13A - Reading Reflection No. 1

For this assignment, I read “Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future” by Ashlee Vance. Here are my thoughts:

1)    You read about an entrepreneur:

·      What surprised you the most?

o   I think what surprised me the most about Elon Musk was just about his childhood and growing up. Before reading his biography, I knew of Elon Musk and his many successes, however I was unaware of how he came to be one of the most influential entrepreneurs of our generation. I did not expect Musk to have grown up in poverty from the age of 10 after his parents divorced and his mom was left working 5 jobs to support their family. Not only was he exposed to poverty at a young age, but Elon was actually bullied as a child. I think that when many people think of these successful entrepreneurs, they fail to realize that they are actual people too who have experienced many of the same hardships that we have experienced and that was what really surprised and spoke to me.

·      What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

o   I think what I most admire about Elon Musk is his determination and work ethic. After his parents divorced at the age of 10 and his mom was left working 5 jobs to take care of the family, Elon took an interest in learning how to program. I think that seeing his mom work hard to take care of his family really pushed him to work even harder to become successful. The biography depicts Musk as a self-starter that motivated himself intrinsically to continue to improve himself and learn new skills and I think that is something we all can learn from.

·      What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

o   I think what I least admire about Elon Musk after reading his biography is just the way that he can be described treating the people who work for his companies. As an entrepreneur with large visions and aspirations, it can be easy to see how Elon Musk can demand a lot out of the people that work for his companies and the book dives into that describing the high-pressure work environments that employees are placed into. I can see some truth in those statements as the book also mentions some of Musk’s past controversies surrounding remarks made to the media and questionable decisions made in running Tesla and SpaceX. It becomes clear after reading this that Musk is very passionate about his work and his companies, but perhaps the passion can sometimes go too far and cause him to make some harsh remarks/decisions.

·      Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

o   Elon Musk has definitely encountered adversity and failure in many parts of his life. Growing up, he battled adversity within a single-parent home dealing with poverty as well as getting bullied at school. Fast forward to his experiences creating Tesla and SpaceX and he faced many financial difficulties in funding both of his companies. The book describes how he was able to save both of his companies during the economic recession through obtaining financing for Tesla the day before he was supposed to meet payroll, while also securing a government contract with SpaceX that allowed him to keep both of his companies above water. I think what has allowed Musk to face and overcome adversity is his work ethic and determination. Musk continues to work hard in improving his companies and somehow transforms the pressure/stress he faces into fuel to address and overcome these obstacles. Even now, Tesla and SpaceX have yet to become overly “successful” as both companies have dealt with financial issues, however Musk has continued to grind and work on his projects to provide his “babies” the opportunity to blow up and become big-time successes.

2)    What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?

·      The competencies I noticed that Elon Musk exhibited had to be hard-work, self-motivation, and drive to become successful. Throughout the biography, Musk radiates ambition and drive and I think that can be seen specifically through all of his ventures. Even after becoming successful with Zip2 and PayPal, Musk still continued on his pursuit towards success by remaining ambitious and driven. This led him to continue his entrepreneurial path with Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity, and the Boring Company. The diversity within the companies he has created truly reflects how ambitious Elon Musk has been and the visionary mindset that he has been able to utilize to become this successful. No matter what obstacles are thrown in his way, Musk continues to work hard and overcome all of these hurdles as well as those who have doubted his works.

3)    Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

·      There was not really any part of the reading that was confusing to me, however near the end where it began to discuss in more detail Musk’s ventures the author began to utilize more jargon to describe the technical aspects of SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity. This made it a little bit difficult understanding what was being talked about as I do not have much background knowledge within the industrial technology sector. Fortunately, I was able to decipher what was being stated through the help of Google and figure out what exactly these technical challenges were that these companies are facing.

4)    If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

·      The first question I would ask Elon Musk is: “What would you have done if you were unable to secure the financing for Tesla?”. I think that this is an interesting question because he was just able to save Tesla in the nick of time, but you just can’t help but wonder what would’ve happened to Elon had he not been able to do that. Maybe he would have invested all of his time into making SpaceX successful or started a new company that could’ve blown up in popularity. The second question I would ask Elon Musk is: “Where do you see yourself within the next 10-15 years?”. Currently, Musk is 48 years old and it would be interesting to hear if he has any future plans to create new companies or if he is content solely working on his projects at hand. In addition to that, it would be interesting to hear where he sees his companies within 10-15 years and if he has any doubts/concerns about the futures of any of his companies.

5)    For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur’s opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

·      I think Musk’s opinion of hard-work is to just do anything to get the job done. Musk has been pretty vocal about his work-ethic and the fact that he never takes vacations. Musk’s persistence and dedication is what has allowed him to become so successful and I think if you were to ask him what his opinion of hard work is, he would state that it is a necessity in becoming successful. You have to be able to push yourself, without the help of others, and really push hard in times of stress/pressure if you really want to overcome obstacles and get the job done. I do share this opinion because I think that if you really want something bad enough, you have to continue to put work in to obtain the output you want. Musk consistently works hard and continues to improve himself and I think that he sets a great example for what is necessary to become successful as an entrepreneur.

12A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

Choosing a segment:

            For this assignment, I chose a segment of female college students here at the University of Florida. I chose this segment because of the increasing emphasis on the growing sexual assault rates in the country and because of the whole protesting going on surrounding the lack of blue lights on Fraternity Row. I think this segment will give me valuable insight as to when their need is most common and why it exists. When focusing on this particular segment, I still wanted to make sure I was able to interview students in different situations. The first female UF student that I decided to interview is a 3^rd year student involved in a sorority on campus and enjoys going out often. The second interviewee is a 2^nd year student who is not involved in any “greek life” on campus, however she also enjoys going out often. Finally, the last individual that I chose to interview is another female UF student who is a freshman and is not involved in any “greek life” and does not go out too often.

Need Awareness:

            After identifying that all of my interviewees had the same need (concerns over personal safety), I had to figure out when this need was most prevalent. From all 3 of my interviews, I was able to confirm that this need was most salient at night. When it gets dark, all three interviewees agreed that is when they feel the most unsafe, especially if they are alone or coming back from the bars by themselves. Specific situations that they all mentioned collectively included: coming back from midtown/downtown by themselves, coming back from the gym at night by themselves, being at home by themselves, and even just riding an Uber back home late at night by themselves. The common theme within all of their situations was the fact that they were alone and that it was at night. This led me to asking how they combat these situations and what they do when they are in them and the consensus answer was that they always want to stay in a group and that being in a group makes them feel less vulnerable.

Information Search:

            When asked about what each interviewee does when they become aware of the need, there were some differing answers. Both the first and second interviewee who go out often agreed that they would try and walk in well-lit areas and try to stay around other groups of people that are also living the bars around the same time. Another solution they attempt to find for the problem is just having their phone in-hand and making sure they can call someone if something does not feel right. The problem with this solution, however, is that the phone batteries often end up dead by the time they leave the bars so if something were to happen, the phone is not always the best solution. The third interviewee who does not go out often stated that if she feels unsafe, she will usually call someone she knows that lives nearby. If an incident were to escalate, she stated that she would not hesitate to call the police and would try to shelter herself in her room. Overall, the consensus answer to the solution seemed to try and use the cell phone first, but to also make sure they aren’t putting themselves more at risk by walking in dark or sketchy areas by themselves.

Findings:

            From conducting these interviews, I was able to now identify specific instances and situations for when my need arises. I already had a belief that the need sparked from being alone and that would only be made worse during the night time when it is dark. While the specific instances and situations did not surprise me, I was a bit surprised and intrigued about my findings from the information search. I hadn’t really thought too hard about what individuals do when faced with the problem and the responses about the individual’s cell phone battery was a bit interesting. As the need primarily arises during the nighttime, it can be easy to forget about the battery of cell phones and why that could make them an ineffective solution when placed into one of these dangerous situations. If victims are placed into a dangerous or uncomfortable situation and cannot rely on their cell phone to call for help, this can place them in an even more dangerous predicament. I think that the concept I have created could actually become more effective than originally anticipated just because there aren’t many other solutions to the problem being offered and none as reliable as my concept could be.

Conclusion:

            Based on what I know and have learned now about this particular segment, I can describe this group as being aware of the problem and actively looking for a solution. With increasing media coverage on cases of sexual assault and abductions, specifically on college campuses, I think that this has created a growing sense of self-awareness of the issue and made this particular segment more inclined to find a solution. When faced with the issue, this segment appeared to have gone through various solutions to attempt to solve their problem and this shows that they all are concerned about the issue and are actively looking for ways to address it.

11A - Idea Napkin No.1

1)    Who you are. What your talents are. What your skills and experiences are. Also: what are your aspirations? Specifically regarding your business concept, how do you see this business (if you were to start it) playing a role in your life?

o   My name is Javier Chacon and I am a 3^rd year Finance major here at the University of Florida. I have a talent in data analysis that I have been able to continue to build through running my own online business. Through running my own online business, I have been able to further develop my statistical analysis skills, as well as communication, teamwork, leadership, and marketing skills. I aspire to create a product/business that directly has a positive impact on people and solves a significant problem in society. If I were to start up this business, I could see it playing a significant role in my life as my concept is something that addresses a pretty serious issue in society today. My past experience operating my own business has further ignited my passion for innovation and I hope to be able to utilize that to make something that can help people today.

2)    What are you offering to customers? Describe the product or service (in other words, how you'll solve customers' unmet needs). 

o   I am offering to consumers a product that will offer additional protection and peace-of-mind in regards to their personal safety. My concept was to create clothing accessories, such as bracelets, necklaces, and rings as well as potentially “distress buttons” that can be placed into typical clothing, with the technological capacity to send live location to authorities/emergency contacts in times of crisis. Similar to the Life Alert, my product aims to provide an additional safety blanket to consumers which is directly aimed at reducing abduction and sexual assault rates in the world today. Sexual assault/abduction rates have continued to become more prevalent in our world today and one of the biggest issues with these crimes is locating the victims. My product helps solve consumer’s unmet needs by providing them with a tool that could help keep them out of dangerous situations and potentially save their lives when placed into a critical situation.

3)    Who are you offering it to? Describe, in as much detail as possible, the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your customers. Think especially of this question: what do your customers all have in common? 

o   I am offering my product primarily to young/middle-aged women and families, although some men may also be interested in purchasing my product. I chose to target young/middle-age women because I was able to identify from my interviews that their specific demographic segment seemed to often feel unsafe when alone and are often targets of sexual assault/abduction crimes. I chose to target families as well because children are often victims of abductions and kidnappings and I think parents will have incentive to purchase this product in order to keep their children safe from danger. Men may have some incentive to purchase this product to keep their significant other safe as well. All of my target customers have one thing in common: concerns over personal safety. Women and children are often the targets of the crimes that I am trying to address which is why they are the primary consumers I am going after.

4)    Why do they care? Your solution is only valuable insofar as customers believe its valuable to them. Here, explain why customers will actually pay you money to use your product or service. 

o   The individuals that I have identified as my target market would care because my product directly addresses their personal safety. My product provides consumers with an additional layer of protection if they are placed in a dangerous situation and could potentially be the difference between tragedy/miracle. Customers will pay money to use my product because, again, it provides them with an additional layer of security and addresses any personal safety concerns. My product does not completely eliminate the risk of abduction or sexual assault, however if an individual is placed in one of those situations, I believe my product will give them a greater chance of surviving and remaining healthy as the distress signal on my product will alert authorities/emergency contacts as to their live location resulting in faster response times.

5)    What are your core competencies? What sets you apart from everyone else? Also: what do you have that nobody else has?  

o   After conducting interviews with an audience composed of a wide range of demographics, I have come to realize that there is a growing concern surrounding personal safety as a result of an increase in sexual assault/abduction rates. As far as I am aware, there are a few other competitors within this industry. What sets me apart is that my product sends live location to authorities/emergency contacts which helps reduce response times in these emergencies, while my competitor’s products are simply elementary containing a high pitch alarm or pepper spray. There are currently ZERO products that send live location to authorities and emergency contacts, and I believe this is a critical piece in creating a product to help protect people. Obviously, these products have not been marketed correctly or function properly, as seen by an increase in sexual assault/abduction crime within the United States. I have connections with individuals with engineering/computer science backgrounds that I think would be a great asset in creating this product and bringing this concept to life. I think what I have that nobody else has is the vision to create the product and connections to bring it to life. 

6)    In addition to these five elements, please spend a paragraph evaluating whether you believe these elements fit together or whether there are aspects of your business concept that are weaker / out-of-joint with the others.  

o   I believe that all five of these elements do fit together and provide me with a strong foundation to build my concept. My background operating my own online business would give me a great building block for setting up the whole operation to launch a product. I also believe that my talent in statistical analysis and breaking down data would allow me to effectively price the product and eliminate any unnecessary costs. This would also prove to be vital in analyzing the effectiveness of my product by comparing crime rates before/after my product has been introduced and used. I am offering a product that solves a key issue that is faced in society today which is safety. The desire to be safe and remain safe will ultimately drive consumers to purchase this product as it solves a need that is of high-priority to them. My vision for the concept, as well as my connections with individuals containing an engineering/computer science background, will put me in a better position to be successful through bringing the product to life faster and more efficiently than potential competitors could.

Assignment 10A - Elevator Pitch #1

https://youtu.be/Qu_qgKqJnPk

Assignment 9A: Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

o  Who: After conducting my first set of interviews in Assignment 7, I was able to better understand my target market. I realized that the male demographic did not have much need for my product, unless they were purchasing it for a girlfriend, wife, or daughter. I interviewed a male UF junior student who goes out to bars/clubs very frequently and he stated that the odds of a male, his age, getting sexually assaulted/kidnapped would be very slim. This really provided me with insight as to how the age of the demographic plays a role in whether they would buy the product, as men tend to seem as if they can take care of themselves. I also interviewed a UF male sophomore student, who is a member of a fraternity here on campus, to gain the insight of an individual currently involved and experiencing first-hand the protests surrounding the lack of blue-lights on Fraternity Row that makes students feel unsafe. He stated that he can understand the nature of the need and the importance of my product, but again doesn’t think the problem is as applicable to men as it is to women. When asked if he would be likely to purchase the product for his girlfriend, he said “no” because he is with her most of the time and he would be sure to protect her if anything were to happen. 

o   After interviewing two male UF students, I wanted to interview another demographic that did not entirely fit my target market: the elderly. While products like the Life Alert already exist, there is certainly a growing problem surrounding elderly abuse and people taking advantage of them as they know they are vulnerable. I interviewed both an elderly male (age 73) and an elderly female (age 71) that live in my neighborhood as to whether or not they feel the need is applicable to them. They understand the growing incidents surrounding elderly abuse, but again at their age they are not really worried about getting kidnapped or sexually assaulted. The female did state that if she were much younger, she definitely would be interested in the product as she is aware of the safety concerns that young women face in today’s world. The elderly male agreed as well, stating that he would have been likely to purchase the product for his daughter or granddaughter and sees it being useful for young women looking for a product that makes them worry less about their safety.

o   The final question I had surrounding my product was whether it would be needed by middle-age women so I decided to interview both a single female (age 44) with no significant other or children and also a married female (age 52) with no children. The first interviewee (age 44) stated that she actually would be interested in the product because since she is single and does not have children, she often worries as to who would come to her rescue if something were to happen to her. This didn’t really surprise me because I have started to notice how this need arises somewhat from loneliness and the uncertainty as to what would happen to them if they were to face the problem. The second interviewee who is married also said that she would be interested in the product, which surprised me as I had not thought married women to be in the demographic. She stated that women today have to be especially careful at all ages as they have to worry about getting abducted, robbed, raped, or even murdered. My product would provide peace-of-mind and could be the difference between life/death when put into a dangerous situation.

o   What: After conducting all of these interviews, I think the point where the need/reassurance for safety begins to change is the nature of the crime. At the end of the day, the product that I have introduced seems to only really be effective in cases of kidnapping/abduction, perhaps even sexual assault. Once we start going further than that and looking at robbery, battery, or physical assault, the need begins to change as those are faster pace crimes and my product wouldn’t address that need as well. There is also no guarantee that my product will diminish kidnapping/abduction/sexual assault rates, as criminals will continue to act and there could be a point in time where they just adjust their strategy/actions to reflect the introduction of my product.

o   Why: I think that there is an underlying cause of the outsiders’ need being different than the people inside the boundary being that they feel they can take care of themselves or feel protected in a relationship/marriage. The need arises from lacking assurance of being safe/feeling unsafe and the key difference between the people inside the boundary and outside the boundary is their individual sense of loneliness and helplessness if something were to happen. You could even go on to say that another cause is the individual’s own perceptions as to how likely they would be to face the problem. Some people are skeptical of believing that they could experience a crime as serious as abduction/sexual assault and thus do not feel the product will be as valuable for them.

	Inside Boundary	Outside Boundary
Who:	Female college students Single, young women that feel lonely/unsafe living by themselves Fathers/Mothers of young children/college students	Female college students in a relationship Young women in a relationship that live with their partner/significant other Men/Women without young children/college students
What:	To reduce abduction/sexual assault rates	To completely eliminate sexual assaults or reduce rates of other types of crime
Why:	People feel unsafe living by themselves Growing rates of crime geared towards women/children Lack of anti-abduction/sexual assault prevention products	People not taking proper precautions living by themselves People not being aware of their surroundings in public Demand/Profitability may not be high in this industry

8A - Solving The Problem

·     The opportunity that I have chosen to address is the growing safety concerns in today’s society surrounding women and children. Sexual assault, kidnapping, and even murder tend to be the most prevalent crimes surrounding women and children which is why I wanted to create a product that would make them feel safer and keep them out of these dangerous situations.

·     To solve this issue, I wanted to create personal safety clothing technology that people can wear and that would have buttons to activate a distress signal and send your live location to law enforcement and to emergency contacts you have registered on file. My idea stemmed from the Life Alert, which is a similar product marketed towards the elderly that is supposed to make them feel safer and in cases of emergency would allow them to get help quickly. On the market, there are currently some necklaces that are marketed towards this same concept, however none of them share live location with law enforcement or emergency contacts. The original vision I had for my product was to focus on bracelets and necklaces, however with the smart tech clothing market continuing to grow at a rapid pace, this provides an opportunity to expand into clothing. Of the versions of the concept that I had in my mind, the three that would be the most effective in my opinion would be:

o  1) Smart-Tech Necklace: The necklace could be designed as an everyday fashion piece for women, making it attractive enough to wear consistently. Within the pendant of the necklace, there would be a small button that, when pressed, would send your live location to law enforcement and to registered emergency contacts. This would be effective in my opinion because it is discrete, can be worn consistently, and in cases of emergency would allow law enforcement to track your movements and find you quicker, decreasing the chances of something bad happening to you.

o  2) Smart-Tech Bracelet: Similar to the necklace, the bracelet would have a pendant that would contain a small button that could be pressed in times of distress to alert law enforcement and send your live location. The bracelet would have to be designed to be fashionable to make it more attractive to wear consistently, but also durable for functionality.

o  3) Smart-Tech Ring: The ring would be similar in functionality to the necklace and bracelet, but provides a unisex alternative of the product. The ring would have a small digital touch screen that can access a distress signal to alert authorities in times of emergency. The design would also have to be somewhat fashionable, yet durable for functionality.

·     In coming up with these concepts, I wanted to come up with versions of the product to sell to the different consumers that make up my target market. I had to think of pieces of clothing/jewelry that women and children wear, but also that men would consider wearing if I were to decide to target them as well. The smart clothing industry is growing rapidly so this could end up being a product that men end up buying because of the functionality of the technology.

·     Overall, I think women and children will be the primary users of this product, but that both men and women will be consumers of the product. Women will want to buy this product for the extra feeling of security and protection that it gives them and men will want to buy this product to (1) use for themselves and give them a feeling of protection or (2) purchase for their significant other or children. Either way, this is a product that can be marketed in many different ways as there is a large number of people that could benefit greatly from this technology.

7A - Testing the Hypothesis

Personal Safety Protection

·     Opportunity:

o  As the number of sexual assaults and kidnappings increase in the United States, women and children continue to be at risk and feel unsafe.

§ The who: Women and children in the United States

§ The what:  Women and children are left at risk and feeling unsafe with the growing concern of getting assaulted, kidnapped, or murdered.

§ The why: In the United States, there has been a rise in the crimes against women and children, such as sexual assault and kidnappings.

·     Testing the who: There are definitely others that have this need around the world. Sexual assaults, kidnappings, and murder are prevalent all over the world and do not discriminate between gender, race, ethnicity, or religion. While the opportunity can definitely be applied to men, I feel as if the target market would be more likely to be women and children as they are seen as more vulnerable to attackers and criminals.

·     Testing the what: The boundaries of the need are pretty large as there are many crimes that target women and children. Sexual assaults, kidnapping, murder, etc. are just the main ones that we see on a daily basis here in the US which is why I focused on those specifically. Finding a solution to this problem would be sure to address all of these issues though I am sure.

·     Testing the why: The why’s seemed to stem from feeling unsafe as a result of the current climate in the US surrounding sexual assault, kidnappings, and murder. Women and children tend to be targeted the most as they are seen as more vulnerable, and this creates an environment that makes them feel unsafe, especially when alone or at night. I am sure that this why could certainly apply as well to restraining order situations or domestic violence issues where someone feels unsafe.

·     Interview #1:

o  For this interview, I decided to interview a female junior business student here at UF. She goes out clubbing and to parties a lot so I wanted to capture her insight as to how prevalent this issue is, specifically at night. She says that she is aware of the issue and of the prevalence of crimes committed against women and children. To combat this feeling of being unsafe at night, she makes sure to always go out with friends and to never leave any of them by themselves. They all make sure to go/leave the bars and parties together so that no one in their group is put at risk.  She mentioned the two incidences of rape that recently occurred here on campus as proof of what could happen potentially if they were to be left by themselves at night.

·     Interview #2: 

o  For this interview, I decided to interview a female senior business student at FIU who also likes to go out to bars/parties at night. She mentioned that in Miami she tends to be even more cautious than when she visits Gainesville because of how many girls she has known that have been attacked. She also makes sure to always go/leave with friends and to never leave anyone unaccounted for. I also made sure to ask how she felt on a daily basis when she was by herself and she stated that she sometimes felt in a vulnerable position because if something were to happen, she would not know what to do.

·     Interview #3:

o  For this interview, I decided to interview my next-door neighbor who is a mother of 2 and whose children are currently in middle school. I asked her how she feels about the safety of her children on a daily basis and she mentioned that the world is just getting crazy. She is astonished when she watches the news and hears of all these crimes that are being committed every day. While she does not actively fear for her children’s safety because of the area she lives in, she does always pray that nothing happens to them as the world continues to get crazier every-day. I asked her how she would feel about giving her children jewelry or clothing that functioned similarly to a life alert, contacting law enforcement and providing a GPS location when the distress signal was functioned. She stated that it would be a great concept, but that she would be unsure how effective it would be if her children forgot how to use it or if her children were younger.

·     Interview #4:

o  For this interview, I interviewed a female freshman UF engineering student who is living by herself for the first time. I wanted to make sure to get a perspective from someone who does not go out a lot, but who is living by themselves for the first time. She told me that she is always careful when she goes out to run errands by herself and always is sure to lock up before/after she leaves her apartment.  She is aware of the heinous crimes against women and children and that is why she is always aware of her surroundings. When presented with my idea of personal safety clothing technology, she said that it would actually be a discrete way to let someone know if something is not right. I also had to think about how she stated that if the technology became very popular, how that would impact criminals and their behavior? Would they adjust their methods and destroy the technology or would this technology deter them from committing the crimes in the first place?

·     Interview #5:

o  For my final interview, I decided to interview a male sophomore UF business student about how this issue affects men. He states that he never really feels unsafe, but does feel vulnerable when he is walking by himself at night or when he is under the influence and is walking back home from the bars. He never really worries about getting sexually assaulted or kidnapped, however he does worry about getting robbed or ending up in a situation he should not be in. When presented with my idea of personal safety clothing technology, he stated that he could see it being effective for women, but not so much for men. Robberies are such high-pace crimes that by the time he would activate the distress signal, the crime would have already been committed and there would be nothing that could be done. He mentioned that it would be more effective for people who are afraid of getting kidnapped.

·     Given your interviews, what do you know about the opportunity that you did not know before?

o   I learned from my last interview that the pace of the crime would have an impact on how effective my product would be and who my target market would be. This leads me to believe that my product would be most effective against kidnappings or potential assaults on women where a distress signal could be instantly activated and law enforcement could be contacted right away. While men could sometimes be the victims of such crimes, the student I interviewed stated that he would not really feel inclined to purchase a product that solved this issue as he rarely feels unsafe.

o   I learned from interview #4 that the success of the product may not solve the issue, but just force criminals to adjust their methods when committing these crimes. While this is certainly plausible, I still think it would be possible in deterring these crimes from being committed and saving people from dangerous situations based upon the feedback I received. 

o  From interview #3, I learned that the product created to address this issue would have to be simple to use or activate. For children to have this product and understand how to use it, it would need to be very simple to explain and use. Advertising and promoting a solution would be the answer to addressing this concern and just keeping the prototypical user in mind as well when constructing a solution.

o  Overall, I learned that my belief that women and children are continuing to feel increasingly unsafe was valid. All of the girls I spoke to admitted feeling unsafe when alone or at night, and this provides some support for this opportunity. Even the women that did not go out to bars/parties often still admitted feeling unsafe and having to become increasingly aware of her surrounds, making me feel that this is an issue that needs to be solved.