Assignment 15A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Report Findings and Draw Conclusions-

            In my interviews I wanted to actually go out with people and use a reusable straw so that I can see their reactions to each I present, especially how receptive they are to different types like metallic versus silicone. So I took my three interviewees to the local Olive Garden, all at separate times, and gave them three straws to try metallic, silicone, and paper. Each interviewee got a water to make sure that everything was on the same page, and each person used each straw at least three times in order to make sure they were fully using.

            My first interviewee after using the metal straw for the first time did not really like it just because she tends to bite down on straws and it hurt her teeth, and when she used the paper straw she basically bit through it just because it is so thin. Therefore, I changed out her straw and she really liked the silicone just because it tends to bounce back. This made my product a little bit more confusing just because it is really hard to make silicone straws small (by bending or constricting).

            My second interviewee was sort of enlightening because he liked the idea of a reusable straw and tended to side more with the metallic straw over the other two just because it cold to the touch and did not remind her of a bendy straw kids use. He also reacted very strangely when I asked him to use the paper straw because he did not understand how it could be reusable. Which brought up the valid point that using a paper straw would not be a very long term solution because paper tends to degrade very quickly over time.

            My last interviewee was not very helpful just because she was not very decisive over which straw she actually liked. She tended to feel super indifferent about every straw which made things difficult because I was not able to decide anything. This however helped me understand that some people are going to be super indifferent about my product and that is okay.

            After going over the interviews and spending a lot of time at Olive Garden, I made several conclusions that will help me finalize my product. First, the metallic and silicone straws are far superior compared to the paper just because paper will degrade so quickly, and will not withstand even really a month of being used. Second, the metallic straw has a clear advantage over the silicone just because it is able to be folded into a smaller volume. Lastly, there is going to be people who do not really like using a reusable straw and that is okay, for every person who doesn’t care there is someone who does.