7A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1
Left-handed people do not have the same benefits as right handed students due to the lack of companies creating products equally for left handed people in more locations. The reason for this is only 10-13% of the population is left handed, so companies don’t make a big profit on making left-handed products.
The who: Left- handed people
The what: Companies rarely make products equally for left handed people
The why: There are not many left handed people in the world and companies don’t make products for the minority.
Testing the who: The left-handed population has this unmet need
Testing the what: Is there not much profit making more left-handed friendly items? Is it possible to create more left-handed items? Does it cost more to produce left-handed friendly items? exactly how many people will benefit from a solution to this opportunity? Such a small population has this need that either companies don’t pay much mind to this or they are just focused on the majority.
Testing the why: Left-handed people may just get accustomed to using right-handed products and get use to it. Maybe left-handed people know there are not many of left-handed people so they keep the bothers to themselves. Companies don’t pay any mind to the small percentage of those with the unmet needs.
Interview summary: I interviewed three left-handed people, one right-handed mother with a left-handed child, and a right-handed person. The reason for interviewing a right-handed person is because I wanted to see if this need was noticed from the opposite. Interviewing her made me realize that not many people pay attention to small details, especially if it is not a concern for them. Interviewing the mother give me a great insight on children that are left-handed. She expressed how difficult it was for her to teach her child how to tie his shoe. The mother also expressed how frustrating it is to see her child struggling with writing and using tools for activities. She explained that she has tried to accommodate to her son and buying him left-handed friendly products but they just seem to expensive. For example, her son is beginning to play baseball and when she went with him to go buy a glove, there was about three left handed gloves that did not fit him. She had to order his glove online which was expensive for her. I realized that this opportunity can affect people who don’t have this opportunity. Speaking to the left-handed customer seemed to make me thinking about if it was really worth finding a solution for this. These customers were between the ages of 20 and 30 years old. As a child they had the most difficulties being left-handed but as they got older they seemed to just deal with the problem and don’t even notice it is a problem. One interviewer told me “I don’t know if i’d even bother buying left-handed products because i’m so used to using right-handed things.” As of now, I think left-handed children have the most unmet need which I didn’t think about. Creating a left-handed friendly company would probably receive the most from parents who have left-handed children. This changes my “who” too. Not only is it left-handed people with the opportunity, it is also the parents of left-handed children who have this problem too. I don’t think a solution to this opportunity will make a huge difference to all left-handed people. I believe it will help most for children that are affected by this problem.
Hi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI love the opportunity you have come up with. Both my parents are left-handed and weirdly, non of my siblings or I are left-handed. Although I have not talked to my parents about them being left-handed very much, I learned that my parents actually learned to do many things with their right hand while growing up. My mom actually was taught to play tennis right-handed because her parents did not know she was left-handed. I agree with your overall statement that a solution to this problem will not make a huge difference to all left-handed people. I think it is beneficial, but only to a certain point. Great post!
Hi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI like this opportunity. I commented on an old post of yours relating to this opportunity. I never noticed it because I am right handed. I think you could find something here. I am glad you changed the who to children because that is the time to really figure out a solution. The different people you interviewed gave good insight to the hypothesis. Nice work!
Hey Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad someone as passionate for lefty rights as yourself undertook this opportunity. Creating a hub for these items is something that can benefit a lot of lefty children and parents, especially if they are not increased in price, as some companies love to do. Your interviews reinforced your points well, and provided many different useful perspectives on the issue, persepectives that I personally would not have considered. I guess myself and the other person you interviewed have it in common that we didn't realize prices were marked up, and that there was such a clear discrimination between the hands.