9A - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

Who:

·      Throughout my interviews, I found some people that fall outside of my market. These people have the RTS app and live in Gainesville, but use their scooter or car to get to campus and around Gainesville instead of the bus. I interviewed a student named Christian who is 22 years old, a girl who works on campus at the help desk named Carley, and a teacher at an elementary school. Christian and Carley both had similar answers to my questions and very similar stories. They both mentioned that they will sometimes use the bus on weekends to get to midtown, but that overall, they don’t use or rely on the RTS app to get them to a place on time. They just use their scooters instead, so neither of them have the need for a new RTS app. The teacher actually mentioned that she has the RTS app, but uses it only to help her 2 children who are in college get around when she’s not available. She stated that she has heard the RTS app is unreliable through her kids who use the bus, but has never experienced it for herself. Therefore, she doesn’t have the need.

·      My forth interview, was with a high school student. She is 17 years old and her name is Maddie. Maddie mentioned that she lives in Gainesville, doesn’t have a car, and needs to get to school and practice every day. I thought she was the perfect fit for the new RTS app, because she could be using the bus system to get where she needs to go. However, it turns out she carpools every day to practice and school with her friend. She also mentioned that she doesn’t know any high schoolers that take the RTS buses because their parents don’t think it’s a safe option. So, now many high schoolers in Gainesville don’t have the need for a new RTS app.

What:

·      The need for a reliable RTS app to get to places on time, differs than the need of someone who uses the app to catch a bus to midtown or to go party (for an unimportant reason). The need can differ depending on what someone is using the app for. My 5^th interview, was with a 21-year-old male, who goes out and parties every weekend. He said he uses the RTS app and takes the bus to midtown so that he doesn’t have to pay for an Uber. So, his need for a reliable RTS app, doesn’t exist because he doesn’t really care when the bus arrives, he just needs to take it. He has a different need than anyone I interviewed in my previous assignment, who need a reliable RTS app to get somewhere on time (like school or work) and really just for an actual purpose and responsibility.

Why:

·      The underlying cause of the outsider’s need is in fact different than people who are inside the boundary. The outsider may be using the bus system for fun and doesn’t care about getting places on time, because they don’t really have a time frame of when they need to get somewhere. While the insiders need is all about getting places on time and having a reliable RTS app to help them do so.

·      Sometimes, the outsiders need could be the same as the insiders need. For example, an outsider who has a scooter and takes it to school normally, has to take the bus one morning because their scooter wouldn’t start. In this case, the outsider, now has the insiders need of a reliable app because they need the bus to get them where they need to go.  

	Inside the boundary		Outside the boundary
Who is in:	Anyone who uses the RTS bus app. Including; College students, teachers, workers, patients traveling to the hospitals, families, etc.	Who is not:	People that don’t use the RTS app. Including: people with a parking pass on campus, people with working scooters, high school students.
What the need is:	-A reliable RTS app that works, refreshes, and gives users the right information. -An app that allows people who take the bus and are trying to get places ON TIME to do so.	What the need is not:	-People who use the RTS app to catch a bus to somewhere of no importance. Ex: to midtown so they don’t have to pay for an Uber.
Why the need exists:	-People need to get places on time, and the current RTS app has many problems. -Some students don’t own cars, a parking pass on campus is so expensive, and some people can’t afford a scooter, so they rely on the buses and the app to get them where they need to go. The app is unreliable, so they all end up being late and missing their buses.	Alternative explanations:	-People have bad time management skills and miss the bus. -People don’t pay their phone bill and loose cell service and “can’t refresh the app”