9A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

Who: Are there certain people or certain businesses that, although they share a lot in common with the others in your opportunity, nevertheless fall outside the boundary? Why?

There are certain people that fall outside the boundary of the opportunity. While many people eat fresh fruits, not everyone buys it. There were some people who separated errands with their roommates- one did not have time and the other did not have a car- and as such they were unaware of how fast fruits need to be replaced. Although the food rots at the same rate as everyone else’s, their unawareness and involvement hides the problem and therefore makes the opportunity seem unnecessary to them. Similarly, other people shared that they are buying groceries for themselves for the first time- as occurred for those that explained the existence of the problem. However, despite the fact that they are college students, and do their own groceries, some did not report buying any fruits or vegetables. This was not due to an aversion towards saving money, just due to personal preference. They rarely bought any fresh fruit, as they don’t use it often in recipes or eat it alone, and buy it infrequently. They too fall out of the boundary, despite their similar demographics and experiences as those who the opportunity caters to.

What: At what point does the need you identified differ from another need? (Is thirst the same as hunger? Or is the desire to appear fashionable the same as the desire to be loved by others?)

The need I identified differs from another when it ventures into how to keep fruit last longer. Fruit rots quickly, and has to be eaten quickly before it goes bad. The fruit calendar aims to help people remember to eat it before it begins to rot. This is not the same, however, as a product which lengthens the time before it expires. Customers should not expect the short lifespan to be extended.

Why: Is the underlying cause of the outsiders' need different than people who are inside the boundary?

The cause that the outsider’s needs are different than those inside the boundary is that those outside of the boundary are unaware, and therefore unphased. They are not aware of buying fruits and having to throw them away, as they do it infrequently or share the errand with someone else. This makes the problem seem smaller than it would be for those who use many fruits in their diet, or who buy it themselves.

Inside the Boundary		Outside the Boundary
Who Is in	People who buy fruits themselves, people who are on a constrained budget, those with vegan or vegetarian diets, those attempting to achieve a healthier diet	Who is not	People who don’t buy their own groceries and are unaware of how often it needs replacement, People who don’t eat a diet with fruits in it, Those who don’t have a tight food budget and forget about their fruits
What the Need is	To be reminded that they have fruit and that it’ll expire soon	What the need is not	There is no need for them to have a reminder of what fruits they bought and when they go bad
Why the need exists	Fruit rots quickly and has to be thrown out soon after. People don’t want to waste money or have rotting food in their home.	Alternative explanations	They find the problem to be small or insignificant, and it does not phase or affect them much. They aren’t actively involved in the process, so it can continue without them feeling annoyed or looking for a change.