Needfinding

1. Needfinding Hayden Little⧫Nikki Kang⧫Carmelle Millar⧫Ben Ehmann

2. Our Team

3. Interviews

4. Michael Lee -Homeowner Palo Alto, CA -Interviewed in Palo Alto home.-Chosen because: He owns a house with excess space.

5. Mindy Davenport -Homeowner, California Native -Interviewed in her San Jose home.-Chosen because: She owns a house with excess space.

6. Melissa Chen -Stanford student, ‘19 -Interviewed at 1047-Chosen because: she went abroad, and we wanted to know what she did with her stuff!

7. Frances Yang -Recent Cornell alumni (‘17), now Social Impact Analyst at Blackrock (New York). Originally from Boston. -Interviewed at Pluto House-Chosen because: 1.She also had the modern student experience. What did she do for storage and why? 2. She now has an apartment in New York. Does she have any unused space, and if so does she have future plans for it? -Recruited from 1st degree connection

8. What was the worst moving experience you’ve had? What was your last moving experience like? What did you do with things you knew you couldn’t take a long to your new destination? Do you consider yourself a hoarder, or a minimalist, something in between? How and where did you store your things in college? Why did you choose that storage solution? How did you know you could trust it? How did it work out? What was your experience like? How did you find out about the storage solution you used? How much did it cost? What storage options did your friend use? (For Frances:) Do you have any unused space in your current apartment? If so, do you have any plans for it? Storage Seekers What did we ask them?

9. -Do you have extra space in your home? -What do you do with your extra space? -Have you ever used your extra space to help out a friend? -What is your ideal ratio of free space compared to used space in your home? -Can you tell me how it felt to use the extra space in your home to help out your friends or neighbors? -Can you tell me more about your biggest fears or concerns related to helping out another person with the extra space in your house? Homeowners What did we ask them?

10. Interview Results: Michael Lee Surprise: “I want to utilize all the space that I have.” Interesting: Michael had no problem helping strangers, but was very adamant about making sure terms of what can be stored and how much were very clear. Story/contradiction: “I had a friend who wanted to store stuff at my house over the summer since storage lockers were so expensive… I didn’t ask him what kind of things he wanted to put [in my house].” Resolution: “I didn’t ask him because of the trust I had in him.”

11. Interview Results: Mindy Davenport Interesting: “I obviously value my family above all else.” Surprising: “People worry too much about being burdens to others.” She S: “Storing things in storage lockers sucks!” Contradiction: “I do kind of miss having neighbors who I feel comfortable asking favors from, and vice versa”

12. Interview Results: Melissa Chen Contradiction: She said she never had any large objects to worry about when moving, but she left a futon behind when leaving campus last year. Conclusion: It’s easy to take the space and objects around you for granted. “Maybe I will use this… but then you know, you never use it.”

13. Interview Results: Frances Yang Surprise: “Uhh, I don't think I've had a bad [moving experience]. In college I used a friendly service, and they were usually on time, and they didn't destroy any of my stuff. It was called Collegeboxes. I used them every time I moved... I moved 4 times total throughout college.” Also surprising: “Collegeboxes was really expensive… [If there was a service that was 90% cheaper but didn’t include moving/delivery of my stuff], I still wouldn’t take it because I physically can’t move my stuff on my own. But if I were a boy or super strong, I would take that service.” Interesting: “[Collegeboxes’] moving service [where they take your stuff when you move out and deliver it back to you when you move in] was the most important part because I can't carry anything. It's also a hassle to rent a car to move everything.” Story: “One time my friends stored their stuff in a house and that worked out. It was a frat house, so they knew the guys and trusted them. But it's a little jank, I wouldn't do it.” Contradiction: At first she said that most of her friends would not store their stuff at a stranger’s house if that was an option, and neither would she. “The stranger might steal or break your stuff.” But later, she said: “I would trust that service if it was something like Airbnb where you have a certified person. Like there would have to be reviews for the person who I would store my stuff with.”

14. SAY DO Homeowners Empathy Map • Michael was very relaxed • Michael seemed very intrigued when thinking about his ideal way to use extra space • Michael lit up when talking about ways he could help his friends with his space • Mindy looked sad and nostalgic when reminiscing about her old neighbors who used to help each other out • Mindy looked excited when talking about helping her old neighbors • “I enjoy helping people” • “I want to maximize all the space I have • “Some people don’t like to inconvenience their friends” • “I do kind of miss having neighbors who I feel comfortable asking favors from” • “Terms have to be clear when I help a stranger” THINK FEEL • Glad to help people in need, friends and strangers alike • Felt disappointed that many people feel uncomfortable asking their friends for favors • Wary of the safety of her family above all else • Eager to help her neighbors or others in her community • “I believe storage units are incredibly expensive” • “I think my friend using my extra space instead of public storage saved him from a large inconvenience.” • “Storing things in storage lockers sucks!” • “People worry too much about being burdens”

15. SAY DO Storage Seekers Empathy Map - “campus alpacas are useful” - “their website seemed professional and people have used it. Also, there were reviews on the site and their customer service was responsive.” - “my friends usually rented a UHaul and put their stuff in a warehouse. One time someone's stuff got damaged.” -”My friends didn't use Collegeboxes because it was too expensive. I think they asked their friends what they did for storage and followed what they did.” - nostalgic about collecting a few extra trinkets every year - was not excited to talk about moving experiences - calmly explained how she used storage services and trusted them - unsure body language, gradually became more confident and comfortable -short answers THINK FEEL - doesn’t see how moving could be improved in that she doesn’t have extra objects - moving is a hassle, especially for small/weak people -Having people take care of the transportation of the stuff completely is a necessary convenience -It was very much worth using CollegeBoxes even though it was super expensive -Good service is worth a lot of money to her -Storing a person’s stuff for them would be possibly sketchy, but doable if she needed quick money and had space (and she knew what she was storing) -Quick money can be worth some unsureness - unpacking is a process of individualizing a room - moving is boring, often unpleasant—unless accompanied - nostalgia - unauthoritative - analytical

16. INSIGHT: People often forget about the objects they own. NEED:The ability to easily let go of these things, if and when they want to.

17. INSIGHT: People are more open to help when the terms are clear. NEED:Trust and safety when giving or receiving help.

18. INSIGHT: A reputation system is key when deciding whether to use a service or to trust strangers. NEED:To feel secure in where/how her belongings are stored To trust strangers/companies before making transactions

19. INSIGHT: Convenience (/ a hassle-free experience) is worth a lot of money to some. NEED:(Frances) To have a moving/storage experience that’s as physically and mentally undemanding as possible.

20. Summary - Trust is key, on both sides. - Anyone who regularly moves in/out of an area (such as college students) needs a place to store their items in between these moves - When moving, people balance cost with ease of storing objects