Forming an Opportunity Belief: A Twist on Opportunity Identification
Forming an Opportunity Belief: A Twist on Opportunity Identification
by Josh Korthuis
I have a strange belief the the world is in store for better and more innovative toilet seats, yes toilet seats. This belief comes from 21 years of sitting on disappointing toilet seats that were all just plain pieces of plastic with no creativity put into them. In my opinion it is time for a change!
There is an unmet need for custom toilet seats in the United States that needs to be filled to keep up with the innovation in places like Japan. These seats could not only have custom images on the lid and seat but also could have padding and maybe even an aux cord that you could plug your phone in to play music during your bathroom time. This product is needed by all american's and is something they will not realize they need until they have experienced a custom seat for themselves. This idea came from me when I imagined having a toilet seat with a seat heater installed in while using the bathroom on a cold winter night in Colorado. But then I thought why just stop there when you could completely customize the whole seat itself. This is a new idea that I have not seen explored yet in the USA. People are not doing anything to meet this need yet from my research which is why I believe it is my time to release this idea to the world. I personally believe the idea of custom toilet seats has a 75% chance that it will be a successful opportunity.
The prototypical customer is a wide range of people from teenagers who just want a custom image to elderly people looking for a more padded seat with maybe a heating system installed. This product could see huge success at a place like Comic Con where people there could bring us an image they want put on the seat and we could make it right there for them.
Interview 1: Conor
When do they become aware of the need -- that is, do they experience their need all the time or only sometimes?
Every day when I sit down on the toilet I realize this is freezing and would like a solution.
How long have they had the need? When did they first become aware of their need?
My entire life I have had the need, from the first time I sat on that toilet.
How are they currently addressing their need? How satisfied are they with this solution?
I have not addressed this need yet. It would be life changing to use a toilet that had heating and all the other features added would be a bonus to the experience. I would prefer to have a Pac Man image on my toilet seat if I went that route.
Interview 2: Luis
What is the exact nature of the need? When do they become aware of the need -- that is, do they experience their need all the time or only sometimes?
I have never thought about having a custom toilet seat in the past, but now that they idea has been brought up to me the idea sounds nice. I experience the need for a custom seat every time im on the toilet.
How long have they had the need? When did they first become aware of their need? Why?
I have had the need for months, but I first became aware of the need while sitting on the toilet one day and it was very uncomfortable on the bottom side of my thighs and I thought to myself, "Why hasn't their been custom seat yet?"
How are they currently addressing their need? How satisfied are they with this solution?
Currently I am not addressing this need because I have no solutions to address it with yet. I am 100% satisfied with this solution, the addition of the Aux cord puts the idea over the top. I would definitely want an adjustable heat setting on my toilet seat and for the image on top of the toilet I would want an apple logo or the UF gator logo.
Interview 3: Steve
What is the exact nature of the need? When do they become aware of the need -- that is, do they experience their need all the time or only sometimes?
I became aware of the need when I was going to the bathroom, I experience the need sometimes when I am spending more time on the seat compared to the quicker trips.
How long have they had the need? When did they first become aware of their need? Why?
I have had this need for the last few years ever since I got older because I would prefer to have padding and music. I first became aware of the need when I realized a few years ago how uncomfortable toilet seats are.
How are they currently addressing their need? How satisfied are they with this solution?
Reflect:
I learned from this opportunity of interviewing people that the toilet seat idea might be slightly more realistic then I thought, and that their is a real need for better quality toilet seats in the United States. I was surprised to see the interviews actually seem excited about the idea and the customization ability of the toilet seats themselves.
Summarize:
How much of your original opportunity is still there?
My idea is still completely intact and continues to grow in the directions it could go after the interviews. Steve brought up adding a Google home feature to the toilet for hands free entertainment since your hand might be dirty which means I could partner with technology company's in the future to make a feature like that possible.
Do you believe that your new opportunity is more accurate than when you started?
My opportunity hasn't changed so i would say the starting opportunity is accurate to what the product would be, but I would need to find the proper distributors to make the toilet seats to get the idea up and running.
How much do you think entrepreneurs should 'adapt' their opportunities based on customer feedback?
I believe entrepreneurs must adapt to what their customers say because if they don't those people wont buy their product. If you give the customer what they want then they will make the purchase, simple as that.
Interview 1: Conor
When do they become aware of the need -- that is, do they experience their need all the time or only sometimes?
Every day when I sit down on the toilet I realize this is freezing and would like a solution.
How long have they had the need? When did they first become aware of their need?
My entire life I have had the need, from the first time I sat on that toilet.
How are they currently addressing their need? How satisfied are they with this solution?
I have not addressed this need yet. It would be life changing to use a toilet that had heating and all the other features added would be a bonus to the experience. I would prefer to have a Pac Man image on my toilet seat if I went that route.
Interview 2: Luis
What is the exact nature of the need? When do they become aware of the need -- that is, do they experience their need all the time or only sometimes?
I have never thought about having a custom toilet seat in the past, but now that they idea has been brought up to me the idea sounds nice. I experience the need for a custom seat every time im on the toilet.
How long have they had the need? When did they first become aware of their need? Why?
I have had the need for months, but I first became aware of the need while sitting on the toilet one day and it was very uncomfortable on the bottom side of my thighs and I thought to myself, "Why hasn't their been custom seat yet?"
How are they currently addressing their need? How satisfied are they with this solution?
Currently I am not addressing this need because I have no solutions to address it with yet. I am 100% satisfied with this solution, the addition of the Aux cord puts the idea over the top. I would definitely want an adjustable heat setting on my toilet seat and for the image on top of the toilet I would want an apple logo or the UF gator logo.
Interview 3: Steve
What is the exact nature of the need? When do they become aware of the need -- that is, do they experience their need all the time or only sometimes?
I became aware of the need when I was going to the bathroom, I experience the need sometimes when I am spending more time on the seat compared to the quicker trips.
How long have they had the need? When did they first become aware of their need? Why?
I have had this need for the last few years ever since I got older because I would prefer to have padding and music. I first became aware of the need when I realized a few years ago how uncomfortable toilet seats are.
How are they currently addressing their need? How satisfied are they with this solution?
I am not addressing the need but hope hoping it comes to market soon. I would be very interested in this solution that it would meet the needs of us consumers both in entertainment value and comfort. On my toilet I would want a padded seat with an Aux cord with maybe even a Google home like interface to pick the song I want to hear. On the lid I would want a digital screen so that I could change the image as wanted.
Reflect:
I learned from this opportunity of interviewing people that the toilet seat idea might be slightly more realistic then I thought, and that their is a real need for better quality toilet seats in the United States. I was surprised to see the interviews actually seem excited about the idea and the customization ability of the toilet seats themselves.
Summarize:
How much of your original opportunity is still there?
My idea is still completely intact and continues to grow in the directions it could go after the interviews. Steve brought up adding a Google home feature to the toilet for hands free entertainment since your hand might be dirty which means I could partner with technology company's in the future to make a feature like that possible.
Do you believe that your new opportunity is more accurate than when you started?
My opportunity hasn't changed so i would say the starting opportunity is accurate to what the product would be, but I would need to find the proper distributors to make the toilet seats to get the idea up and running.
How much do you think entrepreneurs should 'adapt' their opportunities based on customer feedback?
I believe entrepreneurs must adapt to what their customers say because if they don't those people wont buy their product. If you give the customer what they want then they will make the purchase, simple as that.
Hi Josh! This is such an interesting idea. I honestly hadn't thought of this idea before. However, I can definitely see your goal in creating this product. If you live up north, toilet seats are very cold, so having a warming seat would be very convenient. I think that many people would be interesting in purchasing such a unique and customizable product. I think the success of this product would be completely reliant on the cost for the customers.
ReplyDeleteHi Josh!
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely one of the more bizarre unmet needs but after reading over your post, I am 100% on board for customizable toilet seats. As you may have read in one of my blogs, I originally hail from New Jersey and winters there can get very cold and miserable. There have been countless times when I wake up in the morning and I don't even need a cup of coffee because the toilet seat is so cold that it instantly wakes me up. This is quite a unique idea and I think that if American's will spend money on dumb things like fidget spinners then you can most certainly sell customizable toilet seats.
Hey there Josh,
ReplyDeleteI am completely on board with your idea, as I think that is a great unmet opportunity. I am from New Jersey, and I know for sure that many people from colder regions of the country would love to buy this product. There is nothing worse than going to the bathroom in the middle of the night only to sit on a toilet seat that feels as if its frozen. This is easily one of the most annoying experiences, and as of now there is no product available to fix this. I definitely believe there is a market for this product as well. Great work !