9A

An alternative to vaping: 
- In my first interview I spoke to 55-year-old Todd. During this interview I learned that he is very well off in life and does not have a drive to stop. Money is not an issue and he is not very health conscious. He smokes cigarettes, vapes, and cigars and has never faced complications. Because it hasn’t touched him personally, he said he does not want to quit. He mentioned if someone who is dear to him was diagnosed with lung cancer, he would reconsider quitting. Right now, there is no need for him to.

- For my second interview I decided to focus on a different age group. I interviewed 16-year-old Drew. Even though he is not legally able to vape, he still does. He finds any way he can to vape because it is the trend in his high school. Although he knows the risk, he says that he feels socially accepted. Especially because people will ask him if they can hit his. Having it gives his a social “power” in a way. People come to him to use it and then he gets to meet more people and is seen as cool. Having it is more important to him than the potential health risks.

- For my third interview I interviewed 17-year-old Carlie. Although she does not have a vape, she hits it socially. She enjoys doing it at parties. This way, she does not have to by her own but still gets the social gratification of being seen doing it. She would not buy her own but feels the need to hit it if she sees one.

- For my fourth interview spoke to 21-year-old Logan. He really wants to quit but its not worth his time to stop. When he has tried in the past, be has experienced bad withdrawal. He continues to vape because it is easy and enjoyable to do when he is drunk. At this point he describes it as habit and money is not a problem for him so he can do it without guilt.

- For my final interview I spoke with 30-year-old Tori. She smokes the occasional cigarette and vapes from time to time. Although she is aware of health risks, she does not vape often enough to be concerned. She thinks she is good about it in comparison to other people she knows.

Who: Are there certain people or certain businesses that, although they share a lot in common with the others in your opportunity, nevertheless fall outside the boundary? Why?

Yes. I assumed that everyone would be thoughtful about their addiction and would be working to quit. Sadly, this is not the case because some people are at peace with the fact that they have a problem. They do not want to work to fix it and do not have an emotional or financial drive to.

What: At what point does the need you identified differ from another need? (Is thirst the same as hunger? Or is the desire to appear fashionable the same as the desire to be loved by others?)

The need to be “cool” has the potential to trump the desire to quit. The primary reason young people began vaping, is because they wanted to hop on a social trend. Their peers were doing it, so they started even through they did not have an addiction. I need to incorporate a social factor to my product.   

Why: Is the underlying cause of the outsiders' need different than people who are inside the boundary?

They have enough money to fund their addiction without guilt. They also are very easily impacted by peer pressure and the desire to fit in and do not care about the cost.

Inside the boundary	Outside the boundary
People who can not afford their addiction, who have family member who experienced complications due to their addiction, people who want to quit	People who do not have a financial drive, people who do not care about their health, people who are unaware of the potential complications
To inhale vapor	To be health and money conscious
They want the social inclusivity of smoking something, but this would be for health and finance conscious vape users	They are not interested in quitting and do not see a problem in continuing