Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

The who: people who should have this product but do not are students and professors/teachers. They should have the tools they need in order to not only succeed in class but also to improve comprehensive learning, make learning engaging, and ultimately make learning enjoyable. Current tools may allow students to succeed in the classroom, but they are not engaging and do not make learning enjoyable.

What: this concept could be misconstrued as a way to make textbooks prettier; however, it is more importantly a way to make students connect more to the content. In effect, by making students more engaged by classroom content they will take in more and have a more stimulating learning experience.

Why: the outsider's need may be just a glorified textbook. This product is not an attempt to remake the textbook, but to create a completely different product that could, eventually, replace the textbook.

Interviews:

• Danielle Nascimento, business teacher
• Danielle has been an educator for twelve years. She has taught multiple subjects, primarily marketing and SGA. She says that in both of these courses, learning by doing is essential. The more experiences students get, the better they comprehend information. In addition, she feels that the best teaching materials would be interesting and easy to understand for students, but also easy for teachers to be able to incorporate into their own lessons and classroom curriculum. 
• Wendy Smith, business teacher
• As a contrast to Danielle, Wendy has been a business teacher for two years. She knows that she is much less experienced, and comes from a background of being a guidance counselor. As a result, she feels that the most beneficial educational tool is one that pairs student learning with teacher learning, and acts as a guide for teachers on content to teach and how to incorporate it into the classroom. 
• Nico Lozano, business student
• Nico has gained a lot of leadership experience through extracurricular activities, and he feels that through these experiences he has learned more than through his actual classes. He says that class, and textbooks, is boring and that it's not related to what he wants to do in the future. This combination of "boring" content as well as lack of relevance contributes to contributes to Nico's disinterest in class. 
• Denise Akerman, PR student
• Denise is a regular student, however her experiences have given her insight into consumer behavior and graphic design. She agrees that people, especially millennials (students) respond much more positively to easy-to-read graphic design. I see this reflected through AIDA: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. Denise agrees that an infographic-style workbook or guidebook would be much more comprehensive for students. 
• Michelle Matarazzo, business student
• Michelle seemed to be uncertain as to whether or not the workbook would really replace the textbook, or how much better it would be. However, she did seem much more interested in the technological component, integrating activities and interactive components to an e-book and virtual system. She has taken a course with content like this before, and it created much more engaging content for the students; they were a lot more involved and gained much more from the course. 

My interviews definitely helped me further understand the customers and that they are interested in more engaging and interactive content. It also helped me better understand the educator's perspective.

Inside the Boundary	Outside the Boundary
	Who is in the boundary: students, teachers	Who is outside of the boundary: non-students or educational professionals
	What the need is: an opportunity to engage students more through more relevant and understandable content	A glorified textbook, with pages of the same information
	Why the need exists: textbooks are boring, students do not enjoy learning, learning does not always connect the real world to in-class curriculum	Alternative explanations: students do not like school; however, all students like to learn if they feel it is relevant to them

Solving the Problem

The opportunity I am attempting to capitalize on is a lack of engaging content that connects educational curriculum to real-world situations in a way students will become more interested in and, in turn, absorb and learn more.

The product I am proposing is an infographic-style guidebook series focusing on several different subjects which will use engaging content and condensed information in order to concisely communicate lessons to students. This would be accompanied by a technological component: downloadable books and online interactive technology.

Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

1) The opportunity I am going to focus on for the purpose of this course is infographic-style guides/workbooks meant to substitute boring textbooks.

2) The "who" that would use this product are students and professors.

The what: students are not getting the most out of their coursework and learning tools/materials.

The why: textbooks are boring, unrelatable, and underutilized by teachers. 

4) Interviews

In order to get the best results, I attempted to interview a range of people. 

These are the questions I asked:

• How often do you use a textbook for your coursework?
• Why do you use textbooks? Are they read more when it is required or as a learning tool of your own accord?
• What is the primary learning tool you use to study and why?
• What features do you look for when you choose study materials?
• What is the biggest current gap between learning materials and your success as a student?

My responses:

• Maria Espinosa, Chemistry Student
• Maria said that she uses a textbook for her more difficult classes, when the professor's lectures are not enough to supplement the information she needs to understand for an exam. She is very proud of the notes she takes in her classes and from her textbook, which condense information and are pretty: highlighters, underlined words, and colored pens add to making information pop out and develop an aesthetic. 
• Tom Trozzo, Information Systems Student
• Tom said he rarely uses textbooks because his professors often don't assign work from a book. He said his primary learning tool is Study Edge, and he likes the Study Edge culture of "study smart, not hard." He prefers study materials that will help him pass his exams in as easy a process as possible. According to Tom, the biggest dissonance between current learning tools and maximizing success is that textbooks have too much excess information and aren't written well for students. 
• Bob Norbert, Director of Strategy + Training at The Agency
• As the Director of Strategy and Training at The Agency at UF, Bob is responsible for much of connecting The Agency activities to classroom curriculum. When I spoke with him, we discussed the design of classroom curriculum, teaching tools, and the potential for curriculum within The Agency. Bob trains The Agency strategists in different programs they will be using in their work; however, he does not use a textbook or specific curriculum o teach them. Although he said he may be interested in a curriculum, he said that using a textbook would probably be counterintuitive to the experiential learning process created by The Agency program. Bob did agree, however, that design of teaching tools is very important in order to better communicate information and better educate students in a way they will understand. 
• Meagan Buttel: grad student, works with the CEI
• Meagan is experienced within business education, and feels that in order to learn business and entrepreneurship, a textbook won't be of much use. She has used textbooks for more upper level courses in order to gain more information to pass exams. However, she does not feel that she enjoys reading textbooks, and does think there could be a better learning solution to the textbook. When she chooses study materials, Meagan looks for really comprehensive information that will allow her to gain a better understanding of the materials. She also looks for interactive materials, and believes one of the bigger gaps in education is interactive learning opportunities. 
• Michelle Martinez: Business Student
• Michelle had the opinion that although she enjoys learning, she feels that experiential learning outside of the classroom is much more beneficial than reading a textbook. She also feels that professors in the classroom often teach/test on lessons that don't have as much relevance to the real world, and that as a result, textbooks are often boring. She feels the most important and often missing feature of learning tools is the ability to engage with students. 

As a result of these interviews I know that most students don't find value in their textbooks, beyond being forced into reading them in order to pass an exam. Many students believe that experiential, engaging learning tools connect with them more, and that the missing link is the ability of teaching tools to relate more to students' lives and to the work they will be doing in the future. 

Identifying Opportunities in Economic and Regulatory Trends

Opportunity 1: Part Time Teaching Jobs
I found this opportunity because, after reading several articles about changing regulations within teaching, within Career & Technical Education, and with a national shortage of teachers, it became clear to me that there would be major effects of the national teaching shortage. I think an opportunity exists because the teaching shortage exists due to a mindset, not a lack of people: teachers are devalued, and many people feel the profession is limiting. I think the most likely person with this opportunity is recent college grads. These are the people who are still very open-minded about their profession, and don't want to be locked down. A part-time teaching role would allow them to have a steady job in a field they might enjoy, and pursue other interests as well. I think the difficulty of exploiting this opportunity depends on the field of education. For example, many teachers involved in career and technical or co-curricular organizations often do have a part-time schedule.

I recognized this opportunity personally because I work so closely with several high schools, and am currently struggling between deciding if I want to be a teacher, or go into business.


Opportunity 2: Electronic Textbooks / Technological Educational Resources
I believe that the need for technological educational tools is becoming so prevalent that soon there will be mandates and regulations requiring electronic capability for all educational materials in order for all student (off campus, special needs, etc.) to have a sufficient learning experience. I learned about this opportunity after a meeting and mentorship from an executive on the board of McGraw Hill publishing. I think an opportunity exists here because companies such as McGraw Hill have marketed these technological components as a competitive edge because they are so necessary. As a result of this marketing, it becomes clear how necessary technological integration is in the classroom. The most likely customer for this opportunity is school boards who are making large purchases of textbooks and teaching tools. Exploiting the company may be easy for a large company that already has this capability; however, for a smaller company it would be difficult to produce the technology necessary in order to create these e-tools.

Similar to above, I recognized this opportunity because of my one-on-one experience working with students and with educators.


Opportunity 3: Security for Student Loans
After watching several documentaries about the 2008 housing crash and having discussions with Marty Schaffel, we noticed an economic trend within the market of student loans. Similar to the housing bubble, the sheer number of student loans and economic foundation of the college education system leads us to a conclusion that there may be a student loan bubble. Students would be most affected by this, although a bubble like this bursting would affect many industries. The person who could take advantage of it is... potentially a bank that sees the potential of this bubble bursting, and can provide security to the students that this will affect. This is a very difficult opportunity to take advantage of, because it is difficult to find a very effective solution in the first place.

I think I recognized this opportunity because as a student, student loans and financing are very prevalent topics always on my mind.


Opportunity 4: Security for the Next Economic Crash (soon)
The business cycle is a very important concept within economics. Economists are currently predicting another economic recession within the next 18 months. This prediction is because recessions are cyclical, and if we go another 18 months without a recession, we will have just experienced the longest period of economic prosperity in decades, which is unprecedented. I learned about this in my International Business class. Economists could take advantage of this opportunity since they have the most knowledge about it. However, it would be difficult to take advantage of a recession before it hits because people who are living in such prosperity may not want to believe that it will end.

I think I was able to identify this opportunity because I am currently thinking about these concepts after watching several documentaries about the 2008 financial crisis.

Identifying Local Opportunities

"New Parking Lot Restrictions Affect Students on Weekends"

This article is about increased restrictions for on-campus parking during UF game-day weekends, and how it is affecting students. When a football game is hosted in campus, families, alumni, and students from all over Florida travel into the city, and on game day cars and tailgates are on every corner of the campus. However, this causes two problems: traffic and lack of street availability for students with decals trying to park and/or go about their day, and increased demand for parking spaces in an already overcrowded location with two few spots to begin with. This is a problem for students and for the alumni/families traveling to campus. However, there is a potential opportunity here for somebody to create a solution to this problem: potentially an app for better communication of availability, or government intervention.

Link: http://www.alligator.org/news/article_705fc5e8-9f1c-11e7-81e5-e34ac3b8c41a.html


"Impact Party Releases Platform"

This article is about the university's reigning political party and its recent statement regarding its ideologies and platforms moving into the new election cycle. The article also discusses the emergence of the Inspire Party, Impact's newest rival. Inspire, like several parties that come before it, argues that UF's political system is a corrupt representation of only Greek Life. They also assert that non-Greek students don't vote as often because voting isn't easily accessible as it must be done at an on-campus library. The people affected by this are students, and there is a definite opportunity here to create a system that will allow students to vote electronically.

Link: http://www.alligator.org/news/article_293b7db4-9f1d-11e7-9ef7-7ba17342c244.html


"Hundreds of Jewish UF Students Welcome a New Year"

This article is about the celebration of the Jewish High Holidays (specifically Rosh Hashanah) by Uf students. Within the article, the writer emphasizes the number of students who attended services and dinner- over 500 at Chabad. Tables were overflowing, students were in the hallway, and matzoh ball soup was running out. Although the Chabad rebbes are great at taking care of the students, it is clear that they have a lot on their hands with so many students to take care of, especially during dealing with effects of Irma. This affects not only the student but also the Rebbes and Chabad administration. There may be an opportunity her for event services to help with provision of large meals, preparation, or even securing a bigger space.

Link: http://www.alligator.org/news/article_434fbdae-9f0a-11e7-a87e-5f525777ca6e.html


"Bento Cafe to Celebrate with 15 Days of Bento Event"

This article is a piece about Bento, the Asian sushi and cafe restaurant, and it's marketing/promotional campaign in order to celebrate its 15 year anniversary. The company began in Gainesville and has since grown throughout Florida, with several locations in Orlando, Tallahassee, and South Florida. Although the article is about the restaurant's anniversary, I see a very cool opportunity: Bento has gained so much popularity as a result of its business model, and I see the opportunity now for expansion past Florida. In addition, I think that the company can build its relationship within student communities in order to fuel attention within its new geographic market. This can generate a positive impact for the company, and if it forms relationships with student organizations, this can have a very positive impact on students as well.

Link: http://www.alligator.org/the_avenue/article_61e90c0a-9804-11e7-8113-eb4a28e653c6.html


"Alachua County Jail Inmate Dies in Cell"

This article is about Maurice Devonte Page, a 19-year-old inmate at Alachua County Jail who fas found dead in his cell this week. While there is currently an investigation under way, there has not yet been a statement regarding the cause of death. I think this article brings to light a very important issue regarding human rights and treatment of jail inmates. This really affects the jail inmates. There may be an opportunity here for an organization to regulate jails and provide solutions for cost-effective safety management.

Link: http://www.alligator.org/news/article_c3d7faee-9d8a-11e7-9ac6-1fe96433f66a.html

Forming an Opportunity Belief

1. As a student of business in and out of the classroom, I have become intrigued by the framework of business education, and, by extension, education itself. I produce business education infographic-style guides/workbooks for DECA, a business organization. Through my experiences, I believe that the demand for new educational tools extends beyond just DECA members. Every industry changes: technology, food, everything; and yet, education remains constant. I believe that there is a need for new teaching tools that will create a more engaging, impactful, and valuable experience for students. 
2. The unmet need is a lack of engaging, interactive, simplified educational tools that better connect to and bring value to students. While the initial conclusion may be that students have this need, there are several subcategories: high school students, college students, teachers, professors, school boards (for B2B sales). I believe this need has become more prominent as the result of the rise of technological change and of millennial culture. Millennials and Gen Z, the current population of students, are infamous as a generation that thrives on minimalism, simplified and/or efficient work and processes, and engagement. However, there has been no resultant change with the rise of this culture to more accurately meet the needs of millennial/Gen Z students. 
3. The prototypical customer, for now, is a student demanding a more direct and clear study tool. For this exercise I will focus on the opinions of college students, because they have been exposed to so many more study and educational options. 
4. I conducted interviews with five students, four of which are business students and one of which is a construction major. I felt it was important to expand my research outside of the business school in order to ensure that my results were not limited just to one major. 
5. See interviews below.
6. See interview commentaries below.
7. I definitely think that my original opportunity is still here, however I am not more focused on a market of college students. I also have a clearer understanding of what college students are looking for: interactive content and clear, simplified means to understanding concepts. I think entrepreneurs should always be adapting their products to customers' needs. The purpose of a business is to provide value to its stakeholders and to deliver solutions to customers, which will, in turn, keep them coming back. By modifying your ideas to customers' wants and needs, you are generating more relevance and more demand for your product. 

Interviews:

file:///Users/LaurenBabitz/Desktop/Group%20ENT%20Interview.m4a

file:///Users/LaurenBabitz/Desktop/Interview%20With%20Amanda.m4a

(I know it looks like four interviews, but there are five as the first link is a case study with four people.)

1. My interview of the four business students (9 mins long) was arranged like a case study, with all four of them in one room discussing my questions, in order to gather more information. It is interesting to compare the ideologies of each of these students. The first, Ryan, noted that he is against using external tools meant to ease studying (such as Study Edge) because he is price-focused, and does not want to pay for more lessons if he's already paying to take a course. Michael, however, strongly disagreed and said that external tools allowed students to gain a better understanding of the material and do better in classes. Cassidy gave very interesting feedback, explaining that textbooks were often confusing, the professors' lectures were often unfocused, and that the content wasn't always relevant or engaging. Jake also made some points about a lack of engaging and interactive content in the classroom. 
2. Amanda's interview was interesting because she explained that she doesn't really understand her textbook or how to use it, and as a result she uses outside sources in order to supplement her need for better educational resources. In addition, she said that the ability of external educational resources to break down and simplify material was the reason they are often so useful to many students. 

Bug List

My "Bug List"

1. Ineffective, boring textbooks: this problem exists because textbook companies are focused more on the content of what they're producing than on how they're presenting the information
2. Food waste: this problem exists at many levels: food waste at dining halls, food waste at grocery stores, food waste in homes, even food waste in the production cycle before food is sold. The problem exists not only because food spoils, but also because there is no action being taken to do something (composting) with this extra food.
3. Recycling disconnect: in this, I mean that although students are given many opportunities to recycle on campus, these opportunities are often not taken. The problem does not exist because students don't care about the environment; rather, they do not have the information they need. Students will question "is this recyclable" and rather than get the information, they will opt to throw everything in the regular trash.
4. Bulky bike helmets: a college campus is filled with bikers, and each of these bikers needs to walk around with their helmet. The bulkiness of the helmets causes students not to wear them. This problem exists because there is no other design that is compact, possibly foldable, and still safe.
5. Wet umbrellas: essentially, what happens when you walk into a building after using an umbrella in the rain? The water gets everywhere. This problem exists because there is no better design. Umbrellas should fold into themselves, sealing the umbrella inside, so you can even store it in your backpack without getting books wet. 
6. Lack of space on iPhone: there's never enough storage. This problem exists not only because of the manufacturers, but also because certain apps and items take up more storage on your phone.
7. Underpaid teachers: enough said. This problem exists because teachers are undervalued, and the government continues to enforce budget cuts. Also because teachers will never be paid what they deserve, because they deserve approximately $1,000,000. Annually.
8. All movies today are sequels: I mean, they're either sequels or based off of books. This problem exists because people will buy into what they already know.
9. Overflowing toilets: it sounds weird, but when it happens it's a nightmare. The problem isn't that toilets get clogged; it's that once they do, the water won't stop coming out. This problem exists because there's no plug to prevent the water from rising.
10. Lack of applicable life skills in the classroom: specifically, in High School. This problem exists because of the increased focus placed on STEM, and the devaluation of life skills in the education system.
11. Football game ticket swapping: let's say you sell your ticket. Or you didn't get yours in line with your friend. Well, the odds are not in your favor. This problem exists because UF has a very rigid system that is not online. If the ticket system were automated for online ticket sales, a swapping or seat-picking feature would be a easy feature.
12. Lack of clean water: in third world countries, this is a serious problem. This problem exists because of the lack of resources and financial support in these areas, and the lack of clean water nearby.
13. Tracking busses: in Gainesville, the bus-tracking-apps are just inaccurate. This problem exists because of the difficulty in tracking the progress of things always moving. The technology doesn't seem to be there.
14. Ineffective transportation in Florida: by bus or train, it is difficult to travel throughout the state. The problem exists because of the lack of infrastructure in the state.
15. Abuse of natural resources: this problem exists because of the capital exploitation and profit associated with natural resources. 
16. Censorship: this problem exists in certain countries because of the corrupt political systems present there.
17. Lack of exploration in liberal arts: this problem exists as the result of America's emphasis on STEM fields and devaluation of liberal arts. As a result, students grow up not experiencing and exploring potential interests in liberal arts fields.
18. Overpopulation in animal shelters: this problem exists as the result of animal abuse and as the result of a lack of funding, and a lack of cheap space.
19. Difficulty in making relevant computer icons for graphic design: for a graphic designer, making your own icons or original designs in something like Illustrator is pretty complicated, if not time consuming. The problem exists because Adobe's interface is not always user-friendly, and there is not a software that can simplify the process.
20. Lack of check accessibility in withdrawals: If you don't have a checkbook, you need to make a request for a check. You should be able to do it online. This problem exists because a lack of security in online banking.
21. Steve Jobs is no longer alive: this is just sad.

My friends and I actually challenge each other to come up with "problems" in the world and develop ideas to solve them. That's essentially what the first half of my list was from. It does get increasingly difficult to find these "bugs," because each one needed to have no solution. Other companies may make solutions for problems, but I have realized that not all solutions are the best solution.

My Entrepreneurship Story

I’ve been interested in entrepreneurship for as long as I can remember. As a kid in elementary school, I was always trying to start a new “business.” When I had friends over, my idea of “fun” meant running a lemonade stand on the side of the street. I was very serious about it: I made my friends come up with a name, logo, slogan. I thought I was going to make the next huge company.

To me, doing business was more fun than having money. So, I often looked for charities to benefit. In middle school, I came into contact with Kudu Klip, a social entrepreneurship venture. For some reason, I thought that I as a middle schooler would be the perfect sales person for them. And for some reason, they took me on. I began selling their product until high school, when I started a Cotton Candy business to benefit their organization. This was my first more legitimate “business.” Ever since then, I’ve had an interest in building and shaping companies. 

I enrolled in ENT 3003 because I am interested in learning more about the entrepreneurial mindset. In addition, I have taken several entrepreneurship courses in the past and love the coursework. I am also working with several companies on program development and business growth, and am hoping to learn new strategies through this course.