15 - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No.2

Interviews: I chose to have my interviews with three students from the University of Florida. Two second years and one third year.

Begin with alternative evaluation: When I asked my interviewees to name an alternate product to a eco-friendly face mask, they couldn't think of any, or they thought that face masks were already eco-friendly/ recyclable. they weren't able to think of another face mask that was eco-friendly, but more interesting was their inability to think of any name brand of a face mask. They thought of either "the cloth face masks", the "flimsy plastic ones" (most disposable face masks look very similar), or N95 masks (which they recognized from the news and other sources because of their reported shortage at the start of the pandemic).

How/where do they buy: When thinking about possible place to buy a mask, my interviewees all thought of any "higher quality" face mask from Amazon. They weren't able to name a brand of face masks though, which I thought was interesting. However, they though of Amazon because buying a mask online is much safer than going out to buy a mask. Also because Amazon has such a large selection of face masks, they think they would be able to find at least one alternative.

Post-purchase evaluation: My interviewees told me that the most important qualities to a face mask would be that they are: Comfortable, easy to breathe in, not too heavy/ bulky, the material, how it looks (style), and its safety. They cared the most about the products ability to protect from airborne viruses, then they cared about how comfortable it was, if it pulled on their ears too hard or if it was too bulky. They also cared about how it looked, interestingly. One the interviewees told me that sometimes they coordinate outfits with their face mask in mind.

Report your findings: My segment of students that wear a face mask when they go out in in public was very informative on their priorities when they browse and buy a face mask. Personally, I feel I am a part of the segment that I interviewed, so I also feel very similar to the information I got from these interviews. The most obvious market place to buy anything currently is Amazon and E-bay, this is because they are well known market places with a large selection of face masks for sale. Out of all the aspects of a face mask that I got from my interviews, the most prevalent and obvious was the ability for a face mask to be protective and safe.

Conclusion: What I learned was that people cannot immediately think of a name brand for face masks, which I thought was interesting. Building a brand would be a huge task that I don't think is feasible with my resources right now. Nor do I think that starting a brand in the middle of a pandemic and recession is a great business decision. But I definitely think there is a need and desire for a face mask that is recognizable, unique, and protective.

14 - Halfway Reflection

1) Tenaciousness is a competency. What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course? 

A behavior I have adapted and started to use is forcing myself to make uncomfortable decisions and ask people for help more. it has helped me get and conduct interviews. Faking self-confidence, in a way, is still some form of self-confidence I guess. 

2) Tenaciousness is also about attitude. Talk about a moment or two when you felt like "giving up." What pulled you through? Do you feel like you've developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months? What experience or experiences most contributed to this?

A moment I felt like giving up was one of the first assignment with interviews. I hadn't been that comfortable with asking people for help with interviews so I normally I didn't think that I'd be able to succeed in a course that frequently has you ask people for interviews. In reality, I was able to pull through from the fear of getting bad grades. I think I developed a little of a tenacious attitude when I got a lot of compliments from family and friends about my ideas and opportunity beliefs. 

3) Three tips. What are three tips you would offer next semester's student about (1) fostering the skills that support tenacity and (2) developing the 'tenacious mindset' ?

1. That things will work out given effort and tenacity. 
2. Put aside more time to think about your own values and problems, they may apply to more people than you think.
3. Don't quit after a single Google search. Keep researching!

12 - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No.1

Target Segment:
For this segment, I chose to interview three other UF students that are employed for this summer. I had the opportunity to interview them over the phone since we are following social distancing. I chose employed college students since they have to come into contact with other people while they work, thus they use face masks. Which is the situation and place where I want my product to be implemented.

Summary of Interviews:
The students I interviewed thought the product believed that I had a great opportunity for people interested in eco-friendly options. In my interviews, when I asked them what they should do when they dispose of their face masks, they answered that they throw them out. Then I asked if they thought that it was wasteful, and they answered that they did. When I told them where they would look for information about eco-friendly options for face masks, they said they they look on google. They also thought that there would be a large amount of students interested since many college students they know like to reuse and recycle many of their goods. However, the other student I interviewed believe that instead of buying a eco-friendly disposable mask, students would more likely buy a cloth mask that they could use whenever they went out. I also had criticism that if people knowingly bought eco-friendly disposable face masks, they wouldn't feel as bad if they littered them. I had to explain to them that making the face masks biodegradable would help if the masks were accidentally dropped of fell off, in comparison to a plastic face mask that would break down.

Conclusion of Interviews:
Overall, the three students I interviewed were helpful and hopeful about the opportunity. But they were skeptical about the message the product was trying to send. They thought the idea of  recyclable disposable mask is a little contradictory to its purpose. That instead, people would use cloth masks to in their day to day, due to a cloth mask's comfort-ability and overall better quality. I might have to rethink my opportunity and look for better options for an eco-friendly face mask.

11 - Idea Napkin No.1

You) I am a second year Computer Science student at the University of Florida. I have skills in programming, coding, web design, augmented reality, customer service, and public relations. Most of my customer and public relation skills come from my experience as an intern at the Museum of Discovery and Science, where I worked closely with executives to create a mobile app experience for the museum. My business concept is the development of eco-friendly face masks. Often times on the news or online, I see articles about how face masks are becoming a problem for the environment since people have been improperly discarding them.

What are you offering to your customers?) I am offering my customers the peace of mind that the product they use to keep themselves safe is also safe for the environment. The product I have in mind is a biodegradable/ recyclable face mask. I see my product similar to a service, in the sense that peoples' carbon footprint can be reduced.

Who are you offering it to?) I am offering this product to people who care about the health and well being of themselves, friends, strangers, and the planet.  All my customers have the need and desire to protect themselves from germs and disease that can be prevented from a face mask.

Why do they care?) Customers would care because normal disposable face masks can harm the environment, especially beaches and the ocean. Face masks, if dumped in the sea (where a lot of them end up) are harmful to sea turtles, who confuse them with jelly fish.

What are your core competencies?) I have technical skills as well as relational skills that I believe that if used together in a creative way, can create interest and need for my product. I think that I can use the experience I have from web design and combine it with my customer service skills to make a website,

    Even though I want to believe that all five of my elements fit together, I have to expect that they don't so I can prepare for that possibility. I think that maybe the element of my audience and customer base, can sometimes differ from the element of "Why do they care". I think this because sometimes all a customer is interested in is protecting themselves and others from sickness, so if they can buy more quantity of other face masks, they won't care if they are eco-friendly or not. So I believe that in conjunction to developing the masks, I need to also market them as eco-friendly and worth more than disposable masks.

9 - Testing a Hypothesis, Part 2

Inside the Boundary:	Outside the Boundary:
Who is in:           Environmentally cautious people           People who wear face masks           People who recycle	Who is Not:           People who will throw away their face masks after a single use           People who wear masks for fashion
What the Need is:           Reduce waste and pollution           Protective face mask	What the Need is Not:           Fashionable face mask           A disposable face mask
Why the need exists:           Mass produced face masks must be            disposed of after single use           Lack of knowledge of what is/isn’t            recyclable	Alternative Explanations:           It might be safer to dispose of face masks after a single use.

Who: My hypothesis is that prototypical customers will be interested in a product that is environmentally safe and protective. However there are certain people that will be interested in the protective aspects of a recyclable mask, but will not care about the environmentally friendly aspect of it. This is because there are already many people polluting by dumping disposable face masks.

What: The need I identified, a recyclable face mask, differs from the need for a compost-able face mask that deteriorates in the environment faster than plastic. Both needs are environmentally friendly and protective, but are different in that recyclable face masks are meant to be recycled rather than dumped.

Why: Outsiders' needs differ from the needs of the Insiders' because the insiders want both a protective face mask as well as it being recyclable. Outsiders' will care only about the functionality or fashion of the mask.

The data I received from interviews backs up my idea that people are interested in a face mask made from recyclable materials. People are becoming aware of the issue that face masks are being dumped into the ocean and environment alarmingly fast due to their high usage. However, I did hear concerns about the safety of a recyclable face mask, since they can still hold onto viruses after they are disposed of.

8 Solving The Problem

The Problem
A problem/ opportunity I discussed in a previous post that I'd like to follow up on is the issue of improper disposal of surgical face masks. A lot of people have been either disposing face masks incorrectly, trying to recycle them, or people have just tossed them, littering. Face masks are made of a material called polypropylene, a thermoplastic polymer. Despite being a plastic and seeming like they can be recycled, face masks are meant to be disposed of after single usage. I believe that in this shortage of supplies, and the ecological harm caused from single use face masks, developing a mask made from recyclable materials can be beneficial to both the environment and humans.

The Solution
Finding a solution to this problem is difficult. Changing the material of face masks to something recyclable is not an option. The material face masks are made from have been scientifically engineered to be safe, replacing polypropylene would endanger health care workers and others who rely on masks. A more realistic solution would be creating a way to sanitize face masks quickly and cheaply. This is possible by using a powerful ultra-violet light in conjunction with a fan to dry any droplets left on the masks.