7A - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

1)      One specific opportunity I would like to pursue is that of packages being stolen from people’s front doors/porches.

2)      Residents in the United States cannot efficiently prevent packages being stolen from their properties because of the lack of security measures preventing those situations.

3)      Testing the hypothesis:

a.       (Who) So many people have this need, but more specifically, anyone that has a residence that they can receive packages to their door.

b.      (What) The boundaries of this need would be that any packages that can be slid under or through a mail slot in a door would not be included in this issue.

c.       (Why) Why people believe this happens to them can differ from not having an outdoor camera, having an outdoor camera but not having time to reach the perpetrator/not being home, etc. However, I believe many can agree on the fact that there can be a better solution.

4)      Interviews:

i)                    The first interviewee was a middle-aged woman. She says that she has only experienced this a few times, considering she has a gate before her driveway. She explained that no one is going to climb over the fence for a package left at the front door when the gate is open and then closed, but people will steal any left in the mailbox or outside the gate. Furthermore, she has a camera outside of the door (and all over the front and backyard) and a dog that will bark at anyone that passes by.

ii)                  The second interviewee is another middle-aged woman. However, she does not have a large driveway with a gate. She said that this has happened to her, even though she has a camera viewing her porch. This is because by the time the camera alerts her of motion, and by the time she sees someone stealing her packages, it is too late and they are gone by the time she gets to the door.

iii)                The third interviewee is a married middle-aged man. When asked if this had happened to him, he said yes, but that he does not worry about. He said that, in all honesty, his wife is the one that orders more packages, and he therefore has not thought much on the issue.

iv)                 The fourth interviewee was a teenage boy. This was the shortest interview. He said that this doesn’t happen to him as he doesn’t regularly order packages, and that if it did happen to him, he would be very upset. He also agrees that a camera outside the door just might not be enough to stop this from happening.

v)                  The fifth interviewee was a woman in her early 20s. Having just begun living on her own, she said that she realized this issue way more. She felt more protective over her packages, and said that she has no safety measures to protect against this happening to her.

5)      These interviews were very enlightening to me. They made me realize several points about how important this issue is to certain people. I learned that people who had different kinds of houses worried about this problem differently (just as interviewees 1 and 2 differed). Furthermore, different roles within the households themselves can also affect people’s perception (just like interviewees 3 and 4). Put simply, the person who is more involved/in charge of the ordering of packages is the one most worried about the situation. Lastly, age pays a factor, as well. Interviewee 4 might have been too young to have to worry about this, while interviewee 5 is just starting to.

6A - Identifying Opportunities in Economic and Regulatory Trends

Regulatory Changes:

1: Trump’s executive order that limit the freedoms many social media companies have.

a)      I found this information on NPR.org (https://www.npr.org/2020/05/28/863932758/stung-by-twitter-trump-signs-executive-order-to-weaken-social-media-companies).

b)      I think that the social implications of this executive order provide an opportunity to assist those that it affects.

c)       The prototypical customer(s), in this case, are Twitter users, specifically. In order to be well informed, people must be taught the specifics of the new changes affecting Twitter.

d)      I believe this opportunity is relatively easy to exploit, considering the widespread use of Twitter and the huge reach that the topic of the protection of free speech has.

e)      Individually, I saw this opportunity because, firstly, I am a user of Twitter, and secondly, because I am interested in reading what the president has to say. I am also very interested in protecting against the censorship or removal of speech from the Internet by Twitter.

2: The travel ban placed on Brazil that begins Tuesday

a)      I found this information on Voice of America’s website (https://www.voanews.com/covid-19-pandemic/trumps-brazil-travel-ban-begins-tuesday).

b)      I think that this situation can lead to public outrage accusing racism or prejudice in the federal government. The opportunity here is information management.

c)       The prototypical customer is the average American citizen. American citizens are extremely divided when it comes to political and social opinion, and therefore are the best to help in this situation.

d)      This opportunity is easy to exploit because, again, foreign immigration and travel has been a hot topic for a while now.

e)      I saw this opportunity because I want to invest myself in the truth. I know that many people will probably see this executive order as prejudicial or discriminatory when in reality, I see it as a safety measure in this pandemic.

Economic Trends:

3: A bill giving small businesses more time to spend loans from the Paycheck Protection Program and allows them to spend less on payroll

a)    I found this information on MarketWatch (https://www.marketwatch.com/story/house-set-to-pass-bill-that-gives-small-businesses-more-time-to-use-ppp-loans-and-lets-them-spend-less-on-payroll-2020-05-28?mod=economy-politics).

b)    The information here, as a result of the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, assists small businesses, but not individual employees. I believe the opportunity arises from the employees that will be paid less.

c)     The prototypical customers are employees of small businesses that are part of this program.

d)    I believe this opportunity may be more difficult to exploit because it requires the access to small business’ employee networks.

e)    I saw this opportunity because I have a relative that was recently laid off because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I want to see what I can do to aid those going through similar situations.

4: Democrats in the House of Representatives have proposed a second stimulus relief bill.

a)      I found this information on CNBC’s website (https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/12/house-democrats-stimulus-bill-includes-a-second-round-of-1200-checks.html).

b)      The situation here is the second round of $1200 stimulus checks. I think now that we have gone through the first round of this, people know what to expect. Therefore, I think the opportunity lies in what to do with these checks. In other words, I think people would benefit from assistance in this area.

c)       The prototypical customer is anyone who receives a stimulus check.

d)      This opportunity is relatively easy to exploit considering the large amount of people that would be receiving these checks.

e)      I believe many people can see this opportunity. It is a hard subject to ignore in today’s state of things.

5A - Identifying Local Opportunities

Local newspaper: The Miami Herald

1: The Keys are reopening and you’re planning a visit. Here’s what you can and can’t do.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article243027931.html

For over two months, the Florida Keys have been closed to tourists, meaning only residents can get in and out. This article details all the new regulations and rules that tourists and residents must follow, including 50% capacity in motels and hotels, the requirement of face masks in public, the continued closure of bars, and more.

The problem outlined in this story is the adaptation that visitors of the Keys must experience. There are many new rules, and it can be difficult to navigate them all at this time, considering the changes people have seen in their own hometowns, as well. People must get used to less capacity in places of service, the continued suspension of several tourist attractions, and more.

The main group of people that will be experiencing this problem are tourists. Not being familiar with the area, they will probably need to form of transitional aid.

2: Audio glitches, lousy WiFi, shirtless guests: Miami Zoom court expands despite limitations

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article242820901.html

Miami lawyers are now dealing with the issues that come with holding court proceedings over Zoom. Problems include technical difficulties, the possibility of the lack of adequate representation for defendants, maintaining integrity (not being coached off screen, looking at notes, etc.) for witnesses, and more. With the backlog of cases ever-growing, justice online continues to be a larger and larger topic.

The problem that is being faced in story is the lack of efficient and quick law-enforcement over Zoom. One lawyer, in particular, was not even included in a Zoom call the someone had assumed he was already a part of. To make matters worse, his client was testifying.

Lawyers in Miami are the group experiencing this issue. Similar to tourists going to the Keys, a transitional aid would benefit those trying to hold court proceedings online.

3: Miami springs police nab porch pirate accused of stealing Etsy necklace, pair of Crocs

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article243081316.html

This story simply details the events of a man, named Ariel Torres-Martinez, stealing someone’s packages from the front of their house. He stole a necklace from Etsy and a pair of Crocs that the victim had ordered. Eventually, Torres-Martinez was caught by police after he hid in the Clarion Hotel.

The problem faced here is the lack of protection over packages received at people’s houses. Right now, it is far too easy to go up to someone’s porch and take any packages set there. There is no system of security for this, except for cameras which, by then, don’t do anything to stop anyone. By the time the victim sees someone stealing their packages on the camera, it is too late.

The people experiencing this issue are Miami residents, A.K.A. those who order packages in South Florida.

4: The school year wraps up Wednesday in Miami. Do students need a grading curve?

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article242910036.html

Executives in Miami are currently struggling with how to go about grading for students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Generally, the story goes over how grading policy will be reviewed, how anything other than giving grades will not be considered, and how many have expressed complaints about minimum of three hours of interaction between teachers and students.

The problem here is about how decision makers in Miami must figure out their plan on schooling for the ending of the school year. Students, parents, and teachers alike have raised stress levels about grading, a possibly curve, and more.

Those experiencing this issue are Miami’s district officials. They are faced with loads of people in distress, and must come up with an efficient and quick solution in a short amount of time.

5: Miami will ask voters: Should airport screen all travelers for COVID-19 symptoms?

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article243060736.html

Miami commissioners are pushing for all arriving people in the Miami International Airport to be screened for COVID-19. However, the mayor of Miami-Dade, Carlos Gimenez, argues that Miami-Dade County does not have the authority to do health-screenings; that only the CDC can conduct them, and only for certain travelers. Furthermore, when discovering that commissioners wanted to put a question asking if the voter would support these health screenings on the ballot for the August primary, Gimenez believed that they were wasting the $120,000 of taxpayer money needed to do so.

The problem here is the conflict between Miami’s commissioners and the mayor of Miami-Dade. Both working for the same cause (ending the COVID-19 pandemic), they disagree on the legality and logistics of the situation, with the commissioners wanting to exercise federal action and the mayor refusing to do so. While the Miami-Dade mayor has control over the Miami-Dade County Aviation Department, the city of Miami’s mayor and commissioners do not.

Those experiencing this problem are the city of Miami’s mayor/commissioners and the mayor of Miami-Dade. They are struggling with issues of purview and jurisdiction.

4A - Forming an Opportunity Belief

1) Beginning Point:

An untapped opportunity that I believe exists is the issue of leaving your house, assuming that a drive-thru is not packed with cars and thus would not take more than a maximum of 10 minutes to go through, and being met with a 30-minute long wait instead.

2) Describe your belief:

In this belief, there is the unmet need of the knowledge of the state of the drive-thru at the time that you are planning to visit it. The entire purpose of the drive-thru is to be a faster service, after all.

3) Identify the prototypical customer / 4) Iteration / 5) Reflect / 6):

Interview #1: Teenage male

This interviewee explained that he started experiencing this issue when he first got a car. Once he was able to go on his own to drive-thru restaurants, he noticed it, as he had the freedom to fulfill his wants with a car of his own. He always realizes this issue once he arrive at the drive-thru. He has no solution, other than waiting in line to be served. Additionally, he is not satisfied with this. Through this interview, I learned about the idea that once someone is able to fulfill their own needs, such as driving themselves to a restaurant’s drive-thru, they will notice this issue much more than if they are being driven there by someone else.

Interview #2: Middle-aged woman

             This interviewee always realizes this unmet need once she gets to the drive thru and sees the line (just like the first interviewee). She also has thought of a solution, which is to call ahead to the restaurant to find out whether or not its drive-thru line is long. However, she is not satisfied with this, as the line of a drive-thru can change very quickly, mostly in the matter of minutes. Here, I learned that someone can always find a solution to this, but that doesn’t mean they are satisfied by it. There is no set universal solution to this issue.

Interview #3 Teenage male

             To further cement this common theme, this interviewee only realizes this issue once they arrive at the drive-thru as well. He, just like the first interviewee, has no solution to this issue, and when asked if satisfied with the state of the issue, he firmly replied with a resounding “no.”  This only happens to him sometimes, however, as he does not go to drive-thru restaurants on his own very often. For me, he just added to the truths of the previous interviews.

7) Summarize:

To summarize, I believe that these interviews not only revealed more about the nature of this unmet need, but that they also heightened the need for a solution. It seems to be a universal issue, one that has been experienced in similar ways by all three of the prototypical customers. This opportunity is alive and well, and has been proven to me fully through speaking with them. If anything, I have narrowed down exactly what each customer was missing: an accurate knowledge of what they should expect when they go to a drive-thru, at any time in the day. Furthermore, I now know for certain that there is no universal and widely-marketed solution. This educational effect of the interviews is why I think that entrepreneurs should adapt to customer feedback. If not, they won’t be able to cater to the real issues that people are experiencing and instead will only work with merely what they think is happening to people.

3A - My Entrepreneurship Story

    In my junior year of high school, I went to a tech conference called eMerge Americas with a few other classmates. There, I met the founder of a startup called Abeyon that specialized in artificial intelligence solutions. After expressing my interest and eventually gaining a summer internship with them, the founder told me about a project they were working on with the Military Sealift Command, expanding on its need to shift from “reactive” maintenance on its ships to a more “prescriptive” approach. I saw how he identified the issue of much-needed visibility into the ships’ functionalities over the years. I was fortunately able to work with him on his solution and gained deeper insight into how artificial intelligence and machine learning functioned by working on a program that recognized patterns in ships’ maintenance files.

    Aside from taking a minor in entrepreneurship, I was interested in learning the skills of an entrepreneur. I am a computer science major, and I don’t know where I want to end up just yet, but I do know for certain that I want to be able to carve my own path in my career. With entrepreneurship, I can have some authority over any projects I work on, ensuring that I’ll be enjoying my career. I know that the skills I learn in this class will be of great value to me when I start to get into the tech industry.

2A - Bug List

Hello! Here are 20 things that bug me:

1. When the Dairy Queen line on Bird Road gets so long that it loops around the parking lot

Why? This exists because of everyone being in quarantine and many people having a craving for ice cream at night after dinner.

2. When I go to run outside and it is too hot to enjoy the run because of the time of the day

Why? This happens because sometimes my running partner can’t run at our usual time (4:00).

3. When my computer charger doesn’t reach comfortably from the wall to my bed

Why? This happens because my charger is too short.

4. When I triple-click on a line in PowerPoint and it only gets highlighted for a second

Why? I really don’t know why the issue exists, but it has to do with the difference between PowerPoint and Word (it never happens on Word).

5. When my Spotify switches from playing music on my phone to my mom’s while I’m driving

Why? My mom’s phone sometimes automatically takes control when it connects to her car or, sometimes, she just takes it.

6. When the router's signal in my house doesn’t fully reach my bedroom

Why? My room is one of the farthest from the router.

7. Each time I have to change my Netflix password after forgetting it

Why? I never write the password down.

8. When I go to run at the track near my house, only to find out it is closed

Why? The track is closed on Sundays, and I always forget this.

9. When I try to add a song to one of my Spotify playlists and I get the pop-up saying that it is already in the playlist, and after I press cancel, I still have to leave the playlists screen instead of being taken back to the specific song I’m listening to

Why? I never remember what songs are in certain playlists and what songs aren’t.

10. When I get in my bed and realize I don’t have my retainer on

Why? Obviously, I am very forgetful.

11. When I come to my room late at night and realize I haven’t taken my prescribed inhaler (that is across the house) before going to sleep

Why? Ditto.

12. When my family runs out of my favorite flavor of sparkling water and I am left with other flavors

Why? My favorite flavor is also everyone else’s favorite flavor: black cherry.

13. When I find a notebook and I have to rip pages out of it to make it blank

Why? I like to start empty notebooks without finishing them.

14. When I’m working on a coding project and I continue to receive the same error message for 2 hours

Why? I don’t go to office hours. Usually, it is a simple issue that can be fixed in a matter of minutes.

15. When I go to get coffee and there’s no water in the coffee machine

Why? The person who used it before me didn’t refill the machine with water.

16. When, as I’m leaving, I ruin my nails right after they are done and have to go back in to fix them

Why? I am clumsy, and I usually hit the door on my way out.

17. When I am using Google Chromecast to put Netflix on my TV but then I can’t pause it until it reconnects to my phone

Why? I wish I knew why this happens, but I think it has something to do with my Wi-Fi, because it happens to everyone in my house.

18. When a song I really like is available everywhere but Spotify

Why? The artist of the song doesn’t have a contract with Spotify.

19. When Reddit videos and GIFs take really long to load and buffer for a very long time

Why? This problem is either caused by my cellular service provider, or by Reddit’s servers.

20. When I hit a crack or a stone that causes my skateboard to stop instantly, throwing me forward

Why? My skateboard has very small wheels.

Reflection:

This list was somewhat difficult to come up with, but once I thought about the things that I do on a daily basis, such as listening to music on Spotify, coding, wearing my retainer, etc., it became a little bit easier. Many of my bugs have something to do with services (Spotify, Reddit, etc.). Therefore, I’m sure many people have the same things that bug them as I do. I did like how I had to say why these things happen, because it automatically shows me what I can do to fix them.

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