I believe there is an unmet need in making quieter machines, specifically, leaf blowers. Leaf blowers are so loud that they disturb people inside who may need it to be quiet. This unmet need has existed for a while yet no one has tried to meet this need yet. There have been many situations where I wanted to sleep in, but I was woken up by leaf blowers or construction. If people are on a business call or need quiet to focus, loud leaf blowers can be an unnecessary distraction. Also, the employees cleaning people's lawns have to be surrounded by loud machines all day which could hurt their hearing. Therefore, a quiet leaf blower could be beneficial for employees and surrounding neighbors. If the price of the quiet leaf blower was able to be made to be similar in price to a normal leaf blower, companies or home owners may be interested in buying it.
Interview #1: Home owner
Have you ever been inconveniently woken up or disturbed by the sound of a leaf blower?
-Yes, I was woken up early on the weekend when I wanted to sleep in.
How often does loud machinery affect you?
-I would say weekly not daily because I do not do lawn work everyday.
Do you see loud machinery and leaf blowers as an issue you face?
-Yes, when I do yard work I usually wear earplugs when using the leaf blower. However, it still hurts my ears and is an annoying problem.
Would you buy a quiet leaf blower? Do you see it fixing a problem we face?
yes, if the price were competitive with normal leaf blowers I would definitely buy a silent leaf blower and I believe it would greatly fix this problem.
Interview #2: Adult who works a night job
Have you ever been inconveniently woken up or disturbed by the sound of a leaf blower?
-Yes, all the time. Since I work at night, I need my sleep in the morning especially and it often gets interrupted by construction or loud yard equipment.
How often does loud machinery affect you?
-I would say I am affected by loud machinery very frequently.
Do you see loud machinery and leaf blowers as an issue you face?
-Yes, I would say this is an issue I am presented with frequently.
Would you buy a quiet leaf blower? Do you see it fixing a problem we face?
-I personally would not buy a quiet leaf blower since I have a lawn company do my yard work, but I believe it would fix the problem. I would like for the lawn companies to buy quiet equipment.
Interview #3: Lawn company employee
Have you ever been inconveniently woken up or disturbed by the sound of a leaf blower?
-Yes, on weekends I have.
How often does loud machinery affect you?
-Since I use the machinery everyday, the loud sounds greatly affect me and my hearing.
Do you see loud machinery and leaf blowers as an issue you face?
-Yes, I believe loud leaf blowers would be an easy thing to fix and fix a lot of problems.
Would you buy a quiet leaf blower? Do you see it fixing a problem we face?
-Yes, I would buy one for my home when I work on my yard, and I would encourage my supervisor to look into buying quiet leaf blowers. I could see it fixing a problem we face.
Reflection:
I learned that more people are affected by loud machinery than I thought. Even though it may be a minor inconvenience, we can still work to improve issues like these in our lives. I was surprised to learn that it affects the employees too. I had only thought about its affect on neighbors before, not the employees as well.
Summarize:
My original opportunity is still there and has more potential than I thought. If quieter products had comparable prices to normal machinery I believe that the new opportunity has a lot of potential. However, if the prices of the quiet leaf blowers were much higher than normal machinery I do not think there would be as much of a need for it. I believe that entrepreneurs should definitely adapt their opportunities based on consumer feedback because the consumers are the people buying the product so it is important to consider their opinions and desires as well if we want our business to be successful.
Ava,
ReplyDeleteI agree having quieter machines would be amazing! I never thought about it before but it would be a great invention! I used to work in the hospital and worked the overnight shift, and I hated being woken up by lawn machines. It's interesting how something that we thought was an opportunity after interviewing several people turned out to be a nuisance for them too, and a confirmation of a true opportunity.
Hi Ava, I really enjoyed reading your post. I can very much relate to this issue. About every other week the landscaper comes and mows the grass, weed whacks, and trims the bushes. All the tools they use are extremely loud and disruptive. Waking up hours before you plan to is very unpleasant and if someone ever invents a low noise weed whacker or lawn mower, I hope every landscaper buys it.
ReplyDeleteHello Ava,
ReplyDeleteGreat job explaining the opportunity you saw in making quiet machinery. I agree, it is a minor inconvenience in our lives but it could help consumers get a little extra sleep. I also never thought about workers, I see them wear these big headphones while doing their job and I hope it's protecting their ears well enough to not damage their hearing capabilities.
Hi Ava,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree - leaf blowers can be so annoying! Although I am not currently a prospective customer (I do not have a yard), I certainly would love if quieter leaf blowers existed, in addition to quieter lawn equipment in general. Perhaps marketing to commercial lawn care companies would be the way to go.
In my own post, I discussed a noise cancelling device that people could sleep with. I guess that's an alternative solution to the same problem you have discussed (and similar noise issues). Each person could solve it themselves, rather than relying on others to use quieter equipment.
Hi there Ava,
ReplyDeleteI relate to this issue so much! I'm often woken up early due to the sound of washing machines, leaf blowers, vacuum cleaner, e.t.c. I understand that it is a minor inconvenience, however it does affect my quality of life. I'm glad that you notice this issue and have an idea to solve this problem!!
Hi Ava!
ReplyDeleteGreat job in identifying the unmet need of a quieter leaf blowers. I personally find the sound very unpleasant and often times annoyed when others use it around my neighborhood. Furthermore, you explained the problem and identified others who also felt the same in regards to the noise and a way to solve this issue as well. Great job!
-Kaitlin
Ava, I definitely agree with you here. Leaf blowers and lawn work in general should absolutely be quieter. While these types of machines don't directly wake me up, my dog has much better hearing than me and he always wakes up to the sound of these machines. As a result, I'm up because he's getting all worked up at the sound of the machines.
ReplyDeleteHi Ava! This is a great idea for an unmet need, I feel that most people just accept the fact that lawn machinery is loud but as shown in your interviews the noise is inconvenient for all people. Especially since most lawn services cut grass or tend to lawns early in the morning disturbing a lot of peoples sleep and work.
ReplyDeleteHi Ava! I think that this is a great idea. The potential for this idea is limitless. There is always construction taking place outside my apartment complex, and it disturbs my sleep almost daily. There are so many machines used that carry noise, and it extends all the way to my bedroom. I would very much appreciate a solution to this problem.
ReplyDelete