18A - Avatar

Assignment 18A – Creat a Customer Avatar

            My need is directed at university students and administration. Because my opportunity needs support from students to be considered, my initial market is to students in attempt to create a movement for additional parking.

            My customer is a 19 year old male, he attends the University of Florida and is studying business. He graduated from high school from a small beach town that is a popular tourist destination. He lives with 2 of his best friends, about 2 miles from campus and drives an old blue and white scooter which he brought from to school from his home where he used it to navigate the tourist traffic on weekends. He now drives the scooter to campus but is intimidated by the chaos surrounding scooter lots on campus. So far he has really enjoyed his experience in Gainesville, but dreads the 10 minutes spent trying to park everyday.

            He enjoys pretty much all sports, and plays on multiple intramural teams. He is a competitive person due to his upbringing with 2 older brothers. He is very passionate about his school and enjoys a busy social life, and not much tv. He is well organized, and enjoys being efficient and on time.

            In the first year of his residence in Gainesville, his scooter was barely damaged. Besides a broken mirror, a few instances where his scooter was pushed over, and a burn on his leg from being stuck between scooters, the last year and a half hasn’t been horrible. With these issues in the past, he continues to ride everyday and gets more comfortable dealing with the chaos, even though it is annoying.

            Like my customer, I am also a young male at the University of Florida with 2 older brothers. Like this person, I like being efficient in what I do, and always arrive on time. If I also drove a scooter, having to wait everyday for a spot would really grind my gears, more than make me nervous. Like him, I am from a town with many tourists, and I have dealt with parking issues many times. This experience has made us feel entitled to a spot, since we live here and others don’t due to the large tourist population most of our lives. This amplifies this issue for us and encourages us to explain the issue to everyone we know.

            The coincidence I have with this customer is that I also have been around busy lots that have ruined my day. Whether its making me late for the each, or making him late for class, parking has inconvenienced both of us and we are over it. Scooter drivers and daily commuters just need a way to easily arrive and depart campus to eliminate most negative thoughts towards the university.