7A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1
An opportunity I'd like to pursue is to do something about the messiness of trimming beards in the bathroom. Men who trim their beards in the sink end up getting their facial hair all over the sink and counter and it can be hard to clean.
Who: Men who trim beards
What: Men trim beards and the hair gets all over the sink
Why: This is an issue because the hair can be a nuisance and hard to clean up
My hypothesis about this opportunity is that if me have a beard that they regularly trim, then they will have the issue of having to clean their beard hair very frequently.
Interview 1:
Adam C. - college student
Adam says that he does not trim, he shaves his face almost everyday so he does not personally see this issue. However, having to live with people who maintain and trim beards, and after experiencing sharing a bathroom with them for a school year, he sees how this is a problem. He does not like how he used to see the beard hair all over the counters every morning. Adam does not have a personal need for a product that fixes this problem, however this may be an issue that he said he could face, especially since he has been considering growing his beard out. If he does, then this is an issue that he will deal with.
Interview 2:
Amol P. - my roommate
Amol says that this is definitely a problem that he faces. Currently, as a solution, all he does is hold a trash can under his beard while he trims, or he does onto the balcony of the apartment to trim. Although this does work temporarily, he says that this is not a sustainable solution for once he leaves this apartment, as he may not always have a balcony from which he could sweep his beard hair directly into the grass. He says that he wishes there was a better solution since he has an issue seeing his beard in the mirror while he trims his beard on the balcony. Using the trash can is also inconvenient, so he says he would love a new solution.
Interview 3:
Dolly W. - my mom
My mom says that she does not face this issue at all. Since my dad shaves everyday, she does not see his beard hair all over the sink. She said that even when they were dating in college, my dad used to shave everyday, so this was not an issue. For this reason, she does not see this as a big enough problem that people would want a product to have a solution to this need.
Interview 4:
Monica S. - elderly woman cutting my hair
As a hair dresser, Monica says that she is very used to seeing hair everywhere and knows how to clean it fast and easily. Although this is not an issue she personally deals with, she still encounters it in her workplace. However, she understands that the barbers is a place meant for hair to be dropped everywhere and has many facilities, including a cleaning service, to clean up the fallen hair. Hence, she says that even though she does clean the hair off her working area, she does not have to be as clean since she knows someone else will clean it for her. At home, she does not have this issue either, since her husband shaves his face every few days.
Interview 5:
Nancy O. - my mom's friend
As the wife of a man who trims his beard everyday before work, Nancy says she hates the mess that trimming beards causes and wishes there was a better solution. Everyday, she finds herself cleaning after her husband's mess, and in the bathroom, it is always the trimmed hairs that find its way to the counter and around the sink rather than in the sink where she can just wash it down the drain. Even then, she says that the drain can get clogged sometimes because of the hair, which becomes another hassle when her and her husband have to spend time emptying the drain and putting chemicals to unclog the drain.
Overall, I feel that this opportunity certainly exists. What I did not expect with this opportunity was to learn about how people indirectly need this product. Initially, I thought that people who have beards would want a product to solve this issue, and people who do not have beards do not think this is an issue. However, this is a problem that affects many people, directly and indirectly. The market for a product like this is larger than I initially expected.
Who: Men who trim beards
What: Men trim beards and the hair gets all over the sink
Why: This is an issue because the hair can be a nuisance and hard to clean up
My hypothesis about this opportunity is that if me have a beard that they regularly trim, then they will have the issue of having to clean their beard hair very frequently.
Interview 1:
Adam C. - college student
Adam says that he does not trim, he shaves his face almost everyday so he does not personally see this issue. However, having to live with people who maintain and trim beards, and after experiencing sharing a bathroom with them for a school year, he sees how this is a problem. He does not like how he used to see the beard hair all over the counters every morning. Adam does not have a personal need for a product that fixes this problem, however this may be an issue that he said he could face, especially since he has been considering growing his beard out. If he does, then this is an issue that he will deal with.
Interview 2:
Amol P. - my roommate
Amol says that this is definitely a problem that he faces. Currently, as a solution, all he does is hold a trash can under his beard while he trims, or he does onto the balcony of the apartment to trim. Although this does work temporarily, he says that this is not a sustainable solution for once he leaves this apartment, as he may not always have a balcony from which he could sweep his beard hair directly into the grass. He says that he wishes there was a better solution since he has an issue seeing his beard in the mirror while he trims his beard on the balcony. Using the trash can is also inconvenient, so he says he would love a new solution.
Interview 3:
Dolly W. - my mom
My mom says that she does not face this issue at all. Since my dad shaves everyday, she does not see his beard hair all over the sink. She said that even when they were dating in college, my dad used to shave everyday, so this was not an issue. For this reason, she does not see this as a big enough problem that people would want a product to have a solution to this need.
Interview 4:
Monica S. - elderly woman cutting my hair
As a hair dresser, Monica says that she is very used to seeing hair everywhere and knows how to clean it fast and easily. Although this is not an issue she personally deals with, she still encounters it in her workplace. However, she understands that the barbers is a place meant for hair to be dropped everywhere and has many facilities, including a cleaning service, to clean up the fallen hair. Hence, she says that even though she does clean the hair off her working area, she does not have to be as clean since she knows someone else will clean it for her. At home, she does not have this issue either, since her husband shaves his face every few days.
Interview 5:
Nancy O. - my mom's friend
As the wife of a man who trims his beard everyday before work, Nancy says she hates the mess that trimming beards causes and wishes there was a better solution. Everyday, she finds herself cleaning after her husband's mess, and in the bathroom, it is always the trimmed hairs that find its way to the counter and around the sink rather than in the sink where she can just wash it down the drain. Even then, she says that the drain can get clogged sometimes because of the hair, which becomes another hassle when her and her husband have to spend time emptying the drain and putting chemicals to unclog the drain.
Overall, I feel that this opportunity certainly exists. What I did not expect with this opportunity was to learn about how people indirectly need this product. Initially, I thought that people who have beards would want a product to solve this issue, and people who do not have beards do not think this is an issue. However, this is a problem that affects many people, directly and indirectly. The market for a product like this is larger than I initially expected.
After reading your hypothesis and the interviews, I agree with you that it seems like an opportunity does exist. I think the interviews showed how the people with the problem are those who have beards, or those who live with someone who has a beard. Your mom's interview is an example of how the issue probably does not affect most females, or most males who shave regularly. I have a friend with a beard, and I have heard him talk about the problems of maintaining it before. He has to buy certain beard oils and products as well. I think that even though the problem may not affect most women directly, a solution could be given as a gift to those who do have beards.
ReplyDeleteI would be someone that this is not really an issue for. I usually shave every day or every other day so I do not have a beard problem. I have never really lived with someone that has had a beard either. They have either just let it grow out until they shave it all off or just stay clean shaven. My dad has always been clean shaven too so I have never really seen the problem first hand. I do see that there is quite a bit of people that do always have a beard so I could see that there is a market for this.
ReplyDeleteHey Akshay!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to start off by great observation on this opportunity belief! This is indeed an issue that I have been through myself with my boyfriend. I and he are always arguing about how he keeps forgetting to clean up after his facial hairs when he shaves in the morning, just like your mom’s friend. I do have the same situation with the sink getting clogged up every now and then from the situation. I believe if there was a product in the market to solve this issue many girlfriends/wives will be the main consumers purchasing the product.