4A Forming An Opportunity Belief

There is an unmet need in UF Campus of going to the library, Marston or Lib West, and not being able to find any seats. The last time I went to Marston was during finals in the fall and I went to study with a friend and we left because we couldn't find a seat together. I feel like the opportunity exists to make a website or an app which tells which seats are occupied in the library, on each floor and table. The people that have this need would be graduate and undergraduate students at UF who want to study in a quiet library, also tutors and teachers. This need has been around for a while, and especially arises during midterms and finals weeks. To meet this need now, people are just showing up to the library in hopes that there will be seats, or not going to the library at all in order to avoid this problem entirely. I'm 40% that this opportunity exists. The prototypical customer would be the students, teachers, tutors etc. that want to use the library.

#1: Freshman who studies with a group of about 5 at Marston

• Have you ever not gotten a seat at the library?
• Yes, my study group has been split up before because there were not 5 seats together, it was during a finals week.
• Would you say this happens often?
• Not really, it only happens during finals and midterms, usually we can find seats.
• When did you first become aware of this problem?
• I guess the first time we all couldn't find a seat together.
• What do you currently do to prevent this problem from happening? Are you happy with this?
• We don't really have a solution, we will rent a room next time though, around midterms and finals. It's kind of a pain to rent a room because sometimes I forget to.
• Do you think an app telling you which seats were occupied at the library would help?
• Yes, actually I think that'd help a lot, they have a similar thing for washers being used in my dorm and I use it all the time.

#2: Sophomore who tutors at Marston and rents a room

• Do you have a problem with seating in the library?
• No, because I rent a room.
• Have you ever not rented a room and had a problem?
• Yes, that's why I started renting the room because I just wanted to avoid the problem.
• Are you happy with this solution?
• Yes, I'm really happy because it gives me a quiet room and I don't have to deal with the problem of seating because it's guaranteed.
• Do you think an app telling you which seats were occupied at the library is a good idea?
• Yes, I kind of don't have the problem anymore since I always rent a room, but if that app existed then I wouldn't have to rent a room anymore.

#3: Freshman who studies alone at Marston

• Do you have a problem with seating at the library?
• Not really, sometimes I have to sit in a floor I didn't want to because all the seats were taken, but I always find a seat.
• Have you ever not found a seat?
• Only once, it was during finals last semester so the library was really busy. But, I've found a seat almost every time, it's easy to find a lone seat. 
• Do you think it's a problem?
• I've only had an issue once so it's not really a big problem to me but I can see how it would be a problem to people who come in groups of a few friends to study.
• How are you currently avoiding the problem of seating?
• Well, I just go in and find a seat, but I'm kind of scared for finals again and midterms because I might not be able to find a seat.
• What would you do if you couldn't find a seat?
• I'd have to go somewhere else to study, but I really like studying in the library, I can't get work done in my dorm. I'd probably go to Newell.
• Do you think an app to tell you which seats were occupied in the library would help?
• I definitely think that would be a good solution to the problem.

Reflection: I learned that my opportunity's prototypical customers are definitely people who study in groups and the time it would be most useful is during midterms and finals because that's when the library gets the most busy. I learned that some people are already avoiding the problem by renting rooms which is a smart way to get rid of the problem entirely. 

Summary: I think the opportunity is still there, it just needs to be geared towards groups more because those are the people that are having this problem the most. People who study alone and rent rooms don't really encounter this problem like groups do. I think it's definitely more accurate now because in the interviews I was able to pinpoint the problem and who experiences it better than before. I think entrepreneurs should definitely adapt their opportunities based on consumers' feedback. In the end of the day, the consumers are the ones that are going to be buying the product so it makes sense to make the product cater to what they want exactly rather than staying firm on something they don't like.