Opportunity Belief

There is an unmet need in terms of parking at the University of Florida for undergraduate students that do not live on campus. The university tends to favor faculty, staff, and graduate students in regards to parking. For example, Orange Decal parking spaces are available throughout the main locations on campus. The majority of parking offered to undergraduate students living off campus, however, is located near the Southwest Recreation Center, nearly 2 miles from the center of campus.
Aside from calculating the commute to campus, students that purchase the "Park and Ride" decal (undergraduate, off-campus student parking) must also incorporate bus schedules into their daily routine. Personally, it seems inefficient driving to campus in order to take a bus rather than simply riding a bus directly from point A to point B. 
In order to meet this need, consumers are either parking off-campus in public zones, such as those with parking meters, or riding the bus from their original location. Consumers may also wait until 4:30pm to park on campus due to the fact that parking restrictions are lifted at such time. 
Touching on the subject of the certainty this opportunity exists, I am 95% positive there is an issue within the parking situation for undergraduate, off-campus students.

The prototypical consumer of such parking would be undergraduate students that live off campus and wish to park closer to their classes and/or pay less for "Park and Ride" decals. 

Interview #1: Undergraduate, off-campus student with car.
Male, 19, Full-Time Student
Have you ever purchased a UF parking decal?
"Yes, but I am going to return it."
Why are you returning the parking decal?
"Because for off-campus students, they only allow "Park and Ride", which I'm not interested in for $80."
Do you have an issue with parking on campus?
"Yes, there is none."
Do you believe building more parking garages will help the issue undergraduate, off-campus students face with parking?
"Yes, it will give off-campus students reasonable parking spaces."
Would you purchase a parking decal if garages were built for undergraduate, off-campus students?
"Yes, because then I can park and not have to walk miles to class nor have to worry about preparing hours before having to be on campus."
Reflection
This interview comes from a prototypical consumer. The consumer purchased a parking decal, however, they returned it once they became informed about the parking situation on campus. This interview reveals that parking is not sufficient for the prototypical consumer at its current state.

Interview #2: Undergraduate, off-campus student without car.
Female, 20, Full-Time Student
Do you believe there is an issue with parking at UF?
"Sure there is. After learning how the decals work, I noticed how problematic parking is."
What is your opinion on the location of "Park and Ride" parking?
"The "Park and Ride" parking location seems useless if that's the only place students that live off-campus can park. I think the other decals should be available to students who live off campus because they make up roughly 75% of the student body. This will allow them to park closer to their classes and commute faster.
What would you do if you wanted to park on campus?
"I don't have a car so I don't have an option but to take the bus. The good thing about where I live is that I have 3 bus routes that run towards campus. However, not all apartment complexes are near bus routes that are constantly running so if you have a night class that ends at 7, you may not have a bus ride home since some busses stop running after a certain time."
What can the university do to offer more parking for undergraduate, off-campus students?
"UF can make parking more accessible to students that live off campus. They can also make a large parking lot, like the commuter lot, specifically for off-campus students.
Reflection
From this interview, it is apparent that even those without cars see an issue regarding parking on campus. This interview reinforces the idea that expanded parking lots would benefit undergraduate, off-campus students.

Interview #3: Parent of undergraduate, off-campus student with car.
Female, Mid-40s, Parent
Does your child have a parking decal for the University of Florida?
"No, it is not useful since he is an undergraduate student that lives off campus."
How do they get to campus?
"When he was in Santa Fe College, he would drive and park on campus. Since he's at UF now, he has resorted to waking up extremely early to catch the bus."
Would you allow your child to pay $80+ for the "Park and Ride" decal?
"No, there's no point in paying to park and use the bus when the bus is already free for students."
Do you have any safety concerns regarding your child not being able to park on campus during the day?
"Yes. I worry when my son needs to stay on campus all day and has to catch a bus late at night. Sometimes the bus route he uses isn't even active."
Reflection
From this interview, we can understand that parents are also concerned about the lack of spaces available for undergraduate students that live off campus. The difference is that parental concerns regard the safety of their children riding the bus during late hours.

Summary
The opportunity belief is still relevant after conducting a handful of interviews. Based on the interviews, I believe a wide variety of consumer face the issue regarding parking for undergraduate, off-campus students. This leads me to believe the university should implement ways in which parking will be more accessible to the prototypical consumer.
I believe entrepreneurs should adapt based on feedback. Consumers' opinions matter whether they agree with an idea or not. Negative opinions may provide new methods or alternatives that may be tested in order to make a product or idea greater.