4A- Forming An Opportunity Identification

Hello Everyone,
I am sure you all remember my list of 20 bugs. Today I am going to be going back over that list and trying to identify one of my personal bugs that many other individuals might be able to relate to. The bug that I believe a lot of people can relate to is #6. This bug states "Parking at UF. There are so many students at the University of Florida, however, I do not believe that there is enough parking for students who do not live on campus. It would make more sense to me to have the students that live on campus not be able to park on campus in the school parking lots because they can walk to class."
I believe that this is a serious issue for many of the students at the University of Florida, including the on campus students. I am a student at the University of Florida that lives off campus. There have been many times where I have wanted to go to the library to study, however, it was nearly impossible to make it to campus during school hours without a hassle. Yes, there is a bus that goes from my apartment complex to the hub on campus, however, this adds almost an hour extra in travel time. 
My freshman year at the University of Florida, I lived on campus. As a freshman living on campus I was not allowed to park in front of my dorm. The closest parking lot to me was over a half mile away. This made it extrememly difficult to go anywhere off campus, for example the grocery store. I know that there are many other students at the University of Florida that experience the same issues as myself when it comes to parking. I do believe that there is something that can be done about this issue. 
I decided to sit down with three different students at the University of Florida and gain some feedback from my potential customers. 
Potential Customer 1
1.Do you live on campus or off campus as a University of Florida student?
-I am a student at the University of Florida and I live on campus 
2. Do you own a car that you drive around the town of Gainesville?
-I do own a car and I have had one since I started at UF.
3. Have you ever found the parking at the University of Florida to be an inconvenience?
-I have in fact found the parking at the University of Florida to be difficult at times, even living on campus. 
4. Whether you live on or off campus, do you notice a time that the parking is more inconvenient than others?
-Because I live in a dorm room, I find the parking for me to be more difficult at night when everyone is in for the night, I have also found the parking inconvenient during the day, during business hours. I have a red one decal, there is a limited amount of parking lots to accommodate this decal. It is extremely difficult to find parking near any of my classes. I usually have to end up walking or taking the bus. I would not mind walking, however, my classes are not anywhere near my dorm.
5. How long as this been an issue for you?
-I am currently a freshman this spring and it has always been an issue for me, especially during the summer semester because of the extreme heat. 
6. Do you think something should be done to accommodate the students at the University of Florida when it comes to parking. 
-I definitely think something should be done about the parking situation at the University of Florida. It seems to me that they built new parking lots that only accommodate certain decals and it is frustrating because those parking lots are never full. 
Potential Customer 2
1. Do you live on campus or off campus as a University of Florida student?
-I live off campus. 
2. Do you own a car that you drive around the town of Gainesville?
-Yes
3. Have you ever found the parking at the University of Florida to be an inconvenience?
-I have always been a student that has lived off campus, since my freshman year. I have always found the parking at UF to be an inconvenience, especially since I live off campus. 
4. Whether you live on or off campus, do you notice a time that the parking is more inconvenient than others?
- I find parking to be more difficult when it is during business hours. Being a student at UF that lives off campus it is always such a hassle if anything has to be done on campus, if it is during business hours. 
5. How long as this been an issue for you?
-I have always found this to be an issue. 
6. Do you think something should be done to accommodate the students at the University of Florida when it comes to parking. 
-I definitely think something should be done about the parking situation at UF. I think not being able to park on campus, puts a lot of extra stress on students. 

Potential Customer 3
1. Do you live on campus or off campus as a University of Florida student?
-I live off campus 
2. Do you own a car that you drive around the town of Gainesville?
-Yes
3. Have you ever found the parking at the University of Florida to be an inconvenience?
-Yes, I have always found the parking situation at UF to be an inconvenience. I have lived both on and off campus and it is definitely harder when you live off campus. 
4. Whether you live on or off campus, do you notice a time that the parking is more inconvenient than others?
-When I lived on campus it is very easy if I have to walk to an advisors office, or the infirmary. Now that I live off campus it is extremely difficult because I have to rely on the bus to be on time and this adds about 45 minutes to my commute when I am going to campus. 
5. How long as this been an issue for you?
-I have always found the parking difficult, however, It is ten times worse living off campus. 
6. Do you think something should be done to accommodate the students at the University of Florida when it comes to parking. 
-I definitely think something needs to be done about the parking on campus. not necessarily a new parking lot, but maybe just a better system. 

I honestly did not really find this opportunity surprising. I have known for a while now that the parking at the University of Florida aggravates a lot of people. Each of these individuals, as well as myself have experienced a time where the parking has been an inconvenience. 
I think there is a lot of opportunity for improvement when it comes to the parking situation at the University of Florida. 
I definitely think that the students that live on campus have an extreme advantage because they are in the heart of the University and all of the busses run through there, so it is not as difficult to get a bus to where you need to go. Even if the student that lives on campus has to walk to class it is much shorter of a walk for them, than it is for the students that live off campus. 
I think it is very important for an entrepreneur to adapt to their feedback because these are their potential customers that they are hearing from and their feedback is what is most important.

Comments

  1. Tsubasa ItoJanuary 30, 2020 at 9:32 PM

    Hey Taylor! I enjoyed reading your work. I agree that UF doesn't have enough parking for students. Although i don't have a car here, a lot of my friends always complain about parking lot. I also agree that something should be done to improve the current situation. I think UF has to do something for off-campus students to utilize prking. Thanks for the post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. ElizabethFebruary 2, 2020 at 2:42 PM

    Hey Taylor!
    Parking at UF is such an issue for so many people, and I agree that this is definitely an unmet opportunity and need that should be addressed. I personally do not have a car up here, but many of my friends do. They always complain on the amount of student parking vs faculty. It also seems like it is more of an issue for students who commute to class as they do not live on campus. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Celinda MillandFebruary 3, 2020 at 10:14 AM

    Taylor,
    I found your post interesting because I read another student's post that was related to transportation at UF. I feel that if there is more than one student seeing a similar opportunity here at the University, it probably really is there! I'm really interested in finding out what kind of solution would be brought about in relation to the parking issues. I personally don't live on/near campus, but I can really resonate with your frustrations with the parking, as it's a big issue everywhere I go.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sofia Gonzalez RosselotFebruary 3, 2020 at 10:40 AM

    Hi taylor,
    I'm completely agree with you, the parking situation at the University of Florida is definitely a problem. Many times I can't understand how such a large and wide university doesn't have enough parking lots, and besides that, you need a decal if you want to bring the car that isn't worth it in the end because it's so expensive. Great post!

    ReplyDelete

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