Assignment 4A- Forming an Opportunity Belief

     I believe that there is a need for more accurate ways for finding apartments or places to live in other than going to each place individually to talk in person or on the phone. Almost everyone is confronted with this issue at some point in their life and has to adapt and deal with it. Many people are incredibly busy and unable to make lengthy trips or phone calls to make sure information is accurate. Obviously this is nothing new as people have been searching for places to live and rent for an incredibly long time, but they always have the issue of not getting what it is they thought they were going to get. Many websites only show the model of what you will be getting. This includes the upgraded appliances and amenities, which tricks you into believing this is what you will receive. However, the reality is that you receive a downgraded version of this with much less to offer. My thought on this is that a service can, and should, be created to show and confirm that you will be receiving what it is you believe you are receiving without physically visiting. I do understand that this isn't the easiest task to complete but it is a necessary one. There are resources available today for people looking to do this but each one has its flaws. Online reviews can be a great way of checking what you have seen but many are skewed by bias or anger and don't provide wholly factual information. I am about 75 percent sure that a product to simplify this search is needed.
   
      Interview #1: Male student living in apartment 20 years old

• Have you personally searched for an apartment or living space?

         "Yes I have and it was a difficult experience."

• What methods did you us to find your living arrangements?

           "I went to numerous locations myself after finding one online and getting suggestions from the places I visited."

• What did you find problematic through this searching process?

           "The fact that I had to visit every place in person. It took to much time and information varied from place to place which was very confusing."

• When did you first realize that your way of searching was inconvenient?

           "I realized that things could have been more simple and enjoyable pretty early on. After my second visit I realized that information was conflicting and becoming more confusing."

• How are you currently addressing this issue?

          " I am currently living in an apartment so nothing currently, but if I ever have to do it again I will be using online resources and physical visits, even though they are inconvenient."

• If there was a website or service that provided accurate and up to date information how would you feel about using it?

          "I would love to use it if it means I don't have to go to the physical location myself and spend hours looking for the actual price."

Reflection: There happen to be some people who prefer going to the physical location in order to hear details from a person in order to make sure things won't switch down the road. However, they agree that having to go from place to place is a sizable time commitment.

Interview #2: 19 year old male currently searching for an apartment.

• Have you personally searched for an apartment or living space?

      "Yes. I am currently searching for a place to live in Gainesville."

• What methods did you us to find your living arrangements?

           "I looked online extensively and eventually decided where I was going to live."

• What did you find problematic through this searching process?

           "The prices and room types and amenities did not match what I had seen online and they were not negotiable. They told me that the price had changed and I had simply not acted soon enough. I also had to deal with the fact that I had only really seen models of what the apartment was supposed to loo like, not what it actually looked like.'

• When did you first realize that your way of searching was inconvenient?

           "I realized that my search was inconvenient when I arrived at my apartment complex and found that many thing were different from what I was expecting to receive."

• How are you currently addressing this issue?

          "I am currently having to deal with my living situations but I am looking online and calling various locations trying to find a new place to live once my lease expires. I am not going off of what I find online anymore."

• If there was a website or service that provided accurate and up to date information how would you feel about using it?

          "I wish there was a website like that out there. It would have saved me a lot of trouble and arguments with people. I visited so many websites promising that their information was accurate, but rarely was it as accurate as I needed it to be.

Reflection: It seems that my website/ product would be of more use to those that are primarily doing their research online. This shows because some people prefer physical interactions and believe them to be the most trustworthy and simply wouldn't trust an online resources as much.

 

Interview #3: 22 year old male looking for a new apartment.

• Have you personally searched for an apartment or living space?

          "Yes I have. I currently live in Gainesville. The search itself was a rough one."

• What methods did you us to find your living arrangements?

           "I used the internet to narrow down my options and then visited each one."

• What did you find problematic through this searching process?

            " I found that some of my search data and what was told to me at the physical location didn't match up. It made it difficult to make a choice between the options I had preciously decided on." 

• When did you first realize that your way of searching was inconvenient?

           "After my first visit I was a little confused when certain key details didn't match up with the information I had already collected. After my second visit I realized that my research was not going to as reliable as I thought it should have been and should have been. I was surprised by the similarities of the discrepancies as I continued to visit." 

• How are you currently addressing this issue?

           "I am once again searching for an apartment but this time I am simply using my online research as merely a guideline, not as a permanent fact."

• If there was a website or service that provided accurate and up to date information how would you feel about using it?

          "I would want to make sure that it actually is what you say it would be because I have been promised that time and time again, but none of them ever deliver. Also I would still go in person to check and make sure that everything still matches, which would kind of defeat the purpose."

Reflection: People seem a little more closed off from the idea seeing as they have already had bad experiences with other products that would be considered similar and don't hold up their promises. However, people would still be willing to try the product with hope that it will be better than the others they have already tried.

Summary: I do still truly believe that my opportunity is still there. Through my interviews I have seen that people may not be as optimistic or accepting of the idea whether it be due to personal preference or bad experiences with similar products, which does limit my customer base by a bit. I do believe that my new opportunity is more accurate after talking to some people that would be possible customers. It helped me realize that there would need to be something that would make my product stand out more in order for it to be a viable option for people. It also helped me realized that there are some people that just wouldn't be interested as they are more trusting of physical interactions. Overall I do believe that entrepreneurs need to adjust their opportunities based on customer feedback. It is essential that you listen to potential customers in order to help as many people as possible and to evolve the idea to greater heights.