ENT3003 Assignment 4A – Forming An Opportunity Belief

Forming an Opportunity Belief: 

I believe that an opportunity may exist for an altered mechanical pencil that can improve an issue that most currently have. The unmet need would be the inability to track your lead count while using a mechanical pencil. The people with this need would be anyone that uses a mechanical pencil. This need has always existed for mechanical pencils as the lead is placed inside of the pencil, which is then covered by a solid outside layer. For now, the only way a user can tell if they’re low on lead is by emptying the pencil and seeing how much lead is left or by simply running out and not being able to write anymore. I feel like there is about a 50% chance this opportunity exists as some mechanical pencils already do include slightly transparent centers, but these don’t seem to be as popular, perhaps they don’t solve the issue sufficiently.

The prototypical customer for this product would be students age 12-20 that frequently choose mechanical pencils for their school work. While almost all people use pencils in some form, students go through pencils a lot quicker than other people. Furthermore, students below age 12 are likely in elementary school and either get given a pencil by their parents or from the school and don’t make the choice themselves. Conversely, people above age 20 typically rely more on technology when doing writing for university or work as they’re passed the introductory writing courses that occur around freshman and sophomore years of college.


Interviews with Prototypical Customers:

1. Female, Age 20, University Sophomore from the UK

• Have you ever run out of lead in your mechanical pencil?
• Not too often, I mostly just use normal pencils.
• Do you ever worry about not knowing how much lead you have left in your pencil?
• Not really, I’ve only frequently used a clear mechanical pencil that allows me to see how many pieces of lead is left.
• Would you say then, that you never really run out of lead?
• Well, I still do… but only because I have no lead to replace it with.
• How long have you been using Mechanical Pencils, when did you first start?
• I first used a mechanical pencil around 3-4 years ago.
• What do you currently do to avoid running out of lead? 
• When I use a mechanical pencil, I try to look inside of the pencil to see how much is left
• Are you satisfied with your current solution to avoiding this issue?
• I thought I was, but I actually have run out of lead a few times.

Reflection: Some people have mechanical pencils that are clear, this allows for the lead to be seen, but not clearly enough for you to always know when you’re running out. It seems another common problem with Mechanical Pencils is the lack of lead availability once you’ve run out of lead in your current pencil.


2. Male, Age 18, Incoming College Freshman

• Have you ever run out of lead in your mechanical pencil?
• Yes.
• Do you ever worry about not knowing how much lead you have left in your pencil?
• Sometimes, particularly if it’s during a test.
• Have you noticed that mechanical pencils don’t display how much lead is remaining?
• Mine shows how much is left somewhat, because it’s clear.
• How long have you been using Mechanical Pencils, when did you first start?
• For 4 years, started as a freshman in 9th grade and used all throughout high school (9th-12th grade).
• What do you currently do to avoid running out of lead? 
• I try not to push too hard when writing and keep my lead inside the pencil.
• Are you satisfied with your current solution to avoiding this issue?
• Yes.

Reflection: People seem just as concerned with how often lead breaks as they are with how often they run out of it. It also seems like there may be more clear mechanical pencils than I initially believed.


3. Male, Age 20, Sophomore in College

• Have you ever run out of lead in your mechanical pencil?
• Yes, but I typically have more lead.
• Do you ever worry about not knowing how much lead you have left in your pencil?
• Yes.
• Have you noticed that mechanical pencils don’t display how much lead is remaining?
• Yes, I have.
• How long have you been using Mechanical Pencils, when did you first start?
• I first started using them in high school, so around 7 years.
• What do you currently do to avoid running out of lead? 
• I have extra lead on me, replacing my pencil when it runs out.
• Are you satisfied with your current solution to avoiding this issue?
• Yes, it hasn’t been too much of a problem yet.

Reflection: This interviewee is one of what I believe is few people that carries additional lead with them, however this could be common. Like the others before, he is currently satisfied with just refilling lead when it runs out.


Summary: 

I believe numerous issues exist when it comes to mechanical pencils. Most people do not carry additional lead for their mechanical pencil and most pencils have a solid outside that do not allow you to see how much lead is left. Additionally, there are still some people that prefer normal pencils over a mechanical pencil. However, when it’s all said and done, I believe that that most people have experienced a time where they’ve ran out of lead and most do not have an answer when this occurs. Through the course of my interviews, I’ve lost some confidence in the opportunity of a mechanical pencil alteration. With that said, I now believe that there is about a 25% chance that this opportunity exists.