Idea Napkin No. 2

Problem statement:

In this exercise, there are two parts. First, the idea napkin; second, the 'feedback memo.' I explain them below. For the idea napkin, please describe the following (these are the same elements as in the first idea napkin). However, this time, please adjust your napkin to reflect the feedback you received.:



1) I am a determined, diligent, creative problem solver. I am able to work with what I have, identify opportunities for growth or alternative solutions, and will persist through my obstacles and environment to optimize my resources without sacrificing the quality of my work. I have a background inclusive of various leadership and managerial positions that have flourished my ability to collaborate and communicate with others. In regards to my business concept for a mobile or universal platform for local subleases for students, I can see my traits and talents complementing this project well. I can very much see myself becoming passionate about this endeavor and not only having it play an active role in my life, but truly becoming one with the concept, applying my backgrounds in project management and systems engineering to best design the platform.

2) What I am offering is a unified conglomeration of student subleasing options at the click of one mobile application. I want students to be able to create a profile, describe their subleasing needs to a search engine, and gain access to hundreds of listings from a variety of platforms which meet those needs within the local area, and also directly connect them to the owners of these residences for ease of communication. I want to make simpler, user-friendly, and more accessible, the platforms which students utilize to research local subleases.

3) I am offering this to enrolled students in colleges and universities who have housing needs that need to meet specific criteria: distance from campus, access to bus routes, furnished and unfurnished living spaces, short term and long term subleases, parking available, pet friendly environments, on site 24 hour gym, utilities included, and so on and so forth. My target group consists of undergraduate students that necessitate these very specific search criteria due to their academic and work load as well as transportation situation.

4) Finding a sublease that fits your needs, or finding a suitable person to sublease from you in a timely manner is a consistent problem for students here at the University of Florida. From all of the feedback I received regarding this concept, this has been the common theme: we need a more accessible forum to communicate these needs, identify short term and long term living options, and we need to create a collaborative community that brings these two worlds of subleasers and sublease-ees together. Customers might actually pay money to use this product or service because it will produce results. Why take the 50/50 chance you might get a response on your Facebook post for your Spring 2017-Summer 2017 sublease, fail, and ultimately end up paying $500+ a month due to a contract when you won't be living there, when you can pay $3.00 to purchase an app or gain membership to this subleasing forum that will GUARANTEE YOU RESULTS OR YOUR MONEY BACK.

5) Innovative, resourceful and flexible. Able to flourish in a collaborative environment or independent setting while maintaining a positive attitude and strong work ethic. Furthermore, I am detail oriented with effective communication skills and an enthusiasm for leadership, creativity, and technology. What makes me unique? Not only do I have the academic background to analyze materials, systems, and workplaces and design a system that is more efficient or effective for a company, I understand the concepts behind creativity, entrepreneurship, and leadership and am equipped to contribute an innovative perspective to my work environment. I know how to communicate and empathize across of range of audiences given my eclectic work history. Being involved in organizations that demand time management, accountability, and leadership have contributed largely to my willingness to work in a team environment, help delegate tasks, take on responsibility, encourage others to succeed, and ensure that I keep my engagements and commitments. Aside from my exhibited profound resilience through hardship, I have an underdog's perspective which persists to attain goals amidst a high stress environment, as well as extreme flexibility and great ability to adapt to unexpected change.


Feedback memo

1. I reflected on what traits others saw in me which I didn't see in myself: traits of amicability, great verbal communication, my passion for my projects, and reliability. I incorporated this feedback into the idea napkin by making note of these things in my list of competencies, skills, and strengths.

2. In one of my earlier posts, "Forming an Opportunity Belief" I read the comments and realized that my idea was TOO big. I was out to conquer an extreme project that encompassed a large demographic - basically the entire voting populace - and was largely discouraged to read that while everyone agreed with my idea, there was no dire need for it. This drove me to explore other opportunities, including this fine gem.

3. What propelled my passion for this project were the comments posted in "Need Awareness and Information Search". I was able to gain further insight on specific personal experiences from others and troubles they faced while subleasing or seeking a sublease that provided valuable, tangible information to investigate and create a solution for. This changed my perspective on the unmet needs existing in the world of subleasing students and contributed to the broadening of my solution to make it most effective for my target audience.

4. From the Elevator pitch I was able to gauge how people received verbal communication and most importantly their key takeaways from a short snippet of relatively-engaging video. Since I was able to communicate my ideas very clearly and effectively I was able to focus on the constructive criticism provided which implored me to be more attentive to my body language and gestures. We are visual creatures. A mobile platform or website will ultimately fail if i cannot control the focus of my user or customer and direct them with the ease of use and readability of my application. I incorporated these as new key focuses in this revised idea napkin.

5. Interviewing others without priming them with information was an interesting avenue taken to gain insight and research. When people are interviewed they are compelled to answer immediately without a terrible amount of considerable thought, and their answers are usually honest and impulsive. When I interviewed people regarding this potential service, I received some skepticism but mostly out of curiosity and excitement. Many people I discussed this with not only agreed that this would be of great use to the student community but also felt compelled to share with me their stories and personal experiences to justify the need. Getting feedback from my interviewees helped me recognize the most outstanding factors present in the issue of subleasing apartments, which I incorporated into the above napkin idea.