Assignment 7A: Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1
Opportunity: Heated Bicycle Seat Cover
Hypothesis:
“People especially women riding the bicycle in Germany or other countries where
the winters are cold are afraid of getting ill, for example getting a bladder
infection, because of the bicycle seats that are usually very cold and
sometimes also wet during this season.”
· WHO:
People especially women riding the bicycle in Germany and other countries where
the winters are cold
o
WHAT:
They are getting ill, for example a bladder infection
² WHY: Because of the bicycle seats
that are usually very cold and sometimes also wet during this season
Interview #1: Male about 20 years old from
Australia
· Do
you think people living in countries where the winters are not that cold could
have the same problem?
I think so, maybe not as cold as in countries where the winters are really freezing but it is still not nice to sit on the bicycle seat.
I think so, maybe not as cold as in countries where the winters are really freezing but it is still not nice to sit on the bicycle seat.
· Do
many people ride the bike in your country? Do you think it also depends on the
society, because riding the bicycle might not be common at all places in the
world?
Yes.
Yes.
· Do
you think everyone is annoyed by this problem?
I don’t think there are as many as in Germany, because it is a lot colder there.
I don’t think there are as many as in Germany, because it is a lot colder there.
o Do
you think, that all people are getting ill?
I can’t answer that question for sure because I’m not a doctor, but perhaps a lot of people will get ill.
I can’t answer that question for sure because I’m not a doctor, but perhaps a lot of people will get ill.
o Do
you think that a certain group is more affected than others?
Yes, women and older people are more affected.
Yes, women and older people are more affected.
o Do
you think that the cold bicycle seat is the main reason for getting sick? Which
other aspects can influence your health?
I would not say it is the main reason for getting sick, but it could be a contributing factor.
I would not say it is the main reason for getting sick, but it could be a contributing factor.
² Where do you park your bike?
In my dorm.
In my dorm.
² Is it cold there?
No, not at all.
No, not at all.
Interview #2: Female about 25 year old from
Germany
· Do
you think people living in countries where the winters are not that cold could have
the same problem?
I don’t think so, it depends on how cold it actually gets in winter. In Germany we definitely have this problem, but it will be different in Spain for example.
I don’t think so, it depends on how cold it actually gets in winter. In Germany we definitely have this problem, but it will be different in Spain for example.
· Do
many people ride the bike in your country? Do you think it also depends on the
society, because riding the bicycle might not be common at all places in the
world?
A lot of people ride the bike in Germany, they like to ride the bike because they can stay sporty and it is often a lot faster than taking the bus or driving the car. Especially during peak hours.
A lot of people ride the bike in Germany, they like to ride the bike because they can stay sporty and it is often a lot faster than taking the bus or driving the car. Especially during peak hours.
It depends on the
society where you live. Like I already mentioned it is quite common in Germany
to ride the bike.
· Do
you think everyone is annoyed by this problem?
Perhaps not everyone but
at least a lot of people.
o Do
you think, that all people are getting ill?
No, not all people.
o Do
you think that a certain group is more affected than others?
I could imagine that women and children are more affected than men, because their immune system is often not as good as the men’s ones.
I could imagine that women and children are more affected than men, because their immune system is often not as good as the men’s ones.
o Do
you think that just the cold bicycle seat is the reason for getting sick? Which
other aspects can influence your health?
It think the weather conditions in general are responsible for that. The combination of cold and wet weather is really risky for the health.
It think the weather conditions in general are responsible for that. The combination of cold and wet weather is really risky for the health.
² Where do you park your bike?
In front of my house I’m living in.
In front of my house I’m living in.
² Is it cold there?
Yes of course.
Yes of course.
² Do you have the possibility to park
your bike at some place where it isn’t that cold?
No, we don’t have any shack to park it into.
No, we don’t have any shack to park it into.
Interview #3: Male about 30 years old from The
Netherlands
· Do
you think people living in countries where the winters are not that cold could
have the same problem?
I don’t think so, but maybe they have other problems with their bike.
I don’t think so, but maybe they have other problems with their bike.
· Do
many people ride the bike in your country? Do you think it also depends on the
society, because riding the bicycle might not be common at all places in the
world?
Nearly everybody is riding the bicycle in The Netherlands, it is very popular there. It is faster and you can take shortcuts.
Nearly everybody is riding the bicycle in The Netherlands, it is very popular there. It is faster and you can take shortcuts.
· Do
you think everyone is annoyed by this problem?
Most of the Dutch people
are annoyed by that problem.
o Do
you think, that all people are getting ill?
No, there are always some people with a very strong immune system who won’t get ill.
No, there are always some people with a very strong immune system who won’t get ill.
o Do
you think that a certain group is more affected than others?
My wife is definitely more affected than me.
My wife is definitely more affected than me.
o Do
you think that just the cold bicycle seat is the reason for getting sick? Which
other aspects can influence your health?
There are always also some other reasons. The weather in general is influencing the health.
There are always also some other reasons. The weather in general is influencing the health.
² Where do you park your bike?
I park it in the garage.
I park it in the garage.
² Is it cold there?
Yes, not as cold as outside but still cold.
Yes, not as cold as outside but still cold.
² Do you have the possibility to park
your bike at some place where it isn’t that cold?
No because I don’t have enough space in my flat.
No because I don’t have enough space in my flat.
Interview #4: Male about 35 years old from Florida
· Do
you think people living in countries where the winters are not that cold could
have the same problem?
No, I think Florida is
one of the best examples. It is not a problem at all here because the winter is
quite moderate.
· Do
many people ride the bike in your country? Do you think it also depends on the
society, because riding the bicycle might not be common at all places in the
world?
It definitely depends on the society. Riding the bicycle is not common in America. We prefer driving by car. Only some student ride the bike.
It definitely depends on the society. Riding the bicycle is not common in America. We prefer driving by car. Only some student ride the bike.
· Do
you think everyone is annoyed by this problem?
No, this problem doesn’t
exist in Florida.
o Do
you think, that all people are getting ill?
No.
No.
o Do
you think that a certain group is more affected than others?
Yes, I can imagine that children might be more affected.
Yes, I can imagine that children might be more affected.
o Do
you think that just the cold bicycle seat is the reason for getting sick? Which
other aspects can influence your health?
No I don’t think so, there are definitely other reason as well.
No I don’t think so, there are definitely other reason as well.
² Where do you park your bike?
I don’t have a bike.
I don’t have a bike.
Interview #5: Male about 25 years old from
Israel
· Do
you think people living in countries where the winters are not that cold could
have the same problem?
I definitely think so.
I definitely think so.
· Do
many people ride the bike in your country? Do you think it also depends on the
society, because riding the bicycle might not be common at all places in the
world?
Riding the bike is quite common in Israel. But not many people rides it during the winter.
Riding the bike is quite common in Israel. But not many people rides it during the winter.
· Do
you think everyone is annoyed by this problem?
In Israel this problem
doesn’t really exists.
o Do
you think, that all people are getting ill?
Around the world probably but not in Israel because they don’t right the bike here.
Around the world probably but not in Israel because they don’t right the bike here.
o Do
you think that a certain group is more affected than others?
Yes, I am pretty sure that women are more affected than others.
Yes, I am pretty sure that women are more affected than others.
o Do
you think that the cold bicycle seat is the main reason for getting sick? Which
other aspects can influence your health?
Yes and also the cold weather in general can influence your health.
Yes and also the cold weather in general can influence your health.
² Where do you park your bike?
Outside my house.
Outside my house.
² Is it cold there?
Yes it is during the winter.
Yes it is during the winter.
² Do you have the possibility to park
your bike at some place where it isn’t that cold?
No, I don’t.
No, I don’t.
SUMMARY: The cold
bicycle seat is mostly an issue in countries where it is getting very cold
during winter. Riding the bike has to be quite common in the country so that
many people are affected by this problem. Otherwise it would not be possible to
reach a large target group. The United States won’t be my first choice to
launch the idea/product, because most of the citizens drive the car. Europe
will be a good location to sell the heated bicycle seat covers. It is very
popular to ride the bike there because it is easier, faster and less time
intensive than taking the bus or driving the car. Especially women, children
and older people are confronted with this issue.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteThat Is amazing that you talked to people from so many countries! The feedback you receive is from a very diverse population so it should be well equipped to help you solve your problems and create your business. I also didn't realize that so many people rode bikes these days. I never did until I came to college but I'm realizing that people from other countries ride bikes very often.
Laura, it seems like you got some very insightful information. I think its great that you are so conscious of your target market; I'm sure many people chose to target a customer or create a product/problem that would target customers who are from this country, who they are familiar with, who are maybe similar to them. However, by limiting a product just to the US, you are limiting the opportunity for new ideas and further value creation. You also asked some interesting questions that I think will help you further gauge the plausibility of potential solutions.
ReplyDeleteI would say this is only specific to the female anatomy but male and female have blood flow issues with both performance and comfort seats. You could also expand you market by offering cooled and heated seats. The mechanical motion of the bike could allow you to have water cooled or water heater seats by using the pedal crank as the motor that drives a heater or compressor and pumps the water to the mostly aluminum seat. The electric powered bike are gaining strength in the market so it would certainly be your target market for a product like this. The illness angle might be hard to market so the comfort angle might resonate much further.
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