7A Testing the Hypothesis

1. I would like to sell unique stickers to college students at UF.

2. People everywhere, especially students and teachers, feel the need to differentiate themselves and express their identity through their personal belongings.
The who- students and teachers in high school and college
The what- They want to express themselves through decorating their belongings
The why- It is a way to stand out and be different in an academic setting

3. Testing the who- From my experience, I think it is mostly college students who have this need. However, I have noticed that teachers, high school students, and other professions have an interest in this need as well. I think the majority of students at UF have this need.
Testing the what- People tend to put stickers/pins on their laptops, water bottles, phone cases, cars, binders, notebooks, backpacks, etc. There is a large variety of items that I have seen people put stickers on. People involved in Greek life, Dance Marathon, and other organizations at UF seem to use stickers frequently. The who does not have to be limited to students in organizations at UF though, I have seen people who only use stickers related to television shows or other interests.
Testing the why- People use stickers to portray themselves, express themselves, and show what their interests are. People also use stickers to make themselves happy or for inspiration, and they can be used as icebreakers when there is something in common.

Interview 1
UF student, my friend- Sydney
She thinks that a lot of students at UF use stickers to personalize their items. She has noticed that many girls involved in Greek life, herself included, use stickers to decorate their laptops and water bottles. She said that it is an easy way to make everyday items more interesting. She has had a couple teachers that used a sticker or two on their laptops related to the subject they teach or a certain organization. She thinks that the need applies to the majority of UF students, but that it appeals to mostly females. She believes that the reason why people use stickers is because it is trendy and that's what everyone else is doing right now. She said that when she sees someone with a sticker related to her chapter she knows that they have something in common even if she does not know them personally.

Interview 2
UF student, my friend- Amanda
She said that all of her friends at UF have stickers on their laptops. She has not noticed if her teachers use stickers. She thinks that there are a lot of UF students who would be interested in cool stickers. She personally thinks the most common kind of stickers are related to popular tv shows like The Office. She says that she uses stickers because they make her happy to look at throughout the day. She thinks that the reason why people use stickers can vary, but mostly to show off the things they like.

Interview 3
UF student, my friend- Fabrice
He said the people who would be most interested in using stickers would be students. He has two stickers on his laptop- one is a basketball team logo and the other is related to an organization at UF. He said that he would only buy a sticker if it wasn't too expensive. He said that he chooses to represent himself through his clothing instead.

Interview 4
UF student, my roommate- Katie
She said that the who would be UF students. She said that stickers would mostly appeal to students who like specific things. She really likes plants, so she said she would be potentially interested in a sticker of a cute plant. She said that people use stickers because they are trendy right now, but she does not feel the need to put them on more items than just her laptop.

Interview 5
My uncle- Hide
He said that the who would be students. He said that he personally would not be interested in putting stickers on his belongings. He thinks that they would not sell to people who care about practicality. He doesn't understand why people use stickers other than to do what everyone else is doing.

Based on the interviews, I learned that the majority of people agree that students would be the "who". I realized that less teachers may be interested than I previously thought. I also learned that the idea seems to mostly appeal to females. There were many different reasons "why" people would or would not use stickers. This was an interesting exercise to see how people really felt about my idea.