4A- Forming An Opportunity Belief

The opportunity belief that I have identified for this assignment is the overcrowding of cars and not enough parking around campus. I live in Gainesville and it is extremely hard to find parking around campus. I'm not sure if this problem existed before I attended the University but for the two years I have been here it has been a huge issue for myself and fellow classmates. The need for more parking started when more students brought their cars to school causing an over population of cars and no spots. This need is starting to increase and it is becoming more and more frustrating to the point where it would be faster if you walked or used Uber to your location instead of using a personal car. The only way to stop this problem is if Gainesville opens more parking facilities or less people bring their car to school. I know for majority of other Universities  you are not allowed to bring a car your freshman year and sometimes even your sophomore year. I think this is a smart idea because you won't have to deal with the problem of look for parking for 30 minutes. I am 100% sure this opportunity exists because it is a hassle everyday to find parking.  

I spoke with 3 prototypical customers who all live in Gainesville with vehicles:

Female student (Sophomore)

Do you mostly walk or drive to places on campus? Why?

“I sometimes walk but I mostly scoot because it is quicker than walking, but parking is always more available for scooters than cars.”

Do you usually find it difficult to find parking around campus?

“I find it extremely hard if not impossible to find parking on campus.”

How long do you usually spend looking for parking?

“I look for parking for approximately 20-25 minutes each time I use my car.”

Would you get to your destination faster if you walked because trying to find parking will take just as long?

“Yes, it is often faster to walk rather than search for parking.”

On a scale of 1-10 rate how difficult it is to find parking on campus with a brief explanation

“I would say it's a 9 because I spend so much time trying to find parking.”

Male student (Senior)

Do you mostly walk or drive to places on campus? Why?

“I usually scoot or walk to places on campus depending on how far I have to go. I never drive my car to class.”

Do you usually find it difficult to find parking around campus?

“Parking on campus is impossible. There are not enough spots.”

How long do you usually spend looking for parking?

“I would say I usually spend 5 minutes looking for scooter parking and last year I would spend 15-20 min looking for car parking.

Would you get to your destination faster if you walked because trying to find parking will take just as long?

“I would think you would get to your destination faster if you walked, most of the time walking takes less time.”

On a scale of 1-10 rate how difficult it is to find parking on campus with a brief explanation

“8.5, I can usually find a spot for my scooter. I make room for my scooter and sometimes I just get lucky. There is not enough car parking,  last year I didn't even want to drive my car because I knew finding parking when I got back would take forever.”

Female student (Junior)

Do you mostly walk or drive to places on campus? Why?

“I mostly walk on campus but drive to places off campus.”

Do you usually find it difficult to find parking around campus?

“Yes Ii find it hard to find parking on campus.”

How long do you usually spend looking for parking?

“Probably 10-20 mins.”

Would you get to your destination faster if you walked because trying to find parking will take just as long?

“I think that walking is definitely faster sometimes when it is at a time where parking garages are crowded.”

On a scale of 1-10 rate how difficult it is to find parking on campus with a brief explanation

“I would rate the difficulty of finding parking about a 8 because I don't really use my car around campus and I have a designated spot at my house.”

After speaking with each of these prototypical customers I learned that each person generally felt the same way about parking around campus. Out of experience I knew that parking was extremely difficult and frustrating and after interviewing these people I  was reassured that I am not the only one who feels that way.  I was not surprised by these responses  I feel like majority of students who own a car feel the same way.

I have concluded that the majority of college students at UF have their cars on campus. In addition, It is very important that entrepreneurs adapt their opportunities based on customers feedback because they need proof that this problem does exist and there is no better way of finding out these problems then interviewing people about things that bother them and listening to their feedback.