When I read the book and this post, also reading almost all the comments here, I feel like one can just build a survey with direct questions about the assumptions and beliefs and get answers. Why even elbow grease? or do anything else?
Is it that users need to be in the "situation" to really give you correct data driven instinctive answer? While if you ask them a set of questions, the answers might not be correct or they might not answer?
You've got it right. People say a lot of things that aren't true about themselves. Especially when you're asking them hypotheticals. Surveys have their uses, but they are not proof.
The only solid evidence that you have a real business is that you get money from people for something you did for them. So you get that evidence with the smallest experiment possible. That's the MVP.
Regarding chronology, FWIW, this is a final year project for a group in a class of 2011. The concept would have been developed in summer and fall of 2010 and a prototype implemented in winter of 2011. First mentions of Amazon lockers are from late summer/early fall of 2011.
That's great, but does that matter much? This isn't academic research where novelty is the key. They are trying to build a business, and there is clearly good potential for a business in this area. And at the very least, it will be good to have competition in this space.
The argument is that Amazon controls 30% currently, so 70% is "fair game".
It's a pretty weak argument considering that Amazon has the infrastructure muscle out someone like Bufferbox, if there is no distinct competitive advantage for the startup.
I think it depends on the agreements Bufferbox can get with the buildings. I'm not familiar with these types of agreements (eg Redbox kiosks, vending machines may be similar), but I can imagine that non-competes with multi-year terms are a possibility. Especially if Bufferbox itself will pay for the initial costs.
If that is the case, then Bufferbox is in a more defensible position.
Amazon lockers offer a solution for Amazon only products. This is an open platform all carriers to use, in addition to the other 70% of eCommerce sales in Canada.
For a long time Amazon fulfilled only their own products (and some large partners) from their warehouses. Now, it's offered to everyone as Fulfillment by Amazon service. No doubt Amazon will offer the locker service, if the market is there.
You're right. Their marketplace model has been built out. Amazon's use of the locker system is an incredible opportunity and as exceptional validation of the technology.
I am sorry but you already had a fan base. So you already had 1000s of users. And you told them before launching this app is coming. How is this not marketing?
This is why I don't like to read and believe things on internet. You leveraged your prior advertising. And the rest of the things you mentioned was basically, build a great product. Everyone here knows that. But we have also heard so many times no product sells itself irrespective of how great.So I don't know what was the point of mentioning all those features etc
You also used SEO tactics to get people find your app. That is also classic internet marketing
The article is sad but true. However, #3 is gives the most ROI from an interviewee perspective. It is not scalable for an interviewee to try going to lots of tech meetups or conferences just to network with as many potential hiring managers. One does not even know if they are hiring or not and if there is an open position.
Also if one has a current job and looking to switch it is even more less scalable as there is not enough time to do all these shenanigans.
Of course if you have the connection go leverage it...
I think for the better good we should encourage #3 as that is the right fair approach where talent and skill set is at stake and not whether one had the time and money to go to a conference/tech meetup.
I am sorry but OP is missing the point here. A good speaker knows his audience and hence prepares his talk accordingly. If it is techies, he should put for technical content which stimulates their brain. If it is children of the 3rd grade, he should know to keep it light and crack jokes or tell stories. A good speaker will change his speech depending on how dumb or intelligent the audience is. Thats his trait. Now if he has a large and varied audience, this task gets a lot harder, but then again there is a trend in the audience.
I think the most ideal would be a desk which can be moved up or down via a mechanical handle bar. I have seen them in practice. That way if you get too tired you can lower it and sit.
I agree. Fewer moving parts and nothing to replace. Sounds like good engineering to me. I have looked around a lot at various options and nobody is really making what I want: a large, simple, workbench-like standing desk with lever hand adjustment (no electrical motors or power needed) with an additional fine adjustment so you can elevate the surface of the desk precisely.
Also I should add, you might want to take pictures of yourself or your friends in the foreground. That's what personalizes a photo for MOST people. imho.
I thought of that as well, but surprisingly, I only got about half a dozen requests to take pictures with people out of the ~hundred total. Going by what I saw of other people being photographed, this was probably typical.
