https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1py9tETz5z5h6Snt88DUbni8fNS6VChTlRcflWNbPovc/edit#slide=id.g35f391192_00

For my ICE Scholars project I and a team of my peers created a Business Model Canvas for a product idea. When I first came to Ohio State I noticed many students riding long boards to get to class. I figured it was an efficient way to cut travel time in half, but pondered about the issues that arise after the rider is done using it. Once the riders get to class they have to carry their board (usually spanning at least 3 feet) inside leaving one hand occupied and causing an inconvenience. The board usually has to be stored in the back of the class where it is in the way of people or prone to getting stolen. To address these issues, my team and I thought of a longboard design that would allow the user of the board to fold or collapse the board to a smaller, more portable version that can easily be stored in a backpack. After we came up with our idea we began the process of creating the business model canvas. First, we had to identify the target problem. As mentioned earlier, the main problem our idea is addressing the lack of portability associated with longboards due to their large design. Next, our team had to address the assumptions we took before we journeyed further into the business model canvas. One huge assumption that our product hinges on is that current long boarders are experiencing problems with portability and want a solution to the problems that arouse after they are finished riding. Another assumption we made was that by solving our target problem, non long boarders will be more willing to buy our product. Finally, our last assumption was that our design would not compromise the feel or experience of how the board rides and feels. After we made our assumptions we moved forward in conducting research via surveys in order to identify a target market. Furthermore, I bought a long board to see the pros and cons of being an actual rider. We delivered our surveys by way of social media to friends at first. Unfortunately we received very little responses on the first round, with only 1 active long boarder participating. We posted our second survey to various Longboarding Clubs’ Facebook pages and received a lot more feedback. When asked about the problems they experienced with their longboard very few participants mentioned the issue of portability. However, when asked directly if they would be willing to buy a more portable longboard (i.e. our design) about two-thirds of the respondents said ‘Yes.’ Also, after riding my new longboard to class I personally had problems related to portability, thus confirming our assumption. In addition to receiving feedback we also discovered a competitor and another major problem long boarders face: weight. This is important because this would mean we would have to account for a light weight design to meet all the needs of our target market. Our newly found competitor had a foldable design and raised over $25,000 in their first two days of launch on Kickstarter. However, some long boarders claimed that our competitor’s design looked awkward to ride. Thus, to create an effective design we would have to talk to a lot of long boarders in person to determine the best way to approach the problem and what materials to use. Thus to complete our journey we would have to design, create a prototype, test our prototype, secure a buyer, and determine costs for production. I found the process of creating a BMC very engaging and it made me more aware of the journey that must be made to bring an idea to a product.