4A - Forming An Opportunity

1. I see an opportunity with an app that recommends movies and shows

2. This belief stems from far too much personal experience. Throughout the years I have spent more time in search of a show or movie than actually watching one. I believe this is because the algorithms that Netflix and Hulu use aren't exactly the best. I believe that everyone who uses these platforms experiences this problem. I can say with 100 percent certainty that this problem affects Netflix and Hulu users, as of now most people rely on word of mouth for good movies or shows.

3. My prototypical customer would be someone who uses Netflix and/or Hulu. 183 million and 30 million active paid subscribers.

4. Interview 1: The first person I interviewed was a good friend. I began the interview with how she personally finds shows to watch on platforms such as Netflix and Hulu. She replied with "I usually just scroll around watching trailers until I find something that catches my attention." I then asked how long does that usually take. The response was that it varies on what comes up on the home page and categories page. I continued with what if you cannot find something that catches your attention. She replied with I start asking friends if they've seen anything recently that they would recommend.

Interview 2: The second person I interviewed was a colleague. In the same fashion as the previous interview, I asked how they find movies or shows to watch on platforms such as Netflix and Hulu. They responded with "usually I just go on what's currently trending, then I go on YouTube and watch the trailers and read the comments to get an idea on whether or not I will like it. I then followed with how long does that usually take and if it is effective. They said that it depends on what their mood is and if they are interested in what is currently trending or if they have something in mind that they want to watch.

Interview 3: The last person I interviewed was my little sister. As you could have guessed I began the interview in the same manner that I began the previous two. Her response was that she relies heavily on word of mouth. She doesn't like to waste her time looking around for a movie or show. She believes that usually whatever is trending is usually good. I then asked if she knew how her friends got the idea to watch that show. She didn' know how exactly her friends ended up watching the movies or show but that she believes that maybe it was because of the further word of mouth.

5. Reflect: Before any of the interviews I thought long and hard about how I could ask the right questions without simply telling the interviewees what the problem I was trying to solve was. To my surprise the problem became rather apparent once we both knew that the problem with these platforms is finding something that you'll like. I got a good amount of information and it only solidifies my idea that there is in fact an opportunity with these platforms. If the app becomes successful then perhaps Netflix and/or Hulu would be interesting in working with us or outright buying the app and integrating it into their own platform.

6. Summarize: I would say that 90-95 percent of my original statement is still true. The only reason I say that my percentage changed a bit was that my sister brought up an interesting point. Some people know exactly what they are going to watch and some people do not want to waste time finding a show to watch. They just want to put something on and see how it goes, whether it is good or not. I believe that an entrepreneur should adapt their ideas and opportunities and much as the customer thinks they should since they are the ones who are going to buy/use the product.