Forming an Opportunity Belief

Step 1: I believe there is an unmet need for wireless, Bluetooth-enabled headphones specifically designed to be worn with a motorcycle helmet.

Step 2: Most motorcycle riders enjoy listening to music while riding. However, there are currently no Bluetooth headphones specifically designed to accommodate the challenges of wearing headphones while wearing a motorcycle helmet. Although some helmets are currently produced with integrated Bluetooth speakers, they tend to be prohibitively expensive and often produce lower quality sound than ordinary Bluetooth headphones. Many riders attempt to fill this need using Bluetooth headphones designed for athletic use; however, these headphones are almost always too large to allow wear within a helmet and/or too insecure to stay in place while operating the motorcycle. Some riders may even alter the padding within their helmets to accommodate athletic headphones, thereby compromising safety in the event of a collision. For these reasons, I am 80% confident that this need exists.

Step 3: Our prototypical customer is an avid, frequent motorcycle rider/enthusiast.

Step 4(1): Interview Subject: Aaron

Aaron is a 22-year-old motorcycle rider. He began riding motorcycles two years ago. Aaron enthusiastically indicated that this need exists. He wishes he could listen to music while riding, but currently does not have a solution for doing so. He most often notices this need during longer rides. He has previously attempted to fulfill this need using athletic headphones, but these have been too bulky to wear inside of a motorcycle helmet.  

Step 5(1): Reflection: My interview with Aaron provided confirmation that this need does, in fact, exist. The experiences he described are similar to the expectations I had when forming my opportunity belief. The customer strongly indicated that the product described in my opportunity belief would fulfill his unmet needs.

Step 6: The interview process was performed twice more. Findings are as follows:

Step 4(2): Interview Subject: Roy

Roy is an avid motorcycle rider in his mid-50’s. He primarily rides during weekend trips , often taking part in group/pair riding trips. During the interview, he expressed enthusiasm for the product. He indicated, however, that such a product would be more useful as a tool for navigation and communication between riders. For Roy, this need is greater than the need for music listening. As stated during the interview, “I’m not from Florida, so some kind of earpiece that could feed me directions would be incredible.” He also expressed interest in communication features similar to those of a walkie-talkie, allowing groups/pairs of riders to communicate with one another for various purposes, (road hazards, stopping to fuel, emergencies, etc.). Currently, when Roy needs to communicate with other riders in his group, he speeds up in front of them and motions using mutually-understood hand signals. This, Roy says, presents a serious safety concern, particularly when riding in traffic or adverse conditions.

Step 5(2): Reflection: Roy’s needs appear to differ from the expected needs of our prototypical customer. Although I expected that the need existed primarily for music listening, my interview with Roy has provided insight into the scope of this unfulfilled need and the functionalities that would most correctly address the need.

Step 4(3): Interview Subject: Sara

               Sara is a 26-year-old avid motorcycle rider. She primarily rides during her daily commute to/from work. Sara indicated that the ability to listen to music while riding would make her 25-minute commute much more enjoyable. Currently, she has not found an adequate solution to meet this need.

Step 5(3): Reflection: As with the first subject, my interview with Sara provided confirmation that this need does exist. Interestingly, it seems that my younger customers are much more interested in the music streaming functionality of the product. If this sample of potential customers is representative of all customers, this information may be useful in marketing the product to different demographics of motorcycle riders.

Step 7: Overall Reflection: These customer interviews have significantly expanded my understanding of this unfulfilled need, and my opportunity believe has changed accordingly. This unfulfilled need is not limited only to music listening; there are several additional sub-needs that this product could fulfill via various functionalities. This exercise has been particularly enlightening, as it has allowed me to experience the ways in which customer interaction can shape an entrepreneur’s opportunity belief to more accurately reflect the customers’ unfulfilled needs. With this in mind, I strongly feel that an entrepreneur should be willing to adapt his or her opportunity belief to customer feedback in order to more correctly fulfill the customer’s needs.