1.) I believe that there is an opportunity in needing to have more parking spots available for students on UF campus. UF students have difficulty finding parking spaces close to their living situations because the garages and lots contain more staff parking than student parking.
2.) Who: UF Students
What: They have difficulty finding parking spaces close to their living situations
Why: because parking garages and lots contain more staff parking than student parking
3.)There are many students who I have spoken to that have this same opinion. There are actually quite a few Red decal spots on campus. However, many of them are in the commuter lot on Gale Lemerand, far from many living situations. My current "who" of UF students are the only group that show this need. It can be a hassle when parking at certain times. At peak times either on weekends or during meals, people usually go places in their cars, freeing up many spots. This is a time when there are many available spaces so finding one is not an issue. I think that my "why" reasoning is a pretty wide spread belief for the explanation to this issue. For example, in Norman garage on 8th ave, there are two whole floors of orange staff parking spaces but only one floor for student parking. Another issue that could be a different "why" to this issue is the fact that the parking garage is simply not large enough. The garage is only three floors. It does not appear very tall. The issue of needing more spaces could be fixed by adding another one or two floors on top of the garage. The same issue can be observed with the parking lots. They are kind of small and could definitely be expanded.
4.)Interview Questions
Do you drive a car and park on campus?
Do you often have trouble finding a parking space?
If so, where do you usually park? What do you do if there are no spaces available?
Why do you think we have issues finding parking spaces?
Do you think expanding Norman garage would solve this problem?
Summary of my five interviews:
I found out that most people who do live on campus drive a car and park it here. However it is mostly the students that live in Florida. Students who do not live on campus are not allowed to park their cars on campus so that eliminates a few students from my "who". Three out of the Five people that I interviewed said that they often have trouble finding spaces, one said they sometimes do, and one said that they rarely do. I found out that some students move their cars more than others. Students with jobs or volunteer commitments off campus have a need to drive places on a daily basis. For those who do not, getting in their car to go somewhere is more of a hassle so they do not use it as often. Many students park either on Sorority Row or Fraternity Row. If there are no parking there, they try Norman garage or the small Beaty Towers parking lot. If there are no open spots, students said they would just drive around in circles until one opened up, with some driving around for as long as 45 minutes before giving up and parking in a spot for a different decal. Many of them said that they would risk getting a parking citation just so they could stop wasting their time driving around in circles. When I asked why they thought the spots are always full, they answered saying that the lots were just too small. They did not think about the staff parking taking up more space than the student parking. However, when I asked the question about Norman garage, two out of five of my interviewees brought up the fact that there is more orange decal staff parking there than red decal student parking. They all liked the idea of expanding the garage. They felt like with more levels that it could hold more cars and not make parking such a struggle.
5.)After my interviews I have seen that this is actually a good opportunity and one that I could spread to many people at UF. I learned more complex statistics and facts about the roots of why this problem exists and how it has come to be. Knowing that a large group of people share my thoughts is reassuring to know that the opportunity exists.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Thursday, September 21, 2017
6A-Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends
1.) Economic Trend-Online shopping and it's affects on local business
*I thought of this opportunity because I had heard about TOYS-R-US earlier this week. I have always loved shopping in stores but have recently become accustomed to just ordering things online. I often order clothes online and have to send them back because their either do not look good or do not fit. This is an issue I would resolve if I just went to the store in person. I think that a lot of other people would see this as an opportunity as well because our generation has not always had this readily available Internet. We used to have to go to the store to buy many items so we have had an experience with in person shopping.
a. I love shopping and I know that in the recent year, online shopping has become a major hub, almost even replacing store fronts. http://wwlp.com/2017/09/20/online-shopping-could-mean-bad-business-for-retail-shops-in-5-years/
b. The opportunity here exists in the need to re-vamp in person shopping. Last week, the major children's toy store chain TOYS-R-US filed for bankruptcy. Online websites such as amazon are just taking out the need for in person stores. People are lazy and would rather just have the item arrive at their door. There is an opportunity to bring back the experience of shopping in store.
c. The prototypical customers are younger people who have grown up in this age of constant technology.
d. I think that this would be a difficult opportunity to resolve. I am not exactly sure how to appeal to the younger generations and get them to realize the joy in in-person shopping.
2.)Regulatory Change-Chattanooga stormwater regulatory changes trigger flood of concerns
a. I found this article by looking up current regulatory changes in the news section of google. I then read a few articles to find one that had an opportunity described in it.
b. The opportunity addressed here is the strict rules set by the city of Chattanooga when it comes to stormwater runoff. Chattanooga is one of the only towns in Tennessee that has a standard above the statewide mandate. The problem here is that the strict rules for how much water a building retains in expensive and a hassle to residents and builders in the area. There is an opportunity for reducing it to a more likely level.
c. The customers with the opportunity are people building homes in the area.
d. I think this is an easy opportunity to exploit because the rules are very strict in the area. There are many other areas where they are not as strict so they can model them after those.
*I saw this opportunity because it is something that should be addressed after all of the recent storms we have had. Flooding and stormwater runoff is something that has been seen all over the country recently due to natural disasters. This is why I saw the opportunity. I think that others would see this article and think of the same opportunity.
3.)Regulatory Change-FDA implements changes to nutrition labels on food packaging
a.I was looking at recent law changes and came across this. This seemed interesting and I knew that there are many opportunities when it comes to health and relates issues. https://www.medicalnewsbulletin.com/fda-changes-nutrition-facts-label-food-packaging/
b. I believe an opportunity exists in fixing the false information presented on food labels. Many people are mislead when reading labels and this creates many issues. This allows food companies to hide the amounts and ingredients in their products. They are changing the daily recommended values which will in turn change the amounts listed.
c. The prototypical customer for this would be anybody who buys food products or cares about the ingredients or amounts in their foods.
d. Ideally this would be an easy opportunity to fix. However, we have had our old labels for so long that it could be costly and inefficient to change them now. This could also end up hurting the market for many processed foods.
*I saw this opportunity because I had heard about this from one of my friends in a nutrition class. I think that others would see this as an opportunity because many of us have heard about the hidden secrets of food labeling. However there are some people who I think would not really see this as an opportunity because they are set in the old ways and do not think that food labels would need to be changed.
4.)Economic Trend-Sen. Friedman testifies in support of $15 minimum wage
a. In Massachusetts, they are trying to pass a bill to make the minimum wage $15. This was something I saw while looking through recent news. I decided it would be interesting to read this article.http://arlington.wickedlocal.com/news/20170921/sen-friedman-testifies-in-support-of-15-minimum-wage
b.The opportunity here is vast. A larger minimum wage would mean greater benefits for many people. More young people would be more inclined to get jobs and be able to sustain themselves.
c.The prototypical customers are everybody who would get an low paying beginning job that would pay minimum wage.
d.I think that passing this bill would be a great opportunity. I do though think that getting this bill to pass will be difficult to do. So far there is a lot of support behind it but I could see how this could hurt the economy.
*I think that this is an opportunity many people would see. Minimum wage is a very sensitive subject especially here in Florida because it is so low. Many people have to work multiple jobs just to sustain life. There is a big need for larger pays.
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
5A-Identifying Local Opportunities
Article #1
UF football, soccer and volleyball teams rework
weekend schedule
Description: The
Florida gators football game was scheduled for Saturday, September 9th
at 7:30PM. With the impending storm, Hurricane Irma the University decided to
move the game back to 12 PM instead. This would allow the visiting team to be
able to fly out of Gainesville on Saturday night before the storm hits. The
football team typically spends the night before a home game in a local hotel
but decided to forego this opportunity for this game in order to free up rooms
for visitors or others evacuating from South Florida. The soccer team has a
game on Friday night at 7:30 but has cancelled their home game on Sunday. The
volleyball team has opted to keep their game on Friday at 5 PM as well but to
reduce it to a lone head to head match instead of the originally intended two
day event.
Problem: The
problem is that the hurricane is messing up the schedules of multiple sports
teams. Due to the danger of flying opposing teams to Gainesville, the university
is considering cancelling or moving back the games for the weekend.
Who has the problem:
Directly this problem affects the Florida gators teams and their opponents.
Indirectly this is a problem that affects many people. Fans of the sports teams
are sad and unable to watch their teams play. Moving the times creates a
problem for fans who may be traveling to come watch the games
Article #2
How to Get Money If You Don't Have Flood Insurance
Description: With the recent events of the two hurricanes,
people are considering the flooding of their homes. Only 12% of homeowners nationwide have flood
insurance. This is unfortunate because
home insurance does not cover to replace damage done by flooding. For those
individuals who do not have insurance, the government may be able to help with
the costs of the damage through small grants and low cost loans. This money is
not as good as insurance but is better than nothing.
Problem: The
problem here is that not all homeowners have flood insurance. This creates an
issue for them when natural disasters occur where flooding can happen.
Who has the problem:
The people who have this problem are local middle class citizens. People who
have this problem are folks who likely don’t live near large water sources and don’t
consider flooding a serious threat.
Article #3
Dr. Elaine Heffner: Confusing behavior
Description: Dr
Heffner spoke to a concerned mother about her three year old soon. His school
was worried about his behavior and where he should be placed in school for the
next year. The boy seemed deteached from peers and disinterested in activities
of the classroom. The mother has seen this occur and knows how to overcome
these issues at home. She is worried that she cannot help her son with this
while he is at school though. The mother questions if this behavior could
really inhibit her son’s ability to succeed in the classroom.
Problem: The problem here is that the son has social issues
and the school thinks that these are too significant to allow him to be in a
higher level class setting. This problem though could be a sign of a
developmental deficit.
Who has the problem:
The person who has the problem in this article is the three year old boy. He is
not incompetent in any way, he just seems to have some issues in group
settings. This is a common occurrence for many children in schools as well.
Article #4
Irma sends 1,800 to shelters, shuts off power for
thousands
Description:
Hurricane Irma came through Gainesville Sunday night. Before the storm actually
hit though Police officers went around to shelters and facilities make sure
everything was going okay. The rain was strong and the winds were decent,
causing some areas to lose power early in the afternoon. Many creeks rushed and
flooded as well. A shelter for special needs evacuees reached its capacity at
175 early in the weekend. Many animal shelters were also filled during this
time. About 1,800 people and 300 pets were sheltered in local Gainesville
shelters. The shelters on the UF campus were also full. By mid Sunday afternoon
5,500 residents were without power.
Problem: The
residents of Gainesville are loosing power and are unsafe in their homes. They
need somewhere to evacuate to. The problem is that finding an available shelter
is tough.
Who has the problem:
The residents of Gainesville and individuals who have evacuated from South
Florida to Gainesville.
Article #5
Ask Brianna: What's the Best Way to Track My
Spending?
Description: Many
people have a hard time understanding their expenses. Brianna McGurran, a
writer for the Gainesville Sun gives her advice on how to manage spending. She
says that you have to scrutinize your habits and know what you are spending the
money on. Tracking expenses, including utility bills and meals out for at least
a month. Budgeting apps and using debit cards will keep an automatic and
digital record of your spending. Grouping your spending into categories is also
a good method to identify what areas you are spending a high amount in.
Problem:
Overspending and not recognizing your budget. Many people do not realize how
much they spend on a monthly basis and then realize that they are out of money.
The problem stems from a lack of realizing how to properly set up and track a
budget.
Who has this problem:
Many Americans, typically students who have recently graduated from college and
are starting off their own lives.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
4A-Forming an Opportunity Belief
1.) I believe
that there is an opportunity on this campus when it comes to finding power outlets
in the libraries.
2.) The University
of Florida is a very computer driven school and most students require a laptop to
complete their assignments or study information presented by the professor.
There are numerous libraries around campus, leading to ample space for every
students to have room to study. Being the difficult school that it is, UF
material requires students to sit in the library for hours at a time. Most
computer batteries will not last this long. It is a hassle to have to walk
around and search for an outlet and there is likely not a seat close enough to
an available one. I believe this need has become a lot larger in the past few
years as UF has become more and more reliant on technology. They have had more
classes available online recently than before, creating a larger demand for
laptop and outlet use. To meet this need
now, the university is trying to create more study spaces and attempting to renovate
current study spaces. Students are filing complaints and demands for more
outlets to be installed in libraries as well. I am sure this opportunity exists
because I, as a student, have been in many situations at libraries where I
needed an outlet that was not available and ended up having to go home in order
to charge my laptop.
3.) The ideal
prototypical customer is a student who uses computers often.
Iteration #1: Amanda
Baker, a junior Biology major
When I first
approached Amanda and brought up this opportunity, she was very eager to tell
me her thoughts. Amanda does not take very many online classes because most of
the classes required for her major are live lectures. However, the difficulty
of her classes and exams require her to study often. She loves the UF libraries
because she can focus there and get a lot of work done. When she is studying
for exams, she requires the use of her computer. Amanda opted to purchase the
online version of her chemistry textbook so she needs her laptop in order to read
the chapters and do the end of chapter problem sets. She became aware of the
issue during her freshman year. She spent long nights in the library and was
unable to find an outlet. She did tell me, however, that the issue of finding
available outlets is only really apparent at night time. She credits this to
people still having battery life during the days and realizing they need to
plug in later at night. To try to combat this issue, Amanda will only study at
the libraries at night and stay home, where she has outlets, during the day.
She has also filed a request with the Marston Science Library help desk to put
more outlets on the 5th floor.
Reflection:
I learned that this is a real opportunity. Prior to speaking
to Amanda, I did not think about the fact that even students without online
classes use computers often and have issues with finding outlets to charge
their computers. As our society becomes more technology based and ecologically
friendly, online textbooks have increased in popularity. It is also easier on a
student because they do not have to carry a heavy textbook all the easy to the library.
Iteration #2: Isabella
Bond, a freshman computer science major.
I thought this would be an interesting interview because
freshman have not been on this campus very long and have probably not
experienced this issue. Isabella told me that she has only been to two
libraries on UF campus, Marston Science Library and Library West. She feels
that the outlet issue is a bigger problem in Marston than in Library West. At
Library West though, the issue is more of lack of seating than lack of outlets.
Each table has outlets installed on it so as long as you can get a table, you
can get an outlet. She feels that there is just no good solution as to where to
study due to this issue. Since she is a new student, she doesn’t really know
how to solve this issue. She instead just hopes for the best when looking for
an outlet and leaves the library when her computer dies.
Reflection:
Isabella taught me that the opportunity is double sided. The
lack of seating in Library West enhances the issue of the lack of outlets. In most
libraries there is solely a lack of power outlets near desks. In other
libraries, the issue is not only just the lack of available outlets, but
instead available seating.
Iteration #3: Savannah
Nelson, a Junior, double major, aspiring physician.
Savannah is very serious when it comes to her school work.
She has to balance a lot between research, volunteering, and studying. Like
many other students, Savannah uses her computer to read PowerPoints posted by
her professors. However, she has many lab classes that use an online electronic
lab notebook instead of a paper one. Her research labs use similar methods. So
for this reason, the use of her computer happens pretty much all day long.
Savannah also told me that she has a computer with a very short battery life.
When she was a freshman, she tried to go to the libraries on campus but found
the lack of outlets to be a big turn off. Instead, Savannah began to study in
her dorm room and has been doing so ever since. She does not use the libraries
on campus because she simply cannot carry out her work without plugging in her
computer. Savannah said, “I don’t have a lot of time to waste since I am so
busy. Walking around the library in circles until I find an open power outlet
is not a good use of my time.” It is very unfortunate that she cannot utilize a
campus resource the way she would like to because of this small issue.
Reflection:
I think that this interview was very eye opening. It is
unfair that some students, like Savannah, just have to give up on the library
system because of the lack of outlets. When I thought about it though, it is
unfortunately true. I know I have walked around for 30 minutes or more waiting
for somebody to get up and leave an outlet or searching slowly floor by floor
for one. I never realized that it could prevent students from visiting libraries
all together though. This shows that the opportunity really does exist here.
4.) Summary
My opinion of this opportunity is still solid. However,
talking to fellow students did change my mind on some aspects of it. The
problem is lack of outlets in libraries. This problem is a big issue. Many
students all say that this is probably the most annoying part about going to
the library. I do believe that my opportunity is more accurate then when I
started. I knew that is was a problem but I did not realize the extent of it.
It is such an issue that it even causes some people to not visit the libraries
all together. This is also an opportunity that can be fixed. It will be costly
but the University could install more outlets at desks throughout many of the
libraries present at UF. I think the biggest need for this is the Marston
Science Library and the Norman Education Library. I think that entrepreneurs should
adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback to a certain extent. If
they truly believe that an opportunity exists, then they should be passionate
about it and develop it more. However, when talking to customers, they should
take into account what they say and maybe mold their ideas for their opportunity
based on what the customers say.
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