4A Forming An Opportunity Belief

Beginning Point and Belief

     I have a belief that an opportunity exists in the fashion industry. I believe there is an unmet need in regards to people who struggle to pick outfits when getting dressed up to go out anywhere. This need has been an existing need that applies to teenagers and adults. I feel that more specifically applies to teenagers starting at age 13 to adults ending in the 60s. I see this as an opportunity for an app to be made that helps people pick combinations of clothes that go well together from their closet and allows them to see virtually how it would look on them. Usually, when I wake up in the morning it is such a struggle for me to figure out what I want to wear for the day or when going out somewhere. I have to take time to pick pieces that go together from my closet and even more time to try on different outfits to see if they work. I know I am not the only person who experiences this and that this belief applies to many others in the world. Whenever I go out with my friends one of their main comments mentions how hard it was to pick out an outfit. To meet this need now, people either hire a personal stylist, pick out their outfits in advance, or get inspiration from magazines and social medial. I am around 65% sure an opportunity exists.

Prototypical Customer

     The prototypical customer is someone who struggles with picking out outfits and is looking for a solution to fix this problem.

     I wanted to get different perspectives, so there will be three prototypical customers: two customers who have identified this as an unmet need--one looking for a solution and one who is not, as well as, one customer who doesn’t think of it as his unmet need but still would like the solution.

  

Iteration 1-3: 

Prototypical customer #1 – Kalysia Wynn, Sophomore @ University of Florida 

1. When you get up for school/work/going out what is your biggest struggle when getting ready?

• My struggle for getting ready to go out is that it is hard to pick out clothes and finding something decent to wear.

2. Do you ever struggle with picking out outfits every day? If you do, how often? 

•  Yes, I struggle with picking out outfits every day, literally.

3. Is your decision of going to places/events/classes ever influenced by knowing what not to wear? And, does it ever make you late?

• Yes, my decision about not going somewhere is influenced by not knowing what to wear. Yes, it makes me late.

4. If you know you struggle with putting together outfits, what are some things you do to help you be prepared for the next day? 

• I lay out my clothes the night before so that I can just get ready in the morning without having to pick out clothes.

5. Do you like those solution(s), you just listed in question 4. If not, what do you wish was created/implemented to make finding an outfit easier?

• Yes, I like those solutions. But I also wish that an app was created to help pick out my style of outfits so that I could narrow my options down.

Prototypical customer #2 – Yalani Gayle, Freshman @ University of South Florida

1. When you get up for school/work/going out what is your biggest struggle when getting ready?

• When getting ready my biggest struggle is trying to figure out what to wear.

2. Do you ever struggle with picking out outfits every day? If you do, how often?

•  Yes, I struggle with picking outfits almost every day literally.

3. Is your decision of going to places/events/classes ever influenced by knowing what not to wear? And, does it ever make you late?

•  My decision is almost always affected by what I’m wearing. If I don’t feel confident in what I’m wearing I won’t want to go out. I’m usually late because it took me forever to find something

4. If you know you struggle with putting together outfits, what are some things you do to help you be prepared for the next day? 

• For me to be prepared, I picture outfits out in my head and just lay them out the night before so I can just slip them on when I wake up.

5. Do you like those solution(s), you just listed in question 4. If not, what do you wish was created/implemented to make finding an outfit easier?

• I like the solution I chose in question 4. It best suits me.

Prototypical customer #3 – Reginald Robinson, Junior @ Xavier University Of Louisiana

1. When you get up for school/work/going out what is your biggest struggle when getting ready?

• Getting out of bed

2. Do you ever struggle with picking out outfits every day? If you do, how often?

• Nah

3. Is your decision of going to places/events/classes ever influenced by knowing what not to wear? And, does it ever make you late?

• Yes, if I don’t find anything I stay home. Yes, sometimes.

4. If you know you struggle with putting together outfits, what are some things you do to help you be prepared for the next day?

•  I would hang them after washing, so there won’t be any wrinkles. If it is wrinkled, it is not considered to be worn that day lol.

5. Do you like those solution(s), you just listed in question 4. If not, what do you wish was created/implemented to make finding an outfit easier?

• Nah. Something to organize what to put together. Like a stylist in the app.

Reflection:

     I learned that my observation was correct about other people having a daily struggle of getting dressed. The most surprising thing that I learned is that people have come up with a solution to try to fix this need or looked into a solution, but are not pleased with their solution and are still looking for supplemental solutions. However, I feel that three customers are not enough feedback because of mixed comments on the dire need for a new solution amongst existing solutions. I think in the future, more individuals will need to be interviewed. 

     From customer #1, I gathered that this an important need that needs to be addressed and fixed. They do have a solution to this problem, but the solution is not satisfying and they are looking for an alternative solution if any. Customer #2 interview showed me that this also is an important unmet need for them. However, they do not need a solution for this need because of an existing solution which kind of discourages my opportunity belief. Lastly, customer #3 made me realize that some people are aware of this struggle and need, but this struggle is not that important. Even though this need may be small, they would still like a solution to help. 

Summary: 

     I think the opportunity is there, however, I’m not completely sure of how many people care to find a new solution, when some solutions already exist. I would move my percentage to about 50% opportunity still existing. I believe my opportunity is more accurate than when I started because I had other’s feedback/experience to rely on rather than mine only. These interviews can shape my opportunity to specifically target the unmet need and come up with an effective solution. I believe entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities based on feedback. If you are creating a product that does not follow feedback, people will not buy the product. Customers like to be heard and want to buy products that incorporate their feedback and fixes their problems. Even if the product is not the ideal solution, feedback will help you shape your product into something that people will want to buy. As a tip though, I believe all feedback should be taken into consideration, but all of it shouldn’t be implemented. You should still try to continue to stay true to the original purpose and meet customer’s feedback to a 75% - 25% relationship.