Understanding Customers, Creating Solutions for Customers
"Customers are our priority."
Introduction
The past few weeks of February were a rollercoaster ride. Through interviews, the team was able to identify the rampant problems that CMU students had. These prompted the group to have a vision of startup businesses primarily in printing services or in developing a sustainable product for university litters. Nonetheless, the team first suggested the “Tabang” website intervention during the presentation of venture proposals to alleviate the significant student concern of inadequate allowances. Upon taking into account the panel's feedback, the team has firmly decided to switch to a different venture.
In this time and age, the face-to-face conduct of classes has continued. Students from different locations have opted to avail a boarding house or a dormitory for their needed accommodation as they enroll themselves in Central Mindanao University. Despite the comfort of the provided accommodation, the team took the initiative to assess some residents for timely and relevant concerns that they are currently experiencing.
With the team’s passionate attempt of brainstorming ideas from the gathered responses, an idea for another startup business emerged. It is a generated idea of a product that, as a group, we have believed and thought as much more specific, more practical and feasible to venture for the renting students at Central Mindanao University. Upon the conduct of the brainstorming session among the members of this group, we have envisioned paying attention to the prevalent mosquito issue in boarding houses and some college dormitories, as the interviewed renting students at this prestigious university claimed this to be a recurring matter that they experience during their stay.
Body
EMPATHY MAP
To validate the to-be-proposed product from our target market, the team has endeavored to conduct another face-to-face interview among the renting students at the university. Prior to the interview, we have hypothesized that all residents in the dormitories and boarding residences around the university experience mosquito-related issues. Another hypothesis made by the team is that all boarding student residents are willing to avail the mosquito trapper product that the group will propose. In addition, the group also formed a hypothesis that incorporating citronella oil in the product would help in attracting more mosquitoes.
Guenivere Sanchez interviewed her board mate. PHOTOGRAPHED BY A FRIEND
The team was able to have a conversation with 28 boarding students who concurred that there is a prevailing existence of mosquitoes in dorms and some boarding residences, which is such a distraction for their studying and most significantly at risk, their health. In line with this, 2 students, particularly from the Mahogany dormitory, hesitated to be potential customers since they do not have frequent encounters with mosquitoes, given that their dormitory windows are enclosed with mesh screens. Nevertheless, 26 of the interviewees, mostly coming from the College Park and Field 1 Residence, have given the affirmation of interest and willingness in purchasing the product as long as it is affordable and true to its claims.
Althea Eve Halina interviewed her board mate. PHOTOGRAPHED BY A FRIEND
Kristine Claire Mancia interviewed boarders from College Park. PHOTOGRAPHED BY GUENIVERE G. SANHCEZ
Lawrence Pekitpekit & Wilmark Tillano interviewed a student from Mahogany dormitory. PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOSHUA DELA RAMA
As a result, the team has agreed to push and propose a model that will not use fire and will not emit smoke. It will be a portable, rechargeable mosquito trapper through its suction-capability. The display of a red-orange hue light that researches have tested to be effective in attracting mosquitoes will be its prime feature. The device will attract mosquitoes, which will then be captured for the product’s tray to die. The team also thought of an option in associating the mosquito trapper with a solar power panel to make use of the renewable energy from the sun in times of recharging. Indeed, this will make the product become sustainable, compared to when electricity is the only main source of power. In addition, it is crucial to consider that "katol" may be powerful in eliminating these mosquitoes, however, it is not permitted to be used inside the dorms or boarding residences because once it is left unattended, it could start a fire.
Our previous venture proposal has made us realize that in starting a startup, we should consider different factors. The team should focus on one specific issue that we want to address. Our previous proposal was quite broad and general, therefore we should be more specific. Secondly, we should consider our own limitations and capabilities as students. We discovered that as students, we are constrained and incapable of providing as much because creating something is expensive, and we are not yet competent to do so. Hence, the team must always bear in mind that we need to come up with a startup, which is a rich idea that something small yet scalable at the same time.
Conclusion
We made the difficult decision to make a total change to our proposal, but if we had stuck with our original plan, we might have had even more trouble because it was more complex—or, as I like to put it, almost impossible to implement.
This week, I discovered that in order to be aware of the issues that the majority of people are facing, we need to be more attentive and observant of our surroundings. Using the Empathy Map Guide, I have learned that, to develop a solution that would work for the target market, we also need to put ourselves in the shoes of the users or those who were in the circumstances. About the project idea, the target market's views and concerns are what actually counts; thus, we need to make it possible for them. But before we can construct anything, we need to validate because validation is hard, but building a product that no one would want is harder.
It is also important to include the questions, is the proposal approach solving the pain point? Is the language clear? Is there enough technical detail? and others.
In addition, I've come to understand that lacking the commitment that is necessary to succeed at whatever you need to do will have a significant negative impact on you. Truly, it will be difficult for you to know what to do next.