The need is a heating station on the UF campus so that students who bring a lunch to school can heat it up and enjoy it. This will save them money because they will not have to buy a lunch; it will also save them time because they will not have to wait in a lunch line.
Staff, professors, and students who have a dining card. The staff and professors have access to microwaves in their break rooms or offices while students with dining cards can hit up the cafeterias if they're hungry. These groups would be the outside the boundary of this need.
What is the point where the identified need differs from another need?
The main need here has to do with convenience, being more financially responsible, making healthier decisions, and hunger! I think the point where this need differs from another need is when a person asks themselves if they're hungry and the answer is no.
Why: is the underlying cause of the outsiders' need different than people who are inside the boundary?
The underlying cause of the outsiders' need is simply access. This is the reason the outsiders' will not need access to a heating station. They already have access to hot food whether it's from the cafeteria or because they already have access to a microwave in their break rooms.
Inside the Boundary
Who is in: Students who are keen on saving money, making healthier decisions when it comes to food, and students who prefer to eat a hot meal rather than a bag of chips for lunch.
What the need is: Access to a heating station in multiple areas on campus.
Why the need exists: Students get hungry between classes or study sessions and often want to eat a hot meal but not at the expense of travelling over a mile to the other side of campus to wait in a long line and eat food that is not healthful.
Outside the Boundary
Who is not: Staff and students who have a meal plan.
What the need is not: The group mentioned above do not need this heating station because they either already paid for their meals in advance or have access to a heating station in their break room.
Alternative explanations: Some people prefer to snack instead of eat a lunch, aren't on campus all day, or already have this need met in another way.
Hey Rana, I think your findings were great insight on the outsiders for your opportunity. I did not even think of break rooms as an already solution for some people. Another similar solution is club rooms who have microwaves and fridges. I personally think that these stations would be used more than snack food vending machines around campus because of the warm and filling aspect of the food you can make at these stations.
ReplyDeleteHey Rana, great post. I completely agree with who you feel are both inside and outside your boundary. Most staff would not find it necessary to use heating stations, because I don't think most professors are worried about budgeting through the use of frozen foods. Students who wish to save money however, are definitely likely to use your product as a healthy alternative.
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