4A: Forming An Opportunity Belief

1) I believe that many people avoid socializing with others in person whether it's while waiting in line for an appointment, like a doctor's appointment, for example, event, or even during everyday activities.

 2) Every day, we as people and in our society, whether we acknowledge it or not, become more and more consumed in using our cellphones that we have grown to not even feel the need to connect with others face to face when we can just do it through a screen. I believe there should be a phone setting or gadget that would limit the time people spend on their phone or at least push notifications to users letting them know how long they've been using their phone for, in hopes of making them realize and want to get off their phone and potentially start creating new friendships or even strengthening current ones. This would, in turn, motivate people to socialize beyond a screen and remind them that there is more to one's life than one's phone. I recognize and admit that I am guilty of spending a lot of time on my phone rather than actively trying to socialize with others in person and I need to limit myself considering I tend to lose track of time very frequently. There are people who do limit themselves by going on social media breaks which tends to greatly shorten the amount of time one spends on his/her phone and others just shut off their notifications to not feel tempted to check their phone all the time. At this point, I am about 70% sure that this opportunity exists.

 3) My prototypical customers are Lucia Castro, Agustina Prates and Jimena Garcia.

 4) What I learned from interviewing Lucia, is that she believes that although this opportunity does indeed exist, there are many people who don't find it problematic enough to the point they would want to change how much time they spend on their phone because it is not something they believe affects them directly or in a negative way. According to her, she tends to try to not be on her phone when she is with friends so that she can enjoy the time she spends with them as opposed to staring at a screen the whole time. She said she found my solution to be a feasible one, however, she doesn't believe many people would be on board with this idea. After interviewing Agustina, I came to realize that she feels the same way as me towards the matter. She stated that she believes this opportunity exists and that my solution should be taken seriously by most people in order to live a more happy and healthy life. She actually owns a flip phone which she mentioned helps her stay off her phone unless it is necessary to use it. Jimena, on the other hand, stated that she thinks my solution could potentially infringe on people's privacy regarding how much time they spend on their phone and that "that's nobody's business."

 5) In conclusion, and after taking into consideration my prototypical customers' opinions, I still am about 70% positive that this opportunity exists and that it should be remedied in some way. Although my solution may not be one that tailors to everyone's wishes, I do still think it would be a good solution even if it's just to start off.