Who: After branching out my interviews to some different people, I found out that juniors and seniors fall outside of the boundary and recently the sophomores have been close to the boundary since many of them have learned by then at least some stuff about how to take care of themselves. However, the solution could still be used for many factors even after freshman year. Also, I found out that students who are from close by cities or even the city the university is in, are more outside of the boundary. This is because they are always so close to home so they can go home whenever they want and have some more direct family assistance. This is not in every case but in most. When I interviewed the juniors and seniors, they said that living on their own still remains difficult not because they do not know what to do or how to do it, but more because they have packed more on their schedules. When speaking to the close-by instate students, I found out that they go home at least once or twice a month where some go to have their laundry done and some go to have their parents stock the up on groceries or bring back cooked food. However, when I asked both types of students if they thought such an app or program would be useful, they did say they saw a huge opportunity that exists there.
What: In multiple interviews, I was told that this need is so widely shared from students all over the country and that it actually affects how they do in school and their actual health. While there is a need to take care of yourself in general for your whole life, this is more about the younger generation making that first transition on their own which really has an effect on their academic and hygienic performances. In my interview with a in state student, they stated that their parents were taught how to take care of themself and live on their own before they even left the house but they were completely unprepared.
Why: For the people on the inside and outside of the opportunity, the cause of the need is not really different. Both are caused by leaving their homes and families and living on their own and having all these new responsibilities stacked on them. The difference is between how much certain students really have the need when you compare it to first and second year and out of state students to junior, senior, and instate students.
Inside the Boundary
Who is in: Freshman and sophomore college students, far away or out-of-state students. What the need is: Prepare and make students more knowledgable on how to live on their own in college.
Why it exists: Many students are not prepared by their parents or by their high schools on how to cook, clean, handle, finances, schedule, etc. and students go into college thinking all they have to worry about is taking care of school.
Outside the Boundary
Who is in: Juniors, Seniors, Graduate students, Close-by and instate students.
What the need is not: They don't have the need of being clueless on how to take of themselves completely on their own or being so new to the situation.
Alternative Explanations: They have either learned from preparations or learned from experience and for the instate or close by students, they are always going back home to feel more secure and get away from some of that stress and responsibility as well as get assistance from their family.
The fact that some people live close to home is something I would have never considered and therefore shrinks your target market. I do still believe there is a high need for an app like this, just not as high as a previously thought. While it is true that juniors/seniors find difficulty living on their own solely because they have more packed into their schedules, I do think this app could help them better manage their time. Because there will always be freshman, I think there will always be a need for this app.
ReplyDelete