12A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior #1

Segment 

            I chose a segment of people in the medical field of study for this assignment. The interviews I conducted were with three UF students that aspire to go to medical school or seek a career in public health. I wanted to see what they would think of the product and if they thought it could be useful if implemented in medical areas of work. 

Interview Summaries 

Ø Interview 1

o  The first interview I did was with a third-year biology major who is planning to go to medical school to become a physician. I asked her if she thinks there’s a need to help people with alcohol dependency to later decrease the amount of drunk driving. She agreed that there is definitely a need, but that there is probably no immediate solution to the problem and that it would take a long time to implement the product. She believes it’s important to prevent drunk driving and that the product could be useful for that need. However, she stated that it most likely wouldn’t fix the root of the problem. 

Ø Interview 2

o  For this interview, I talked to a senior majoring in Public Health. He hopes to get a masters in health administration. He thinks the product could be useful but could be difficult for people in the medical field to implement. There are many rules and regulations about how doctors can treat patients. Similarly, to The Baker’s Act, a doctor would need to get approval from family members in order to use this product. 

Ø Interview 3

o  For the final interview, I talked to a third-year psychology major who is on the pre-med track. She believes there is an unmet need but that it would be difficult to implement the product in the medical field. She stated that it would most likely be the responsibility of a government organization to use and implement the product. She also told me that she has a close family member that struggles with alcohol dependency and has been searching for help but that nothing truly worked for her. She thinks that this product would help people find a temporary solution but that it won’t stop it 100%.  

Conclusion 

            After conducting those three interviews, I realized that it may be possible to implement the product/service in medical institutions but it would be difficult and may take a while. I also learned that there are many regulations doctors have to follow when treating a patient which could interfere with the product. However, I think it would still be worth it in the long run. I wouldn’t expect it to work immediately, but I think we would definitely begin to see its benefits after a while. Because everyone I interviewed did believe it has potential but that it would just be difficult to start up. 

            According to the interviews, they would Google what the best methods to help alcoholics to compare each one. The each stated that the best way to measure each one’s success rate is to find reliable statistics. The third person I interviewed mentioned that she has previously done this sort of research to help a close family member. Which lead her to believe that this product could work, especially if they also use the other methods available. 

            Overall, I feel that this segment has potential but would take a long time to implement. They are all aware of the unmet need but are not necessarily directly affected. For the most part, they would agree that it could be beneficial for many people but it would take a while to actually see its success.