Testing the Hypothesis - Part One

7A - Testing the Hypothesis - Part One

1.     Open an Interior Architecture Studio in Miami that specializes in the use of solar panels to implement more community awareness of the need for sustainability.

2.     WHO: primarily Miami citizens.

WHAT: the need to build community awareness through new, unseen architecture designs and advancements

WHY: a new business idea that focuses on implementing green advances in technology to be sustainable.

3.     Testing the WHO: The who in this instance is focused towards residents who care or want to start being more sustainable. They also probably have more money than the average to begin doing so. There would definitely be others who have this need.

Testing the WHAT: Focusing on the boundaries of this need, some could include the cost of this venture. Some people may want to be sustainable but may not have the means to. Additionally, some people may want to be sustainable but are unsure of how to, and this could be a good starting point.

Testing the WHY: The why of this business proposition may vary from person to person. Some people may simply just want to look for ways to be more sustainable, or others may want it to seem more technologically advanced than their peers.

4.     Interview One: “I think this is a pretty original concept. I haven’t really heard or seen anything about this topic, but it sounds pretty cool. The person that this would be targeted I think would definitely be an environmentalist. The what, as in what it does, could very much be raising awareness about the environment, because solar panels on a home would definitely be noticeable. I guess the why of this concept would also be to try and improve society in a way. It would definitely stick out to people and raise some sort of awareness.”

Interview Two: “If you are talking about manufacturing and/or selling solar panels, the who for this business could very well be contractors as well as homeowners or other sustainable businesspeople. Solar panels on actual roofs of houses or on roofs of businesses would definitely be a huge advancement in technology, which I guess could compensate for the ‘what’ of this interview. And for the why, because it is attractive to most sellers. A lot of people in these days do things to impress, they buy stuff to impress, they want what nobody else has. This cool, modern advancement would be just that.”

Interview Three: “I feel that this is a good idea, but maybe too far-fetched? The obvious ‘who’ that this is directed to is an environmentally conscious person. The what could possibly be to be more environmentally friendly, but have you considered the cost of solar panels themselves? Your target buyer may not have the necessary funds to make these purchases. I assume the why would also be to be sustainable, but again consider the options said earlier.”

Interview Four: “I believe the ‘who’ of this could be a vast majority of people. It could be homeowners, designers, other architects. It is a pretty wild goal and seems like it could be fairly difficult to accomplish. The ‘why’ and the ‘what’ seem very similar in this situation. One would assume that they are both for the purpose of being sustainable and not think any differently.”

Interview Five: “Solar panels are a crazy idea! I love the environment and I love the idea of using solar panels to be more sustainable. The ‘who’ would definitely be pointed towards environmentally conscious people like me. The ‘what’ is obvious solar panels and sustainability! And the ‘why’ seems to be because we as a group, as a whole, need to be conscious of what is happening on our earth. We need to think of ways to be more sustainable, but also allow people to be modern and have their own style.”

5.     From my interviews I learned a couple things. I realized that my target market could be fairly larger than I originally anticipated. I thought it was really interesting that only one person found the sense to factor in the expensive cost of solar panels. That factor flew by my head and the other four interviewees didn’t mention anything about cost either. I feel that my opportunity will be extremely hard to reach, given the feedback from the people I interviewed.