4A – Forming An Opportunity Belief

Scooter Opportunity

              There is an unmet need for scooter drivers when driving in cold weather and rain. These drivers need clothing that will protect them from these weather conditions. At UF, a large portion of students drive scooters to get around campus easily. However, when it rains, it is impossible to stay dry and keep their school stuff dry as well and everything gets drenched. This is an issue as many students carry expensive electronics and can get sick if they get too wet. Additionally, when the temperature drops below 60 degrees, it gets dangerously cold, especially at night. This makes scooting unbearable, even when wearing 4 sweaters at once. All scooter users have this unmet need, as there is no fixed solution to driving in the cold or rain since nothing really works perfectly yet. This need has always existed as it has been raining and been cold long before scooters ever existed. Right now, people try to bundle up when driving in the cold, but it is still unbearable as the sharp wind cuts right through sweaters and it is hard to keep your feet, face, and head warm when it is freezing outside. Also, when it rains, people try wearing rain jackets but their faces still get wet and it is almost impossible to see when the rain is hitting your face. Students' belongings get drenched as their is no protection for them, so current solutions are not good enough. Being an avid scooter driver myself, I can confidently say that this problem has a 75% chance of opportunity.

#1: Freshman male college student who owns and drives a scooter mildly.

• Have you ever had trouble driving your scooter in the rain? 

            "I don't really drive in the rain so I'm not sure, I just Uber usually if its raining."

• What about when driving when it's really cold at night? Can you describe how that is too? 

            "I don't drive when its cold. Usually it's cold at night and I'll walk or Uber or bus."

• Have you tried some solutions to remedy these issues?

            "Basically that I don't ride my scoot is my solution."

• And do you feel that these solutions are satisfactory?

             "Yea, it works for me. Like I don't rely on my scoot as my only way of getting around"

• Do you feel like this is a recurring need and you need a quick fix all the time or just sometimes?

             "I mean if there was a solution to make it easier to drive in rain or when it's cold, than I would for sure use it, but right now I kind of just find another way of getting around."

• How long have you felt this has been a problem/you have needed a solution for this?

             "Ever since I got a scooter I only used it to get to class during the day. If it is raining or cold I will bus or walk, which is annoying but it's better than getting wet or being cold."

• Would you prefer if there was an all-in-one body suit that would protect your entire body (and belongings) from harsh weather like rain and cold weather? Let's imagine that they are trendy and everyone is wearing them.

             "That would be pretty cool. Not gonna lie if that actually existed I'd probably wear one and start using my scooter more just because of the convenience."

#2: Senior female college student who owns and drives a scooter regularly.

• Have you ever had trouble driving your scooter in the rain? 

           "Yea for sure, whenever I try driving in the rain I just get super soaked and it's not fun. Now I don't even bother trying to scoot when it's raining because like I don't wanna ruin my stuff and also it's just really not fun being drenched in water. Plus my shoes always get ruined it sucks. It's also really dangerous to drive in the rain because the roads are slippery, like most people don't even bother ever scooting in the rain since you can barely see and risk being in an accident."

• What about when driving when it's really cold at night? Can you describe how that is too? 

             "Oh god that's pretty awful too haha. Okay so when I try scooting during the day, the sun really helps but at night, like, all bets are off. I'll layer up and put on like 4 sweaters and long socks, and I am STILL cold! Like how? Also my hands literally get frozen after awhile and I can't feel my face. It's really bad. I try using the buses or walking if it's super cold because scooting in freezing weather is just not fun."

• Have you tried some solutions to remedy these issues?

           "When it rains I wear a rain jacket to help, but I try to never scoot unless I need to in the rain. For cold weather, I try layering up like I said before."

• And do you feel that these solutions are satisfactory?

            "Well my rain jacket hoody never stays on my head because of the wind from moving and my entire head gets drenched and my hair gets ruined. All doing that does is keep my shirt underneath my jacket dry. My pants, shoes, and everything in my backpack get drenched too. But I honestly find this okay because it prevents me from scooting in the rain. Whenever I try layering up, even though it is better than nothing, I am still pretty cold and my entire body feels frozen. So clearly none of my remedies have worked very well."

• Do you feel like this is a recurring need and you need a quick fix all the time or just sometimes?

           "Well that depends how often its raining or it's cold outside. I guess we are in Gainesville so it rains a lot and super randomly, so I would say I need a fix for all the time because I need to be ready at any moment. I'd drive in the rain if it was super light and there was a good solution."

• How long have you felt this has been a problem/you have needed a solution for this?

           "Since the first time I experienced driving in a downpour or the first time I tried scooting at night in November."

• Would you prefer if there was an all-in-one body suit that would protect your entire body (and belongings) from harsh weather like rain and cold weather? Let's imagine that they are trendy and everyone is wearing them.

           "If there was actually a full body suit, I think it would take getting use to but i would definitely be in. For someone that doesn't have a car and a need to get around, being able to use my scoot in bad weather would be suer helpful and I'd definitely buy one if other people were wearing them."

#3: Adult non-college person who owns and drives a scooter outside of Gainesville.

• Have you ever had trouble driving your scooter in the rain? 

            "Oh I wouldn't know. It is way to dangerous to drive when the roads are wet."

• What about when driving when it's really cold at night? Can you describe how that is too? 

            "Well we live in Wisconsin so when it gets cold out we put our scooters inside till it warms up. There is no riding our scooters when the temperature is below freezing!"

• Have you tried some solutions to remedy these issues?

            "I have tried buying proper winter clothing to wear while riding in the winter, but it is just too cold to drive a scooter when it gets too cold. As for the rain, it's better to be safe than sorry."

• And do you feel that these solutions are satisfactory?

             "Yes. I have a car so I am able to get around just fine."

• Do you feel like this is a recurring need and you need a quick fix all the time or just sometimes?

             "I usually have my car, so that is always my quick fix."

• How long have you felt this has been a problem/you have needed a solution for this?

             "When buying scooters I knew what I was getting myself into, and I decided when I bought it that I wouldn't ride it in the rain. As for the cold, it would be nice to be able to ride it, but if there was a way to not get cold."

• Would you prefer if there was an all-in-one body suit that would protect your entire body (and belongings) from harsh weather like rain and cold weather? Let's imagine that they are trendy and everyone is wearing them.

             "Something like that would be perfect for my husband and I! We still wouldn't ride it in the rain, but if we could keep warm, we would definitely use our scooters more in the winter time."

Reflection: I learned that my opportunity exists because there is a real problem for scooter drivers when driving under harsh weather conditions. My opportunity obviously is pretty hard to find a good solution for, because many students have tried to make fixes but they do not work completely. One student tries to brave the harsh weather with small remedies that don't do the job, while the others just avoid driving their scooters completely. Even my proposed idea has some questionable parts because students may worry about fashion/how they look when driving. The most surprising thing I learned about my opportunity was that most students don't even bother driving in the rain/cold because of the danger of slippery roads, not being able to see, or for the fear of freezing. But maybe if came up with a good solution, students would start driving in the rain/cold more and using their scooter more, after all it is an expensive machine.

Summary: My original opportunity has slightly changed from being focused on aiding scooter drivers so they can drive in the rain and cold, to being more focused on enabling drivers to be able to drive in just cold weather. From my interviews, I learned that being able to drive in cold weather was something each person would be willing to do if there was a solution. However, even if there was a solution to keep drivers dry while driving in rain, many drivers still would not drive because of the dangers associated with it. Many accidents occur during thunderstorms, so I have learned that I would not want to promote drivers, especially scooter drivers, to drive in the rain. This would just increase the number of drivers on the road and increase the risk of an accident occurring, which I do not want. I believe that this change in my goal is more accurate/efficient that my previous one, as it considers others safety. I feel that entrepreneurs definitely need to hear their customers out and consider their opinions. After listening to their customers, they should then decide how big an issue their concern is and if modifying an idea will help further development of their opportunity. Customer feedback can be a great thing, after all they are your customers and are using your product, so entrepreneurs should definitely listen to them, but be selective in the changes they make to their ideas.