Opportunity Belief

I have a belief that the opportunity exists to create a product to counter the struggle of forgetting to charge your phone at night. There is an unmet need for a device to automatically charge your phone without plugging it in specifically when you forget to do so. Many people have this need as a majority of people in the United Sates have a cellular device now a days, and sometimes we forget to plug the phone into the charger. Whether we fall asleep with our phone, leave it else where in the house, or even if a charger is not accessible. Although this need is somewhat new, with the growing population of phone users the need is becoming greater. There are many different types of charges on the market today, such as wired, wireless, and even cases that charge your phone. I am fairly certain that this opportunity exists, although my idea involves implementing old technology with new ideas. That is having a phone case that charges via solar power, but automatically when the battery is low, the light conditions are dim, and the phone is not plugged in. The case would be charged via solar power throughout the day and the battery would only be used in these conditions, or unless otherwise turned on by the user. The prototypical customer is every phone user who has come across this problem, but I believe it is largely a problem for college students, those who have either stayed up late studying and pass out, or those who party hard and just forget to plug their phone in due to their circumstances.

Interviews:

Late-night studying student: The nature of the need for those who stay up late studying often include needing to charge their phone, but forgetting and not having enough time to charge it before class. They become aware of the need only after it has occurred multiple times, but it does not occur often. They have not thought about the need too much because they are fairly consistent in charging their phone, so they do not necessarily have the need. They first became aware of it when they feel asleep doing math homework while listening to music on their phone. They are not currently addressing the need, as the need arises only after they have found the problem that their phone is about to die or is already dead. They believe that the solution is a decent idea although the problem does not occur enough for them to consider the solution given.

Party student: The nature of the need for those who stay up late partying included wanting to have a charged phone for the day, but not having it charged when leaving the house. They become aware of the need when they wake up slightly inebriated, and their phone isn't charged. They have thought about it a few times the morning after, and the problem irritates them, but not enough for it to be a serious problem. They first became aware of it when they pass out after a long night and grab their phone in the morning to check the time.They do not address the need they just, "deal with it." They think the solution is a cool idea, but wonder how costly and effective it would be.

Average student: The nature of the need for those who are the average student is that sometimes the are watching YouTube or Netflix and fall asleep. They become aware of the need after it has happened a few times, but it only happens sometimes. They have not thought about the need because it is not a priority. They first became aware of it when they fell asleep with their phone. They do not address the need because it is difficult to predict the event. They believe that the solution would work, but it is not overly useful.

I would say that little of my original opportunity is still their because the need is not always apparent and the idea is only somewhat useful. Yes, I believe my new opportunity is more accurate than my original. I think entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback, because the opportunity for a product or business in only there if the customer has the need and thinks the product is worth buying.