Friday, May 29, 2020

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.

5 comments:

  1. This is a great “opportunity” to focus on. I order packages all the time and have had one stolen from me which is the most enraging feeling I have ever felt. Since then I have revolved my entire schedule around tracking my packages. I have also considered renting a package locker and getting a package lock box to put in front of my house as well, but they are a bit on the pricey side. I think that you have found an “opportunity” that many people can agree exists and I am excited to see what you come up with (I may even be a customer if follow it through). I think you have done a great job learning from your interviewees thus far. If I can suggest anything at all, it would be an interesting question to ask your interviewees about how much they value the good qualities of having things delivered, such as convenience, and then possibly consider how much of that convenience is taken away by the problem, and how much of that convenience your likely solution can return to them. Great job, I am excited to read about what you come up with.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Sophia, packages being stolen was on my bug list - this is one of the worst feelings! I think this is a great opportunity because so many people are affected by this. Your interviews were very informative. I was shocked to hear that one of the women you interviewed has a camera, but by the time the motion sensor comes on, the camera doesn't catch the person stealing the package. That is shocking! Something definitely has to be done about this issue.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Sophia! Packages being stolen is definitely an issue that needs to be resolved. Interview #2 surprised me, I thought having cameras would surely minimize the issue but clearly, some people just do not care enough or are able to hide their identity for it not to be an issue. I think this issue affects a lot of people that can't afford proper security and even if they can the security might not be up to par. This is a great opportunity that you can exploit. Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Sophia! This is a great opportunity to focus on. It's the worst to have someone steal your packages and for me, personally, I feel like someone is invading my privacy. It's sad to see that even with a camera, like Interview 2, that doesn't stop people stealing packages. It's also difficult for some people who may not be able to have safety measures to prevent this theft.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Sophia! I think this is one of the best subjects I have read about to date. I don’t think people talk about this form of theft often enough. Although it may seem insignificant, having someone steal right from your property and even on your doorstep is a gross invasion of privacy. I think reading about the wide array of interview you conducted highlights this is a growing trend unfortunately.

    ReplyDelete

30A - Final Reflection

  I think that throughout all of the assignments this semester, the one about my own personal human capital struck me the most. This is beca...