7A Testing the Hypothesis

The opportunity I have decided to pursue is the issue of finding a safe place for you items when going out to a night club or any type of party event (corporate gatherings, DJ sets, small concerts).

-       The Who: people who go out to night clubs, Dj sets, venues, etc…

-       The What: people losing important items such as cell phones, credit/debit cards, wallets, cash, jewelry simply because they carry it in their hands or pockets while being in large and loud crowds.

-       The Why: not having a safe, compact space to put their belongings while they are out enjoying their time.

-       Testing the Who: I believe this problem does exist, especially for college students that go out in college towns. This of course could extend to other people who enjoy going out but hate carrying everything they need in their hands while trying to dance and make the most out of their night without losing anything important

-       Testing the What: this need can apply to those who are willing to put their items in a small, compact locker that the user themselves sets a code for that is valid for 24 hours.

-       Testing the Why: many may think about the possibility of forgetting your items once you leave the venue. But that is why there is a 24-hour code in place, giving the consumer a chance to come back and get their items back. The lockers are also code protected, meaning unless somebody else other than you knows that specific code, then there is no chance of breaking in.

Interview #1: The person I spoke to for this first interview is a bouncer at a local nightclub/bar here in Gainesville. I specifically asked what are things they find on the floor, at the bar or in bathrooms once people leave and the club is closed. He said the main things are cards (credit or debit) and cell phones. I also asked what is the chance of the person coming back the next day to see if their stuff is still there. He said that usually people don’t even bother coming back the next morning/day because they assume that their stuff was probably stolen and that chance of them getting it back or finding it is probably slim to none.

Interview #2: The person in this second interview is a party-planner in Toronto, Canada. She mainly plans events at venues for her husband who is a DJ, but here and there she does get hired to plan birthday parties or company events. I asked her about the idea of the small compact lockers, and she thought it was pretty valid. She expressed to me how people feel uncomfortable leaving their things on tables or in open-areas because they fear it getting stolen. She also expressed that she notices that carrying around a purse or phone or wallet in your hand can be rather aggravating when trying to mingle or dance in a crowd. Her main concern with this idea would be how much space the unit would take up, considering the fact that different venues have different square footages and this could cause the damper on the overall look and aesthetic of the event. Not to mention if the venue itself is rather small, it could be an inconvenience for people when trying to get around.

Interview #3: The person for this third interview is a bartender down in South Florida. Interestingly, she mostly talked about how aggravated customers come up to her several times throughout the night complaining that their drink spilled. She noted that she herself observed this happening on several occasions due to the fact that the persons hands may be full with other items, and they are barely capable of holding their drink, especially in large and chaotic crowd of people dancing. She thinks that if people were to have less or no items in their hands, the possibility of spilling drinks would lessen and people would not get aggravated.

Interview #4: For this interview, I asked a friend of mine that’s a  DJ who is based in Toronto, Canada how he feels about this idea. He expressed his understanding of the idea, but was also worried about the fact that phones are something people would not have with then during his sets. He expressed how a lot of his marketing and advertising comes from his fans and listeners who are recording and posting as he is performing. This itself is a huge (and free)  platform for him because this gets more people to show up to his gigs. Although the user doesn’t have to put anything they don’t want to in the compartment, a lot of the idea is based around people losing one essential item: for example their phones. The user only puts what they feel is necessary to put in.

Interview #5: The final interview was with a former manager who rents out venues. He mentioned that an aftermath from some events are people directly contacting him and asking if any of their items might have been retrieved from him. He finds this frustrating because he is not one who plans or in charge of events, he simply rents them out to people who plan the events. He agreed that is there was a place for people to store their things, this would limit the amount of items lost, and he would receive less phone calls with angry people that only waste his time.

I learned that there are definitely pros and cons to this opportunity. The pros being that the idea itself is pretty convenient for the user, as well as giving the user a sense of security while they are out. And they can also enjoy their time more and not worry about their things getting lost or stolen. I also learned that there are cons to this as well; how big each unit can be depending on the venue, whether or not clubs are willing to charge for it, as well as take responsibility in the case that something does happen. But overall, the people I talked to who are familiar in this field do see an opportunity with this need, and it could in fact benefit consumers when they are out.