- I do not believe that changing the technology or anything that drastic should be done moving forward, unless the product didn't work. After giving it some thought, I feel that the next logical move would be to improve the app that is connected to the device. I haven't put too much thought into the app yet, as the product would still need to be created. I do feel that the app has a lot of potential, and I think it would be nice to be able to store the information you received from the device and if you could share locations with other anglers. Lastly, being able to upload pictures of the fish anglers catch, along with the location could be useful information and cool if you could share them with other anglers.
Interviews
- The first angler I interviewed didn't talk too much. What I gathered from the interview is that he wasn't too sure of what I could do next. He mentioned that just getting the product out would be the first logical step, and he agreed that the app adjustments would be smart.
- The next angler I interviewed said it would be interesting if I made a non-portable sonar next, like the ones you find on the bigger boats. I personally do not feel that this is a good idea, because there is so much competition already present. He didn't have much to say about the app idea. He was just more concerned with the product working.
- The last angler I interviewed didn't have too many great ideas for what to do next, He mentioned advertising some different ways, but they were a little far-fetched. When I talked about improvements to the app, he liked most of the ideas. He said he wouldn't like the location sharing, because people want to keep their fishing spots to themselves, so they don't become over fished.
Next Step In the Existing Market
- Other than finding some new ways to advertise the product, the interviews were not all that useful. I believe that the changes to the app seem like a good idea, and I believe that the changes will be beneficial. I will have to look into the location sharing aspect a bit more, but overall, I think it'll be some good changes.
- Next, I could conduct some interviews to see what kind of changes and adjustments people would like to see within the app. Also, I could conduct more interviews to see if people had any other ideas for the existing market, because the individuals who I interviewed did not have many ideas.
New Market
- A radically new market I could target would be a sonar system for divers or snorkelers. I could create a device that will give them a general idea of what's down in the water before they go in themselves. I haven't done too much research on the area, and there may be plenty of products out there already. I just figured it's a new market, and it sounds like it could be an interesting idea. I'm not sure what specific information the sonar could pick up or would need to pick up for a diver, I would have to look more into it.
Interviews
- I have some friends that are marine science majors, so I interviewed them. After interviewing both I understood that the device I'm proposing wouldn't be necessary in diving. They both said that sonar isn't used too often, because places people dive are often known. My first friend was saying that for deeper dives they're going to use specialized technology, and that would be a tough market to get into. Also, my other friend was saying that sonar might be used in underwater archaeology, but she wasn't too confident on that.
- While conducting the interviews I found that creating a sonar device for diving or snorkeling would not be a great idea because sonar isn't used that often. Divers often practice on well-known locations or areas which have something important. If divers are looking for something important for research or just to practice, then more than likely they will not look for an area which is unknown and will need sonar.
- Underwater archaeology was mentioned in the interviews and it sounds like an interesting market, but I think the technology may be too complicated. Archaeologist are going to extreme depths in many cases and that will take even more expertise to build a device to handle that. I am still trying to figure out how to get my portable device built first, so creating a new device is not the main priority. Overall, the market does not seem as attractive as I initially imagined.
The most productive part of this assignment seems to have been the interviews. One of the anglers mentioned that location sharing might not be favored because people don’t want other anglers to know where they fish. This kind of outside opinion is really crucial to have because it helps you understand your market from perspective that might not occur to you.
ReplyDeleteI think your idea or improving the app is a very smart move. Everyone loves the idea of having technology connected to whatever they are doing. It’s a new way to get people to buy your product by offering all the extra perks of using your angler compared to your competitions. You would need to have a developer which would mean extra costs, but in the long run I think it would be very beneficial.
ReplyDeleteAn app focus is a good idea – as long as the product actually works, the customer interaction is all going to be with the app – so the app is their experience, more than the product.
ReplyDeleteI think your new market idea was interesting, but your interviews were insightfully re-directing. If you did launch this successfully, I think your “next” thing would best be a different device or service targeting anglers – that’s your area of interest/knowledge/passion and it is where your customer base would be.