Testing the Hypothesis - Part 2

I interviewed two undergraduate students (one was a biology major from Florida and one was an accounting major from Venezuela), two graduate students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and a Florida Forest Service employee. 

The girl from Venezuela pointed out that bed bugs are more prevalent in Latin America than in the United States. She said that she hasn’t seen any bed bugs in the US, but could have used something to detect bed bugs while in Venezuela. 

The undergrad from Florida said that he has had problems with roaches in Miami. He said that he has woken up with bug bites after staying in hotels. He doesn’t know if these were bed bug bites, but this is what he suspects. 

The graduate students I interviewed both study entomology. They have never encountered bed bugs. They believe an inexpensive detector could be sold to hotels or businesses, but would not appeal to ordinary people. They also believe most middle-class Americans can afford pest control and that this product would only appeal to low-income Americans.

A training center at the FFS has actually been infested with bed bugs during the past few months. They recently had this training center treated (this treatment was expensive), and no bed bugs remain.

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?

Yes

1. People who live in apartment complexes that offer free pest control services.

Although most apartment complexes offer pest control, they often charge residents for bed bug treatments. Private landlords may also charge renters for bed bug treatments. This product would appeal to these people; however, this product would not appeal to people who live in complexes with free pest control services.)

2. Homeowners.

Apartment complexes are susceptible to infestations because bed bugs can easily move from one room to another once introduced. Homeowners are less likely to encounter bed bugs; however, homeowners may encounter bed bugs at hotels or movie theaters. 

3. People who never travel

Homeowners who never travel are less likely to encounter bed bugs because the majority of bed bug infestations occur in hotels and apartment complexes. 

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 for a device that can monitor for bed bugs differs from the need for affordable pest control. During interviews, more people complained about roaches or flies than bed bugs. The need for an effective way to monitor for and control other pests is still relevant and is not solved by this device.

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

Although monitoring for bed bugs doesn’t solve the need for affordable pest control, this device does solve the need for affordable bed bug monitoring. This device solves one part of a larger problem. Since most household pests thrive under similar conditions, someone in need of an affordable roach treatment may also need an affordable device that monitors for bed bugs. Overall, these two groups may overlap.