For this assignment I used local newspapers to find local problems.
Title: UF's Sailing Team's Equipment Damaged by High Winds
Link: https://www.alligator.org/news/uf-sailing-team-s-equipment-damaged-by-high-winds/article_dbe2b252-42d6-11ea-ba7b-6741d053fad8.html
Description: This story was about how the UF sailing team had their equipment destroyed. The season was just starting and now they have no means of practicing for their competition. The damages are going to cost $100,000 and they will have to raise the money through alumni, GoFundMe, and selling T-Shirts.
Problem: There are two main problems in the story. One problem was the boats were not protected enough from the wind. Another problem is that the team will now need to raise a lot of money to be able to practice again.
Who it Affects: This affects the sailing team as well as the alumni who will feel compelled to donate money.
Title: Future of Gainesville Lucky's Market Remains Unclear
Link: https://www.alligator.org/news/future-of-gainesville-lucky-s-market-remains-unclear/article_158d3cc4-426f-11ea-9004-cffc3a103c6e.html
Description: This article is about a super market that is going out of business in Gainesville. It talked about how the many employees in the store do not know what their futures hold and are unsure if the supermarket will be bought by another company.
Problem: The employees do not know if they will have a job.
Who it Affects: This affects the employees of Lucky's but it also affects the people of Gainesville who used Lucky's as a supermarket. There is now an opportunity for another company to come in and deliver to Lucky's former customers.
Title: Satchel's Pizza Donates to Grace Marketplace
Link: https://www.alligator.org/news/satchel-s-pizza-donates-to-grace-marketplace/article_e95ba228-3ed9-11ea-9b28-7fa56ae22f1f.html
Description: This article described an act of kindness from one of the town's most popular pizza places. Satchel's pizza donated a portion of its profits to an organization dedicated to providing housing to the homeless.
Problem: The problem is that Grace's marketplace has lost funding from the county. Although it is still supported by the town, they need more money to help the homeless.
Who it Affects: This affects the homeless population in Gainesville which is quite high. Without funding for Grace's marketplace, there would be a lot more homeless people on the streets which would not be good for the rest of the town.
Title: Gainesville Set to Become First U.S. City with Self-Driving Buses on Public Roads
Link: https://www.wuft.org/news/2020/01/30/gainesville-set-to-become-first-u-s-city-with-self-driving-buses-on-public-roads/
Description: At first I had to make sure this was a real article, but according to WUFT there will soon be self driving busses in downtown Gainesville. The article describes how the town of Gainesville received this technology and how they are testing it to ensure maximum safety.
Problem: This is a problem because it will disrupt Gainesville's public transportation system.
Who it Affects: This can be a major problem to the RTS bus company, as there will now be competition in the public transportation industry. This is also a problem for Gainesville residents and students because many people do not trust self-driving cars.
Title: Motel Fire Caused By Cigarette Lit in Bed
Link: https://www.gainesville.com/news/20200114/motel-fire-caused-by-cigarette-lit-in-bed-investigators-say
Description: This article is about a fire in Gainesville that started because someone fell asleep while smoking a cigarette. He also had oxygen tanks in the room, which increased the chance of the fire starting.
Problem: This is a problem because the fire caused damages and injuries.
Who it Affects: This affects the motel because they have to repair their building. This is also a problem for the person who started the fire because he had injuries.
Friday, January 31, 2020
4A- Forming an Opportunity Belief
1. I believe there is a need for old people to have a better and safer way of doing tasks like lifting heavy objects or reaching for the top shelf without the fear of injuring themselves. One opportunity may be to create a service where people can come to the elderly person's home and help with these small tasks.
2. This is a need for older people who are not in good shape to do needed tasks around the house that they are physically unable to do. This need has always existed. To meet this need now, older people hire a full time aid which is expensive and a lot of times unnecessary. They also avoid certain tasks like landscaping or cleaning because they are not in the physical shape to do so. Lastly, older people have to ask their family or neighbors to help them out.
3. The prototypical customer is an elderly person (70+) who struggles to live on his/her own but does not want to move in with family or live in a nursing home.
4a. The first person I interviewed was my grandmother who is 77 years old.
What is the exact nature of the need?
Answer: A lot of times I have to lift heavy things in my house and I am scared to do so without getting hurt.
When do you become aware of the need, do you experience the need all the time or only sometimes?
Answer: I mainly become aware when I am cleaning and need to put things away on a high shelf or when I bring in bottles of water.
How long have you had the need?
Answer: Not too long. Me and my husband are starting to age so we are starting to notice little things around the house that are needed but are unsafe for us to do.
When did you first become aware of the need?
Answer: A year or two ago when I would buy packages of water bottles and was unable to lift them to bring them into the house.
How are you currently addressing the need?
Answer: I ask family members to come help me out. They show me how to use my iPhone and smart TV as well as help me move furniture that I can't do on my own.
How satisfied are you with the solution?
Answer: It is not the best solution because I have to wait for my family members to be available to come over and help out.
4b. The second person I interviewed is an 87 year old women named Alice who lives by herself.
What is the exact nature of the need?
Answer: I spend the majority of my time at home which often leads to me cleaning up the house and doing difficult chores that were easy when I was younger.
When do you become aware of the need, do you experience the need all the time or only sometimes?
Answer: I become aware especially when doing yard work. I like to keep my lawn looking nice so I have to lift heavy bags of mulch which often leaves me very sore for the next few days.
How long have you had the need?
Answer: A few years.
When did you first become aware of the need?
Answer: I was chopping firewood and I was thinking to myself that I can get seriously hurt doing this, but I need to do it if I want to have fire in my fireplace over winter.
How are you currently addressing the need?
Answer: I complete most tasks by myself which puts me in danger, but I don't mind. When I really need help I call my son, but he lives 45 minutes away so it is inconvenient for him to come all the way here just to help me lift something.
How satisfied are you with the solution?
Answer: Not completely satisfied, but I do not think it is a big deal. It is part of life when you are older to physically struggle with simple tasks.
4c. The last person I interviewed was my great Aunt Florence who is 95 and lives on her own.
What is the exact nature of the need?
Answer: I am very old and can't do a lot of things by myself.
When do you become aware of the need, do you experience the need all the time or only sometimes?
Answer: Pretty much all the time. It is very hard for me to cook or to pick something up when I drop it.
How long have you had the need?
Answer: I have been old for awhile now so around 10 years I have struggled living on my own, but it beats the alternative of living in a nursing home.
When did you first become aware of the need?
Answer: I could not lift any of the heavy things in my house, which you do not think of as a big problem until you are unable to do it.
How are you currently addressing the need?
Answer: I call my family, but most of them live far away so I neglect activities like gardening and even getting the mail on cold and icy days because I am scared that I will fall.
How satisfied are you with the solution?
Answer: Not satisfied but I do not see an alternative.
5. Reflection: I learned a lot by talking to these three elderly women. Living on your own, especially when in old age, can be very frustrating and dangerous. The most surprising thing is that they all seem to be okay with it. It is not ideal that they can't do all the tasks they need to, but there does not seem to be an alternative. I learned that there definitely is a need, but a solution to the problem will be difficult to figure out.
6. Summary: My original opportunity is still there because the three people I spoke to are frustrated with how they have to live their life. Always in fear that if they lift that heavy box, they can break their back and nobody will be there to help them. I believe I now have a better understanding of the opportunity. This population needs people to come to their house to complete simple tasks, but they are not at the point where they need a full time aid. I think entrepreneurs need to take customer feedback into account. This way they can see flaws in their vision that they had not noticed before. It is also important to not agree with all customer feedback, as there are many types of customers out there and they do not all have the same preferences.
2. This is a need for older people who are not in good shape to do needed tasks around the house that they are physically unable to do. This need has always existed. To meet this need now, older people hire a full time aid which is expensive and a lot of times unnecessary. They also avoid certain tasks like landscaping or cleaning because they are not in the physical shape to do so. Lastly, older people have to ask their family or neighbors to help them out.
3. The prototypical customer is an elderly person (70+) who struggles to live on his/her own but does not want to move in with family or live in a nursing home.
4a. The first person I interviewed was my grandmother who is 77 years old.
What is the exact nature of the need?
Answer: A lot of times I have to lift heavy things in my house and I am scared to do so without getting hurt.
When do you become aware of the need, do you experience the need all the time or only sometimes?
Answer: I mainly become aware when I am cleaning and need to put things away on a high shelf or when I bring in bottles of water.
How long have you had the need?
Answer: Not too long. Me and my husband are starting to age so we are starting to notice little things around the house that are needed but are unsafe for us to do.
When did you first become aware of the need?
Answer: A year or two ago when I would buy packages of water bottles and was unable to lift them to bring them into the house.
How are you currently addressing the need?
Answer: I ask family members to come help me out. They show me how to use my iPhone and smart TV as well as help me move furniture that I can't do on my own.
How satisfied are you with the solution?
Answer: It is not the best solution because I have to wait for my family members to be available to come over and help out.
4b. The second person I interviewed is an 87 year old women named Alice who lives by herself.
What is the exact nature of the need?
Answer: I spend the majority of my time at home which often leads to me cleaning up the house and doing difficult chores that were easy when I was younger.
When do you become aware of the need, do you experience the need all the time or only sometimes?
Answer: I become aware especially when doing yard work. I like to keep my lawn looking nice so I have to lift heavy bags of mulch which often leaves me very sore for the next few days.
How long have you had the need?
Answer: A few years.
When did you first become aware of the need?
Answer: I was chopping firewood and I was thinking to myself that I can get seriously hurt doing this, but I need to do it if I want to have fire in my fireplace over winter.
How are you currently addressing the need?
Answer: I complete most tasks by myself which puts me in danger, but I don't mind. When I really need help I call my son, but he lives 45 minutes away so it is inconvenient for him to come all the way here just to help me lift something.
How satisfied are you with the solution?
Answer: Not completely satisfied, but I do not think it is a big deal. It is part of life when you are older to physically struggle with simple tasks.
4c. The last person I interviewed was my great Aunt Florence who is 95 and lives on her own.
What is the exact nature of the need?
Answer: I am very old and can't do a lot of things by myself.
When do you become aware of the need, do you experience the need all the time or only sometimes?
Answer: Pretty much all the time. It is very hard for me to cook or to pick something up when I drop it.
How long have you had the need?
Answer: I have been old for awhile now so around 10 years I have struggled living on my own, but it beats the alternative of living in a nursing home.
When did you first become aware of the need?
Answer: I could not lift any of the heavy things in my house, which you do not think of as a big problem until you are unable to do it.
How are you currently addressing the need?
Answer: I call my family, but most of them live far away so I neglect activities like gardening and even getting the mail on cold and icy days because I am scared that I will fall.
How satisfied are you with the solution?
Answer: Not satisfied but I do not see an alternative.
5. Reflection: I learned a lot by talking to these three elderly women. Living on your own, especially when in old age, can be very frustrating and dangerous. The most surprising thing is that they all seem to be okay with it. It is not ideal that they can't do all the tasks they need to, but there does not seem to be an alternative. I learned that there definitely is a need, but a solution to the problem will be difficult to figure out.
6. Summary: My original opportunity is still there because the three people I spoke to are frustrated with how they have to live their life. Always in fear that if they lift that heavy box, they can break their back and nobody will be there to help them. I believe I now have a better understanding of the opportunity. This population needs people to come to their house to complete simple tasks, but they are not at the point where they need a full time aid. I think entrepreneurs need to take customer feedback into account. This way they can see flaws in their vision that they had not noticed before. It is also important to not agree with all customer feedback, as there are many types of customers out there and they do not all have the same preferences.
3. My Entrepreneurship Story
Throughout my life I have been exposed to entrepreneurship because my parents own a small business. They are physical and occupational therapists who own a construction company that modifies homes for people with disabilities. They install a lot of stairlifts and ramps, and they also make bathrooms that are handicap assessable. Having parents as entrepreneurs has allowed me to see the benefits and disadvantages of running your own company. You can be your own boss, make the changes you think are necessary, set your own company goals, and overall make more money than if you were just an employee. However, being an entrepreneur has its down sides. It is a lot of risk, since anything that goes wrong is ultimately blamed on you. For example, if an employee is not being respectful, it might not be your fault but you as the boss take the blame and the company can be affected. You also do not have the safety of a consistent income. An employee can make a salary, when an owner needs to work hard and find new customers in order to make a living. One last downside of running your own company is that it is hard to take a mental break from work because you are worried about so many things. For example, my dad gets calls at all hours when one of his stairlifts is not working. He then has to find a way to fix the problem so his customer can get up the stairs safely. An employee does not have to worry about these problems. Overall, I believe the positives of being an entrepreneur far outweigh the negatives, however, when you become an entrepreneur you have to be aware of the risks you are taking.
I took this class because I want to run my own dental practice when I am older. I actually just got accepted into dental school on Monday. In this class I hope to learn skills that will help me think of creative ideas for my dental practice and find ways to market well to my target customers. I have always been interested in entrepreneurship and I believe this class will help me understand the field a lot better.
Friday, January 24, 2020
Bug List
Hello everyone, this is a list of 20 things that bug me. Under each bug is a reason why the bug exists.
1. People blasting their music in their cars for everyone on the road to hear, especially near my house at 3 am on a weekday.
-This exists because people like listening to loud music and want to share with the world the music they listen to.
2. Cleaning up after cooking a meal.
-This exists because cooking can be messy and it is unsanitary to have a dirty kitchen.
3. When my house has insects in it
-This exists because the house is in a wooded area.
4. Some classes have their assignments show up on the Canvas to do list and some don't.
-This exists because not every professor syncs their syllabus to canvas.
5. People who get too angry when driving.
-This exists because driving is a serious activity that can cause damage to others if done incorrectly.
6. Siri calling someone when I ask it for directions to some place.
-This exists because the technology is not as good as advertised.
7. When people bike in the middle of the road when there are sidewalks on the side with no people.
-This exists because the bikers are technically allowed to be on the road.
8. My computer always has trouble connecting to campus wifi.
-This is a technological problem.
9. Websites make you change your password and make it more complex so I forget my passwords.
-This exists because it is harder for people to steal passwords if you make it complicated
10. A waiter/waitress that disappears for 30 minutes.
-This can occur for many reasons, the person being bad at their job or they just simply forgot.
11. Exams that are scheduled for a Friday night at 8 p.m.
-I am not sure why professors do this, maybe there are not any other times to get classrooms but I find that hard to believe.
12. Explaining technology to an older person.
-This exists because it is hard for older people to learn new technology
13. Classes that make you research through scholarly articles when the information you need can be found with a simple google search.
-This exists because professors want to make sure that the information you are getting is 100 percent accurate.
14. People watching videos in public without headphones.
-Maybe people forget their headphones at home.
15. The line to get a PubSub at the Publix on 13th street is usually short but still takes forever.
-They take their time to make sure they make the perfect sandwich for everyone.
16. When the large shirt is too big, but the medium shirt is too small.
-Everyone fits into clothes differently.
17. Homeless people asking for money, especially when I give them money and then they buy cigarettes or alcohol right in front of me.
-There are many reasons why someone might be homeless and they need money to survive. Unfortunately, some spend the little money that they have on unneeded items like cigarettes.
18. There is no healthy food that is open late in Gainesville.
-Most people like eating fast food late at night instead of healthy food.
19. Exams where every question has a "None of the Above, All of the above, only B and C" option.
-Teachers try to make sure we understand the material as best as possible.
20. When my iPhone tells me the nearest gas station is in 20 miles and I pass one 1 minute later.
-The Maps app is not great at finding gas stations.
Reflection: It was not as difficult as I thought it would be to come up with the list. It was partly challenging because I tried to make it sound as though I was not complaining about other people. I tried to think of bugs that could somehow be fixed. I think writing why the bug exists is extremely helpful for thinking of potential solutions to the problem.
1. People blasting their music in their cars for everyone on the road to hear, especially near my house at 3 am on a weekday.
-This exists because people like listening to loud music and want to share with the world the music they listen to.
2. Cleaning up after cooking a meal.
-This exists because cooking can be messy and it is unsanitary to have a dirty kitchen.
3. When my house has insects in it
-This exists because the house is in a wooded area.
4. Some classes have their assignments show up on the Canvas to do list and some don't.
-This exists because not every professor syncs their syllabus to canvas.
5. People who get too angry when driving.
-This exists because driving is a serious activity that can cause damage to others if done incorrectly.
6. Siri calling someone when I ask it for directions to some place.
-This exists because the technology is not as good as advertised.
7. When people bike in the middle of the road when there are sidewalks on the side with no people.
-This exists because the bikers are technically allowed to be on the road.
8. My computer always has trouble connecting to campus wifi.
-This is a technological problem.
9. Websites make you change your password and make it more complex so I forget my passwords.
-This exists because it is harder for people to steal passwords if you make it complicated
10. A waiter/waitress that disappears for 30 minutes.
-This can occur for many reasons, the person being bad at their job or they just simply forgot.
11. Exams that are scheduled for a Friday night at 8 p.m.
-I am not sure why professors do this, maybe there are not any other times to get classrooms but I find that hard to believe.
12. Explaining technology to an older person.
-This exists because it is hard for older people to learn new technology
13. Classes that make you research through scholarly articles when the information you need can be found with a simple google search.
-This exists because professors want to make sure that the information you are getting is 100 percent accurate.
14. People watching videos in public without headphones.
-Maybe people forget their headphones at home.
15. The line to get a PubSub at the Publix on 13th street is usually short but still takes forever.
-They take their time to make sure they make the perfect sandwich for everyone.
16. When the large shirt is too big, but the medium shirt is too small.
-Everyone fits into clothes differently.
17. Homeless people asking for money, especially when I give them money and then they buy cigarettes or alcohol right in front of me.
-There are many reasons why someone might be homeless and they need money to survive. Unfortunately, some spend the little money that they have on unneeded items like cigarettes.
18. There is no healthy food that is open late in Gainesville.
-Most people like eating fast food late at night instead of healthy food.
19. Exams where every question has a "None of the Above, All of the above, only B and C" option.
-Teachers try to make sure we understand the material as best as possible.
20. When my iPhone tells me the nearest gas station is in 20 miles and I pass one 1 minute later.
-The Maps app is not great at finding gas stations.
Reflection: It was not as difficult as I thought it would be to come up with the list. It was partly challenging because I tried to make it sound as though I was not complaining about other people. I tried to think of bugs that could somehow be fixed. I think writing why the bug exists is extremely helpful for thinking of potential solutions to the problem.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
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