9A - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

Who: After conducting five more interviews, I realized that this idea is for a niche market. There are plenty of athletes and sports companies that exist in the U.S, but only so many players that will become successful in professional sports and agents that will be able to perform the services they want to for athletes in those sports. This would result in them lying outside of the boundary that I am researching, and therefore, I must somewhat rethink my strategy to ensure that the correct athletes and agents get hooked onto this platform and utilize it to the best of their ability. This concept focuses on connecting serious athletes intending on signing in college and making the pros, so the platform must also serve as a wakeup call for athletes with no real chance of making it.

What: The need is pretty much the same for anybody in the market, regardless of who they are. All athletes are trying to become popular and all agents are attempting to spread the word of their company. The need changes when you start to have parents and others on the website viewing their family's videos to watch them perform. Because this platform is primarily serving as a way to connect people on a business level, this need drastically differs from that when it comes to family.

Why: The difference in needs is a result of people using the site for non-business purposes. The biggest, as I stated previously, that is caused by this is the support of family in an athlete's endeavors. This will cause them to access the platform for a completely different purpose than athletes trying to connect with representatives.


Inside the boundary:      vs. Outside the boundary:                                                                      

Inside - Who is in - Successful athletes and agents trying to acquire more business                                                                                                                                                                                  
Outside - Who is not - Athletes not serious about going pro and family members supporting their loved ones on the platform

Inside - What the Need is - To successfully serve as a liaison between these athletes and agents  

Outside - What the Need is Not - To serve as a way to get famous from cool/funny highlights or as a way for a family to catch up on an athlete's success

Inside - Why the Need Exists -  There is always a need for athletes to receive proper representation to ensure they are receiving the most fair contract possible                          

Outside - Alternative Explanations - To become popular as a high school or college athlete with no intention of going pro