Sunday, June 19, 2016
Portmanwho "Fexit"
The word I came up with was Fexit. It is a combination of false and exit. I defined the word as a false exit or a seemingly possible solution that does not actual exist or does not work out properly. First, it was somewhat hard and awkward to use my new word in regular speech. Further, I would have to explain what I meant when I used it. The reaction of others was almost the same for everyone. They recognized the definition and thought it was interesting to use, but I never heard anyone use it beside me. Their reactions can be categorized as a confused smile. The word did not catch on quickly. As with anything we have learned there must be an opportunity and a need or desire for others to use the word. Obviously, my word did not meet an unmet need in people's everyday vocabulary.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Halfway Reflection
Tenaciousness is a competency
To meet the requirements of the course a few of the behaviors I have used are; time management, research, and focus. Specifically, time management has been the biggest part of keeping up with the course. I write a rough hourly schedule out for the entire week each Sunday. This allows me to allot time to the course work, free time, and other current obligations. Getting the blog posts done a day or two before the due date is always beneficial. Moreover, I do research regularly for the blog posts. Whenever you are given assignment to find opportunities or see potential opportunities in a newspaper, do not just do the minimum requirements. To make intelligent blog post and comments I research the topics and dig into the who, what, when, and most importantly why. Lastly, you have to stay focused. Many times watching video lectures can become monotonous and writer's block seems to always hit me when I want to write a blog post. Do what you have to, to eliminate distractions like going to library to do your work or plugging the headphones in to stay focused.
Tenaciousness is also an attitude
To be honest I have not had a moment when I felt like "giving up". I have had moments where life gets you in a rut and course work is the last thing you want to do. You have to have a mindset about life that no matter the challenge you will accomplish what you need to. Some people call this a tenacious attitude, but growing up this was expected of me and was just called hard work. What pulls me through is that working through challenges will make you a stronger person and many times there are others relying on you to pull through. If you realize that someone else is depending on you, I tend to put more responsibility on myself to have success. With regards to the class, when you continue to get No's or response that you were not expecting that shoot down your ideas you do not just fold up shop and quit. You take a step back, see if the criticism is fair, and then adjust and continue forward. Tenacity does not guarantee success, but tenacity ensures that if you are faced with failure you can restart and continue to try again. Three Tips
- Surround yourself with like minded people. When you are influenced by those that have the same tenacity and ingenuity it will rub off on you and when you do face adversity you can draw strength from their influences.- Live, sleep, eat, and do everything with a purpose geared to helping you to your goals. If you are continually thinking about your goals you become what others may call obsessed. Your obsession will drive you and you will develop a tenacious mindset.
- Take time to reflect. You may have the will to accomplish a task, but sometimes we do not have the proper tools or approach to succeed. Reflect on your experiences and adjust how you approach a situation in order to have the desired outcome next time.
Below is retired SSG Travis Mills. He is the ultimate representation of tenacity. He lost parts of all four of his limbs from an IED in Afghanistan. He not only had the will to survive, but is also an advocate for veterans and a motivational speaker. His charity uses the motto:
"Never give up. Never quit."
If you want to know what real tenacity is I would say that his story would help clarify. Whenever you think about the the challenges you face, sometimes they seem minor compared to other's. If you want to find out more about his story the link is below.
http://www.travismills.org/
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Reading Reflection No. 1
1)
What surprised me the most was the doubting of the Wright brother's claims and inventions. Many of the people in and out of thee scientific community did not believe their claims of flight. The skeptics and doubters called them bluffers and used lines like flyer or liars. Also, the disbelief was so great that even the local media passed them off as crazy men and that the idea of flight as childish and unrealistic.
I most admired their work ethic. At Kitty Hawk, their testing grounds, they experienced many setbacks unknown to the most of the world. They built their own camp, faced extreme weather, caught and cooked their own food, and rebuilt their glider many times. They even faced hurricanes and once in a decade influx of mosquitoes.
There was not much I did not admire of the Wright brothers. The thing I could pick that I least admired was their secretiveness. They were skeptical to strangers and did not give public displays of their flying machine and abilities until they had to. While I disliked this, I also understand that with such new technology it was necessary to keep their inventions and innovations secret.
Yes numerous times the Wrights faced adversity and failure. Many times they crashed gliders and airplanes. Their engine broke on a few occasions and the shipment of their materials caused damge and forced them to rebuild. Each time the brothers rolled up their sleeves and and fixed any and all mechanical problems. Further they faced adversity in people doubting them and they shut all of their critics up with a display of their skills publicly. Further because of doubts in their claims it was hard to find a buyer for their machine. Also, when the war broke out the US government forced the brothers to aid the effort without the same compensation they were getting in the private sector. Through it all they worked hard and out smarted many of their competitors.
2)
Throughout their lives the brothers showed many competencies of entrepreneurs, but the following are the ones that stood out greatest to me.
Confident: Throughout their early years the Wright's faced many obstacles. First, they were told that flight was impossible. They continued to pursue and develop their own techniques that went against the science of the day to develop manned flight. Further, as others doubted that they flew first and public opinion turned against them, the held steady and stayed the course knowing that no one else could match their flyer and flying abilities.
Risk-Takers: They took risks throughout the entire process. Many scientist in the aviation community lost their flying gliders or they only theorized instead of actually trying to fly. The brothers put their lives in harms way to test their theories and develop flight in a new and untested scientific world.
Innovative: They were innovative because they developed their own gliders, made a light weight engine, and even created a wind tunnel. The Wright brothers used techniques to develop flight that we still use today to design and create planes.
3)
The confusing part about the reading is why there was so much resistance to the idea of flying. The Wright brothers were thought to be fools originally by every day people for wanting to fly. Many even used religion to discount flying, almost like anything new was somehow a bad thing. Many people appeared to be dogmatic in their thinking with regard to flying. Further, the US war department was offered the ability to buy their plane first and turned it down multiple times. I do not know how as a government you could turn down the military advantage of flying.
4)
I would ask:
- After flying for the first time I experienced one of the greatest joys of my life, just flying. What motivated to continue to fly higher and further and faster? Was it just the pursuit of money or was it the same thrilling feeling that I got the first time I flew?
I would ask this just to see what motivated the Wrights.
- What would you say was more important to the development of flight, the knowledge gained through description, books, journals and etc, or the knowledge from acquaintance, actually testing?
I would ask this because I feel that the engineering courses I take here at UF are incomplete to my fountain of knowledge. Actually doing something makes me feel more competent on a subject.
5)
I think the Wright brothers held hard work in the highest esteem. Many times they were called intelligent, but no matter what people knew they were hard workers and admired that about them. All the hardships and adversity they faced and conquered makes me believe that hard work was extremely important. Also, the Wright brothers always complimented those that worked hard with them and those in the field of aviation, even their competitors. I also share that opinion because I will appreciate a man's work and fruit of labor over his talent.
What surprised me the most was the doubting of the Wright brother's claims and inventions. Many of the people in and out of thee scientific community did not believe their claims of flight. The skeptics and doubters called them bluffers and used lines like flyer or liars. Also, the disbelief was so great that even the local media passed them off as crazy men and that the idea of flight as childish and unrealistic.
I most admired their work ethic. At Kitty Hawk, their testing grounds, they experienced many setbacks unknown to the most of the world. They built their own camp, faced extreme weather, caught and cooked their own food, and rebuilt their glider many times. They even faced hurricanes and once in a decade influx of mosquitoes.
There was not much I did not admire of the Wright brothers. The thing I could pick that I least admired was their secretiveness. They were skeptical to strangers and did not give public displays of their flying machine and abilities until they had to. While I disliked this, I also understand that with such new technology it was necessary to keep their inventions and innovations secret.
Yes numerous times the Wrights faced adversity and failure. Many times they crashed gliders and airplanes. Their engine broke on a few occasions and the shipment of their materials caused damge and forced them to rebuild. Each time the brothers rolled up their sleeves and and fixed any and all mechanical problems. Further they faced adversity in people doubting them and they shut all of their critics up with a display of their skills publicly. Further because of doubts in their claims it was hard to find a buyer for their machine. Also, when the war broke out the US government forced the brothers to aid the effort without the same compensation they were getting in the private sector. Through it all they worked hard and out smarted many of their competitors.
2)
Throughout their lives the brothers showed many competencies of entrepreneurs, but the following are the ones that stood out greatest to me.
Confident: Throughout their early years the Wright's faced many obstacles. First, they were told that flight was impossible. They continued to pursue and develop their own techniques that went against the science of the day to develop manned flight. Further, as others doubted that they flew first and public opinion turned against them, the held steady and stayed the course knowing that no one else could match their flyer and flying abilities.
Risk-Takers: They took risks throughout the entire process. Many scientist in the aviation community lost their flying gliders or they only theorized instead of actually trying to fly. The brothers put their lives in harms way to test their theories and develop flight in a new and untested scientific world.
Innovative: They were innovative because they developed their own gliders, made a light weight engine, and even created a wind tunnel. The Wright brothers used techniques to develop flight that we still use today to design and create planes.
3)
The confusing part about the reading is why there was so much resistance to the idea of flying. The Wright brothers were thought to be fools originally by every day people for wanting to fly. Many even used religion to discount flying, almost like anything new was somehow a bad thing. Many people appeared to be dogmatic in their thinking with regard to flying. Further, the US war department was offered the ability to buy their plane first and turned it down multiple times. I do not know how as a government you could turn down the military advantage of flying.
4)
I would ask:
- After flying for the first time I experienced one of the greatest joys of my life, just flying. What motivated to continue to fly higher and further and faster? Was it just the pursuit of money or was it the same thrilling feeling that I got the first time I flew?
I would ask this just to see what motivated the Wrights.
- What would you say was more important to the development of flight, the knowledge gained through description, books, journals and etc, or the knowledge from acquaintance, actually testing?
I would ask this because I feel that the engineering courses I take here at UF are incomplete to my fountain of knowledge. Actually doing something makes me feel more competent on a subject.
5)
I think the Wright brothers held hard work in the highest esteem. Many times they were called intelligent, but no matter what people knew they were hard workers and admired that about them. All the hardships and adversity they faced and conquered makes me believe that hard work was extremely important. Also, the Wright brothers always complimented those that worked hard with them and those in the field of aviation, even their competitors. I also share that opinion because I will appreciate a man's work and fruit of labor over his talent.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Idea Napkin No. 1
You
I am Caleb Dean and I am an aspiring entrepreneur with a strong work ethic and unrelenting desire for success. Some of my talents include the ability to read people, connect with people, and project a strong presence. I am currently a Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering student. My background in design and technology should allow me to help be a contributing part of the development of the technology, but not the sole designer. After a few public speaking events, I would say that I am a competent public speaker with concise yet informative points. The ability to understand the technological side of the product and communicate with others allows me to believe that my main role in my business is selling the product. I see myself as just a guiding force with the development of the technology. In my life the business would most likely consume most of my time until it became profitable to sell off. Then I would start again.
What are you offering to customers?
The product is a software that virtually maps clothes on a 3D figure of a person using a laptop or web camera. With the product there are accessory products such as; stands, mounts, cases, etc. Further, with the software upgrade, maintenance, and privacy protection services will be offered.
Who are you offering it to?
The following answer may appear slightly confusing. For my product there will be the users and the actual buyers. The users are online clothing shoppers. For the users a typical demographic would be male and females, ages 15-45, with any income, and access to the internet in a developed country. The buyers would be large businesses with online clothing stores. These fashion companies can include your every day relaxing clothes all the way up to designer clothing. Any clothing retailer would fit the possible demographic for buyers.
Why do they care?
The buyers care because it saves money and increases user satisfaction. User or online shoppers would be able to enjoy an interactive system to virtually try on clothes now. The time going to stores is saved, number of returned packages will decrease, and user satisfaction increases. As the user experience becomes more enjoyable, the user has a better post-purchase feeling which encourages them to return for more. In the long run companies buying the software will increase sales as more users comeback and the logistics nightmare of returns is all but ended.
What are your competencies?
This product is different from anything else on the market. Currently the mirror technology or projection technology still requires you to try physical clothes on in order to view how they look later. Further, any other comparable technology is not in a compact and affordable form for users yet. My technology would literally only require a one time picture from the comfort of your home computer.
Evaluation
I think for the most part all of these elements fit nicely together. The hardest thing to do is to distinguish that the users (online shoppers) have an unmet need when it comes to online shopping. This unmet need by the users translates into an unmet need for the buyers (online clothing companies). The buyers unmet need is that their customers are not satisfied, which can cause a loss in sales. Relating these two aspects is very important and showing that one causes the other is the key to selling the product to companies.
I am Caleb Dean and I am an aspiring entrepreneur with a strong work ethic and unrelenting desire for success. Some of my talents include the ability to read people, connect with people, and project a strong presence. I am currently a Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering student. My background in design and technology should allow me to help be a contributing part of the development of the technology, but not the sole designer. After a few public speaking events, I would say that I am a competent public speaker with concise yet informative points. The ability to understand the technological side of the product and communicate with others allows me to believe that my main role in my business is selling the product. I see myself as just a guiding force with the development of the technology. In my life the business would most likely consume most of my time until it became profitable to sell off. Then I would start again.
What are you offering to customers?
The product is a software that virtually maps clothes on a 3D figure of a person using a laptop or web camera. With the product there are accessory products such as; stands, mounts, cases, etc. Further, with the software upgrade, maintenance, and privacy protection services will be offered.
Who are you offering it to?
The following answer may appear slightly confusing. For my product there will be the users and the actual buyers. The users are online clothing shoppers. For the users a typical demographic would be male and females, ages 15-45, with any income, and access to the internet in a developed country. The buyers would be large businesses with online clothing stores. These fashion companies can include your every day relaxing clothes all the way up to designer clothing. Any clothing retailer would fit the possible demographic for buyers.
Why do they care?
The buyers care because it saves money and increases user satisfaction. User or online shoppers would be able to enjoy an interactive system to virtually try on clothes now. The time going to stores is saved, number of returned packages will decrease, and user satisfaction increases. As the user experience becomes more enjoyable, the user has a better post-purchase feeling which encourages them to return for more. In the long run companies buying the software will increase sales as more users comeback and the logistics nightmare of returns is all but ended.
What are your competencies?
This product is different from anything else on the market. Currently the mirror technology or projection technology still requires you to try physical clothes on in order to view how they look later. Further, any other comparable technology is not in a compact and affordable form for users yet. My technology would literally only require a one time picture from the comfort of your home computer.
Evaluation
I think for the most part all of these elements fit nicely together. The hardest thing to do is to distinguish that the users (online shoppers) have an unmet need when it comes to online shopping. This unmet need by the users translates into an unmet need for the buyers (online clothing companies). The buyers unmet need is that their customers are not satisfied, which can cause a loss in sales. Relating these two aspects is very important and showing that one causes the other is the key to selling the product to companies.
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Tweaking the Innovation
Product/Service Mix
Item Descriptions
Instillation:
- Core: Gives you the ability to use the virtual 3D projection.
- Tangible: Actual use and allows you to see the outfits projected on your computer.
- Augmented: there can be upgrades or levels of quality.
License:
- Core: Gives you the legal right to use the installed software.
- Tangible: same as the instillation.
- Augmented: None
- Core: Provides upgrades to keep the software up to date and running right.
- Tangible: same as the previous two.
- Augmented: Upgrades and the ability to change the software to meet user needs.
- Core: Handles any user problems associated with the software.
- Tangible: Hear a person to help walk you through what you see.
- Augmented: Can change to meet the user needs. Provide an automated or in person call.
- Core: Makes sure that the users photos are kept private and safe from hackers.
- Tangible: No real tangible aspect just the security users feels knowing that their images are not being spread.
- Augmented: Have to adapt to the changing technology methods, and provide more services as users indicate.
- Core: Gives the user the ability to take higher quality pictures of themselves.
- Tangible: You can see and feel it, should be small, and look cool and easy to use.
- Augmented: Make different styles, mobile or home cameras, different colors, etc.
- Core: Gives the perfect platform for the camera to take pictures and be calibrated exactly.
- Tangible: See that it is sturdy and appealing to the eye.
- Augmented: create new stands to help meet need, size, color, etc.
- Core: Improves the 3D photo so that the user gets the best experience.
- Tangible: See a visible difference in the photo quality.
- Augmented: No real change.
- Core: Provides a protective barrier to help keep the camera safe.
- Tangible: Look and feel sturdy.
- Augmented: Change color and sizes.
- Core: Allows you to use another system if you do not want to use the stand or is you want to use the camera for another purpose.
- Tangible: Sturdy.
- Augmented: Change color, style, etc.
- Core: Holds memory of all the photos and outfits so the user may review them.
- Tangible: Small memory storage made in different colors.
- Augmented: None.
Instillation:
Make newer software that can allow the user to feel the fabric and actually project a hologram
License:
Could license straight to websites or the actual user.
Maintenance:
Can have instillation instructions or automatic updates.
Call Center:
Have domestic and international call centers and provide multiple languages.
Automatically monitor users accounts and alert them to activity.
Camera:
Could change the size of the camera, provide touch screens, follow the apple model of slowly progressive technology.
Make them smaller and eventually phase them out with anew more convenient product.
Lighting:
Make the lighting change to help bring out skin tones and smaller to be easier to set up.
Allow the cases to be smaller and made from different materials and different styles.
Create go-pro like mounts and change them to be water proof or life proof.
Make the memory larger and the actual device smaller.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Elevator Pitch No. 1
Description:
The problem I am trying to solve deals with the issues of ordering clothes online. Many times people order clothes online and the sizing chart was not effective so they get the wrong size or they do not like how the clothes look on them. Generally, consumers must mail the clothes back, reorder, and wait again for their new shipment to arrive. Even worse, sometimes companies will not allow you to return clothes that you have tried on. My solution is to have a camera take a 3D photo of the shopper. A software program with that data base of clothing dimensions can then map the outfit onto a person based off of their picture.
Potential Name:
DigiMap
(open to suggestions)
The problem I am trying to solve deals with the issues of ordering clothes online. Many times people order clothes online and the sizing chart was not effective so they get the wrong size or they do not like how the clothes look on them. Generally, consumers must mail the clothes back, reorder, and wait again for their new shipment to arrive. Even worse, sometimes companies will not allow you to return clothes that you have tried on. My solution is to have a camera take a 3D photo of the shopper. A software program with that data base of clothing dimensions can then map the outfit onto a person based off of their picture.
Potential Name:
DigiMap
(open to suggestions)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)