I believe there is an unmet need when doing laundry. Most people don’t have time to fold all their clothes nice and neatly, much less iron them. My idea is to invent a machine, just like the washer and dryer, but this one folds and iron your clothes for you. The people that might encounter this problem are people with busy life styles and lazy people that just want to make their lives easier. This need has already existed for a long time, especially for the people that have a hard time staying clean in their living spaces, this can really help organize their laundry more effectively. Currently, without this new machine, people are having to set time aside to organize their clothes. This time could be spent doing something else that is more important like running errands or spending time with family. I am about 60% sure that this opportunity exists.
Interview #1: College student currently studying for the MCAT and taking 16 credits
How much time do you have to run errands in the week?
- Not that much time, I barely have time to cook food everyday. Thankfully, I have a brother to help me out if it comes to the point, that I really don’t have time.
Do you like living an organized lifestyle?
- Yes, before when I wasn’t studying for the MCAT my apartment was always clean, not one dirty dish in sight and clothes always folded neatly. Going to the kitchen now just gives me stress because even though I want to clean, I truly don’t have time for it. Let’s not talk about my room, its a disaster with clothes everywhere.
When did you first start to realize that you wouldn’t have to keep things organized and clean?
- Before I even started studying for the MCAT, I knew how many hours a day I would have to put into this in order to get a good score. I started mentally preparing myself for this disorganization a couple days prior.
How would you feel about having a machine that could fold and iron your clothes while you are studying?
- That would be amazing, I would focus more because looking at all this mess makes me anxious.
Reflection: College students have to prioritize everything they do. There aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything they want to do.
Interview #2: A single mother with 4 children
How much time do you have to run errands in the week?
- Well when the kids are at school, I working my 9-5 job, then I go pick them up and have to help them with their homework and cook dinner. I usually just have the weekends to run my errands with the kids, but it always take double the time it’s supposed to take because I have to control these 4 kids at the same time.
Do you like living an organized lifestyle?
- Yes, I want to teach my kids that living in a clean and organized space is very important for hygiene. Thankfully the oldest kid I have is 13 years old, so she is able to help me with washing the dishes and handling the mass amount of laundry we have to clean on a weekly basis.
- Yes, I want to teach my kids that living in a clean and organized space is very important for hygiene. Thankfully the oldest kid I have is 13 years old, so she is able to help me with washing the dishes and handling the mass amount of laundry we have to clean on a weekly basis.
When did you first start to realize that keeping things organized and clean was taking up a lot of your time? And how did you keep up with it?
- When my husband passed away, things became a lot harder to handle and at this time my oldest was only 8 so she couldn’t help me a lot. Thankfully my husband had some extra money in his savings, so I got a baby sitter to help me when I couldn’t be around, until things got back to normal.
- When my husband passed away, things became a lot harder to handle and at this time my oldest was only 8 so she couldn’t help me a lot. Thankfully my husband had some extra money in his savings, so I got a baby sitter to help me when I couldn’t be around, until things got back to normal.
How would you feel about having a machine that could fold and iron your clothes?
- That was be a life saver, I could spend more time paying attention to my kids and be more active in their after school activities. I would totally buy it if it was invented.
Reflection: Having the machine saves time for anyone who is living a busy lifestyle.
- That was be a life saver, I could spend more time paying attention to my kids and be more active in their after school activities. I would totally buy it if it was invented.
Reflection: Having the machine saves time for anyone who is living a busy lifestyle.
Interview #3: Newly weds starting a new lifestyle together
How much time do you have to run errands in the week?
- We like to run our errands together, so we are both usually available after work to spend time together.
Do you like living an organized lifestyle?
- Wife: I am actually the one that does most of the cleaning but my husband likes to cook so there’s balance.
How would you feel about having a machine that could fold and iron your clothes?
- Sounds expensive, we are trying to save money right now because we spent so much money on the wedding. It would be nice to have one though when I am in a rush someday.
Reflection: The machine would have to be inexpensive for it to be available to the typical consumer.
SUMMARY:
I believe the opportunity is still there, especially living in a busy world like the one we live in today. The more people I interviewed, the more I realized that people live busy lives and making something that could help make things easier for them would be great. An entrepreneur should definitely adapt depending on the feedback they get because without a customer there is no product, but at the same time they shouldn’t lose their main focus or purpose for the product.
Reflection: The machine would have to be inexpensive for it to be available to the typical consumer.
SUMMARY:
I believe the opportunity is still there, especially living in a busy world like the one we live in today. The more people I interviewed, the more I realized that people live busy lives and making something that could help make things easier for them would be great. An entrepreneur should definitely adapt depending on the feedback they get because without a customer there is no product, but at the same time they shouldn’t lose their main focus or purpose for the product.
Sandra,
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting idea, as I for one struggle to fold my clothes. Oftentimes, they pile up in a chair or stay in the laundry basket after they are washed. If I had this machine, I would definitely use it, although I am not sure if I would be willing to pay for it. When I was younger, I remember having this laundry folding board which sort of reminds me of a manual version of your idea. Overall, cool idea!
Hi Sandra,
ReplyDeleteI really like your idea! I know many people who just leave their laundry in their basket and do not have time to fold it, and especially not iron it. i agree that a machine like this may be out of a college students budget, but the opportunity is definitely still there! I really liked how your interviews contained people who are in completely different life styles and stages of life so you could get a wider range of answers.
Sandra,
ReplyDeleteHaving an invention that folds your laundry for you would be a genius idea! I often find myself with little to no time to do laundry and then fold it. Many times, I just let it sit in the basket for so long, that the clothes end up being very wrinkled when I do go to fold them. It was interesting that every person you interviewed would also be interested in having a machine like this. I think that just goes to show how good of an idea it is!
Hello Sandra,
ReplyDeleteThis idea sounds amazing, I know that if such an invention did exist I would definitely purchase one. As someone who is always seemingly late and running out of time, this idea would be so convenient. Especially with young adults, doing laundry tends to fall on the back burner, so this idea would help out so much. It's awesome that you interviewed people of different ages and backgrounds as well to make sure you had a well rounded audience.