I believe there is an unmet need with texting
and driving. Many people use their phone while driving. People assume they can
multitask while driving or will text at stop lights, but it can still cause
accidents. This is not a new problem, but it is still reoccurring despite it being
dangers. Many people will put their phone on “do not disturb”, put their phone
away, put their phone on vibrate or will go on their phone when they are
stopped. Approximately 660,000 drivers attempt to use their phones while
driving throughout the day and the National Safety Council reports that cell
phone use while driving leads to 1.6 crashes each year. In the united states, 1
out of 4 car accidents occurred because of texting and driving and it is six
times more likely to cause an accident than drinking and driving. It is a
serious problem in the United States. I believe there can be an app or a
program installed in the phone to stop or deter people from texting and
driving. I am 70 percent sure an opportunity exists.
#1: Female
college student age 21, Florida resident; owns a car and scooter
1.
Have you ever texted/used
your phone while driving?
o
“Yes, being honest I
find myself texting and driving often.”
2.
When you are texting
and driving (if you do), do you realize it is dangerous?
o
“Sometimes, other
times it just becomes second nature.”
3.
When you realize
that you are texting and driving, what do you usually do?
o
“When I realize that
I’m focusing more on my phone than driving, I try to correct myself and put my
phone away.”
4.
Before you drive, how
do you prevent yourself from texting and driving?
o
“I will try to do
voice-to-text or use Seri or other methods that keep my eyes and on the road.”
5.
Are you happy with
this solution?
o
“No, I feel that
there needs to be more awareness to this issue, as well as other solutions.”
6.
How would you feel
about a program or app that helps prevent you from using your phone while driving?
o
“I would love and
support it!”
REFLECTION: This prototypical customer shocked
me with one of her answers: “it just becomes second nature.” People are
becoming accustom to using their phone while driving, which is not good. I am
learning people are aware of the dangers, but continue to use their phone and
drive .
#2: Female
college student age 21, Florida resident; owns a car
1.
Have you ever texted/used
your phone while driving?
o
“Yes, I've both used
my phone and texted while driving before. I used my phone to change the music a
lot, and sometimes I'll check my texts at red lights.”
2.
When you are texting
and driving (if you do), do you realize it is dangerous?
o
“I do realize it is
dangerous, and so I'm trying to use my phone less when I drive. But I think in
the moment, I don't realize actually how dangerous it is.”
3.
When you realize
that you are texting and driving, what do you usually do?
o
“When I realize that
I'm texting and driving, I usually put my phone down. It can usually wait until
I'm not driving anymore.”
4.
Before you drive, how
do you prevent yourself from texting and driving?
o
“To prevent myself
from texting and driving, I usually put my phone in my purse and put my purse
in the passenger seat. This makes sure that my phone is out of my reach.”
5.
Are you happy with
this solution?
o
“I'm only half
satisfied with this solution because half of the time I forget to put my phone
in my purse. I can't help but think there has to be a better solution.”
6.
How would you feel
about a program or app that helps prevent you from using your phone while driving?
o
“I would love an app
or program that prevents texting and driving! I think it’s becoming a huge
problem in our society and I've even seen my friends text and drive with me in
the car, which is scary.”
REFLECTION: Many people try to put their phone
away and far away, yet still end up reaching it at some points. When driving
with friends, people still text even though a friend in the car with them. A
solution could be the friend text/use the phone for them. Using the phone to
change songs can be dangerous as well and some people underestimate that
factor, especially if they take too long to change the song.
#3:
Male adult 27, Texas resident; owns a car
1.
Have you ever texted/used
your phone while driving?
o
“I have used my
phone while driving.”
2.
When you are texting
and driving (if you do), do you realize it is dangerous?
o
“I do realize it is
dangerous. One has to be extremely aware or even more conscience of their
surroundings in this case.”
3.
When you realize
that you are texting and driving, what do you usually do?
o
“I usually do voice
to text to make it safer for myself and others on the road. I have my Bluetooth
car system read my messages for me then wait till I am at a stop sign or red
light to respond or read messages.”
4.
Before you drive, how
do you prevent yourself from texting and driving?
o
“Sometimes to
prevent it, I will leave my phone in my violin case where I am not able to get
to it. I will also call people rather than texting them while driving.”
5.
Are you happy with
this solution?
o
“I am content with
the solution. There is a law that has made Texas a hands-free state. I am
happier about that solution.”
6.
How would you feel
about a program or app that helps prevent you from using your phone while driving?
o
“I think it
would be a helpful idea. I know that Apple is toying around with idea of having
a version of “airplane” mode automatically come on when your car hits a certain
speed. I am interested in seeing if this will have an impact of traffic and
people’s lives.”
REFLECTION: I asked people I know in Texas because
I know of this new law coming in place. I am glad the state is doing something
to help prevent texting and driving, but I don’t know if it is enough. The
Texas law becomes active this September. Hopefully, there will be a decrease in
accidents.
Summary: I think the opportunity is still
here, but it needs to be refined to what can be done. Many people put away
their phones or use the voice texting. It is still unsafe to use your phone
while driving. After interviewing different people, I believe it is more
accurate after these interactions because there is a temporary solution, but it
is not always full proof. For entrepreneurs to succeed, they need to adapt to
make the best of the information they are given from feedback. It is not necessary
to change everything that is not liked by the customer, but it can help refine
and shape the final product.
I agree 100% on this one. I catch myself using my phone while driving too. I normally don't text when driving but I do change songs on my phone and answer calls while I'm driving. The problem with this is, there are already many apps you can download on your phone that'll restrict you from using your phone when a car is in motion. What if it restrict everyone else in the car? These are all apps. For example, a great opportunity would maybe be having Apple restrict all iPhone users from using their cell phones when in a car. But will Apple do that? who knows! Maybe you can enforce it on Apple or any other phone companies (:
ReplyDeleteThe questions you asked were great for getting a better insight. I even answered them in my head before reading your prototypical customers.
Keep up the good work!
Hi Shelby,
ReplyDeleteI think you summarized what you found in your research very well. Texting and driving is so dangerous and so common, it’s scary. The responses that your prototypical customers gave really surprised. The fact that texting while driving is second nature to some people is frightening. I believe there is a large gap here that exists in the world, but finding out the best way to deal with it is not very easy because people are so used to texting and driving.
Hi Shelby!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea and 100% agree that the opportunity is there to solve this huge problem!
I myself do not text and drive, however I do talk to people of the phone while driving and even that can be a distraction! If there was an app or service that made it impossible to text while your car was in drive, I would totally use and support it. An app or service like that would prevent countless accidents and save lives. It is unfortunate that most people are so connected to their phones that they can’t resist texting while driving but that is where this opportunity arises. If people don’t have enough self control to choose not to be distracted, they can turn on the app or maybe once the car is in drive it automatically activates therefore the temptation is gone because they won’t be able to text even if they want to.