For my product concept, the customer segment that I have identified and researched is female college students. My prototypical customer would be an 18-year-old female college student who is a freshman here at the University of Florida. She lives in Florida and has grown up with a loving and supporting family who are excited to see her begin her college journey. She is very excited to start university life, meet new friends, and enjoy the social nightlife that Gainesville has to offer. She is very active and social, putting herself out there to meet new people and make new friends.
She does not have her own car since she lives on campus, however she relies on the “reliable” RTS transportation to go around campus. Living at Broward Hall has allowed her to meet new friends as she socializes with her floor-mates and enjoys the wonderful food at Broward Dining. Going out to mid-town is a regular occurrence as the weekend nears and that provides ample opportunity to relieve some stress and have a good time.
Prior to university life, she would enjoy going out to parties with her friends and engage in drinking and partying. However, now that she is far away from home, the bar/club scene is very new to her and she is still trying to get the hang of it. She grew up in a protective and safe environment, so being surrounded with strangers partying/drinking is definitely a new experience for her. When she is not socializing and partying at mid, she prefers to binge-watch new Netflix shows after completing her school work, such as the Office or Gossip Girl. Excited about her future at UF, she realizes that she must take advantage of her time here and make the most out of every opportunity that is presented to her.
What do I have in common with the customer avatar?
o When looking at the customer avatar, I would say that we are similar in how we view university life. I tend to drift towards the social aspect of college so going out is definitely a part of that experience. Taking advantage of different clubs and organizations is also something that I do to meet new people and make new connections. I also don’t have a car on campus, so I do a lot of walking/riding the bus.
I don’t think it is a coincidence.
o When looking at the things I have in common with the customer avatar, I don’t think there is a coincidence with the similarities. I think that the prototypical customer for my product would likely be one that is social and does like to go out, making them more vulnerable leaving the bar/club since it is dark, they are likely “buzzed” or drunk, and they may not be with a whole lot of people leaving. While I, myself, do not think I would likely be a victim of an abduction/sexual assault, I do think it’s possible since I do leave myself vulnerable at times and I think that just by being very socially active, you tend to put yourself in a lot of new opportunities/experiences that lead to your guard being lowered and of course this leads to an increased risk of something potentially negative happening.
