Idea Napkin No. 2 19A

1.     You

My name is Brandi Gibbs, but I go by my middle name Summer. I am a Psychology major at UF. I’m enrolled in the 100% online program. So, I’ve actually only been to the campus one time. After interviewing five people that are closest to me, I found that they view me as a fast learner that can set aside distractions and focus on the task at hand. Although I am sometimes shy, I enjoy speaking in front of a large crowd. I participated in talent shows, plays, and speeches from elementary through high school. The last speech I gave was at the end of my senior year in front of my graduating class, parents, and teachers. I would like to find opportunities to give more speeches and influence more people. I think my idea could give me the opportunity to actually create it and talk to people about it.

2.     What are you offering to customers?

The product I am offering is a small, black device that is about the size of a key fob. It has a button on it that will immediately call emergency services and sound a loud alarm that can startle the attacker and alert people that are nearby. One change that I have made is that the button should be held down for a few seconds to ensure there aren’t any accidental calls.

3.     Who are you offering it to?

Although some men and older women may benefit from the device, my customers are mainly girls and young women that go out alone or with young children. The one thing they all have in common is that they have felt worried at some point while out alone. Therefore, they all feel the need for more protection. Through my interviews I have found that even women with tasers or concealed weapon permits still feel the need for more protection.

My target demographic is young women, but some of my customers could be parents or siblings of those young women. I believe that parents would be willing to buy this product for their children (whether or not those children are still living at home or are adults).

4.     Why do they care?

I believe that customers will pay for this product because it is for their safety. Not only will it give them some peace of mind, but if they actually are attacked, it could save their life. In my opinion, having the location service on it that enables the police to track them to an exact location is a big sell point.

5.     What are your core competencies?

The device is unique because it not only sounds an alarm and calls the police, but it also gives them a specific GPS location of the victim. This means that even if the victim is unable to communicate with emergency services, they will still be located. I have not found any other devices that have all of these features. In addition, I believe my product could be offered without any fees. Since emergency calls are free of charge, I think we could work with police departments and cell phone services to eliminate monthly fees.

Putting it all together:

I think it may be difficult to not have a monthly fee, but I truly believe that it could be done. The device is only to be used to directly call emergency services. It only has one button on it; there will not be options to call other people. This is the reason I believe it could be free of service fees. If not, then I think customers may pay a small fee of $10 a month. I know a lot of young people that spend $10+ a month on Netflix, Spotify, etc.

I have made a couple of changes since my first idea napkin including, marketing the device to parents and making the button have to be held down for a few seconds.