Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

1) An opportunity that I would like to pursue is the fact that there is no portable laptop charger. Many college classrooms require students to have a computer at their desks but oftentimes the only available power outlets are those against the walls. This leaves those in the middle with no power in the case that their laptops die.

2) The who: College students that use laptops.
The what: They are not able to charge their laptops when in classrooms
The why: There is no portable laptop charger available

3) Testing the who: While yes there are others that would have a need like this, the primary market would be to college students either in classrooms or in libraries. Libraries and classrooms are where there are an abundance of people all using laptops with a limited number of power outlets.

Testing the what: There are tons of different types of laptops but there are only so many different types of charging cables. The market is split pretty evenly between Macs and PCs so this opportunity could be explored through one, the other, or both.

Testing the why: The "why" that I identified holds true for the college students of interest. I have never seen a portable charger made specifically for laptops marketed and there is a clear need in these classrooms and libraries as my computer dies quite frequently.

4) In these interviews, most of the students that were questioned had very similar responses. Some of the variations and additions that they had are as followed:
Whos: This opportunity does extend beyond college campuses. In office buildings where they use cubicles there are people who like to use their own software on their laptops, but many times the power outlets are being used for the desktops
Whats: Laptop chargers are expensive first off. If there could be a universal one that would charge several devices with a rechargeable battery for extended periods of time either outside, in classrooms, or libraries, life would be easier.
Whys: Regular laptop chargers are already so bulky and take up so much room in backpacks and oftentimes get damaged by books and other things in your bag. There needs to be one that small and compact.

5) I had no idea people wanted this as bad as they do. I was the impression that my laptop either had a bad battery or that I was just bad at keeping it plugged in but everyone that I spoke with has the same issue as me in classrooms and libraries.