus.

Iteration No. 2: Interviewing my friend Danielle

What is the exact nature of the need? Danielle is moving to an apartment near campus next semester, and is unsure of whether to bring her car to school because of lack of parking.

When do they become aware of the need? After signing her lease, she had to contemplate whether to buy a reserved parking spot.  At $150 a month, it was much too expensive, so she has to find an alternative.

How long have they had the need? She has not yet experienced the need for parking, but she will next semester.  She is worried about parking accessibility and getting ticketed if she can’t find a spot late at night.

When did they first become aware of their need? After signing her lease, she became aware of the hefty price of buying a reserved spot, so had to think of all her options.

How are they currently addressing their need? Danielle is planning to registering her license plate under her friend’s name who lives on campus so that she can park in an on-campus parking garage.  However, the garage is far from her apartment and would be dangerous to walk to at night.

How satisfied are they with this solution?  She is not very satisfied with this solution, because she wishes there were more spots available near her apartment.  She also wishes it was well-lit so that it was not dangerous walking to her car at night.

Iteration No. 3: Interviewing my friend Abbie

What is the exact nature of the need? Abbie lives in an on-campus dorm (Jennings), and has to park her car at the commuter lot, which is half a mile away from her dorm.

When do they become aware of the need? Every time Abbie wants to use her car, she has to either uber to the parking garage, take a bus, or walk half a mile.

How long have they had the need? Ever since she started at UF.

When did they first become aware of their need? As soon as Abbie drove up to Gainesville to start her fall semester, she realized she needed somewhere to park her car, but the closest place she was allowed to park was the commuter lot.

How are they currently addressing their need? Abbie tries to avoid using her car altogether, and only uses it when she really needs it.  When it’s nighttime, she tries to get one of her friends to pick her up from the parking garage, or walk with a buddy so that its safer.

How satisfied are they with this solution?  Although she doesn’t have to use her car that often because she lives on campus, Abbie is inconvenienced by her parking situation.  She wishes her car was not such a far walk from her dorm, so that she could use it more often.  Her solution of finding a ride to her car doesn’t always work out, and she is forced to walk.

Debrief

1. Reflect:

a. What did you learn about your opportunity? I learned that the UF parking issue is multifaceted.  Not only is the problem about inconvenience (i.e. ticketing, walking long distances, driving around for a long time trying to find a spot), but it is also about safety.  This is something I hadn’t considered before when thinking about issues with UF parking.

b. What was the most surprising thing you learned about your opportunity? The most surprising thing that I learned about the opportunity to improve UF/Gainesville parking is that it affects every student with a car, whether they live on or off-campus.  For example, my friend Danielle is struggling with neighborhood parking, while my friend Abbie is having trouble with on-campus parking while living in a dorm.

2. Summarize:

a. How much of your original opportunity is still there? I believe that I still have just as much opportunity to improve the Gainesville parking situation as I had before.

b. Do you believe that your new opportunity is more accurate than when you started? Yes, after interviewing three people and hearing their unique grievances with the Gainesville parking situation, I feel like I can narrow down solutions and keep all of their needs in mind.

c. How much do you think entrepreneurs should 'adapt' their opportunities based on customer feedback? (In other words, is there a trade-off between adapting and staying firm?) I think that customer feedback is essential when evaluating opportunities.  Since the end goal is to sell a product to a customer, you will not make that sell if the customer is not benefitted by your product.  Although many entrepreneurs have specific ideas in mind and are driven by their passion to deliver those ideas, the opportunities will not succeed if they do not adapt them to the customer’s needs.