VEL
CHALLENGE
Our client asked my small team and I to determine the viability of college students as a new customer segment for tech-forward third spaces and coffee shops.
SOLUTION
Grow the students’ perception of VEL from a “nice to have,” to the one partner for the space they need through environmental implementations.
INSIGHT
Collaboration, productivity, and hard work are all words that seem to epitomize the college experience. However, this demographic proves difficult to sell given their aversion and difficulty with spending on products and services that feel non-essential to them. We found the most successful approaches to be:
Be close and be walkable.
Flexibility, adaptability, and collaboration are important.
Don't charge the student, get them to buy in another way.
OUR FINDINGS
PRIMARY RESEARCH
Our primary research consisted of a survey, observational studies, and a series of interviews. These methodologies collected over 200 responses in total! This knowledge not only shed light on our remaining questions and assumptions, but validated many of our secondary findings as well.
SURVEY
We collected responses from students attending a variety of institutions with the majority of respondents coming from Ringling College. Based on their personal input, we learned about student willingness to travel to designated work spaces as well as their access to transportation.
100
60%
53%
online survey respondents
said that they would be willing to travel a maximum of 5-10 minutes
identified walking as their predominant mode of transportation.
STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATION
Be Close and Be Walkable.
OBSERVATIONAL STUDY
To further solidify our understanding of the target demographic, we set out to record first-hand observations of students' work habits. These observations also gave us insight to some aspects in a physical space potentially interrupt workflow. A strong need for access to technology such as power outlets and or charging stations was identified.
100+
students working in different environments
9
different location across 3 college campuses, multiple Starbucks stores, and local cafes
2.5-3 hrs.
was the average work session, including socializing with surrounding peers
STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATION
A Successful Third Space Must Be Flexible, Adaptable, Collaborative.
INTERVIEWS
Through these meetings I conducted, I found a correlation between students' financial independence and their willingness to pay for an alternative work space separate from the ones they currently have access to.
11
students were interviewed in total
73%
said they would consider using a workspace that is an alternative to their current one(s)
50%<
stated that they would not be willing to pay to use an alternative workspace
STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATION
Don’t Charge the Student Directly; Get Their Buy in Another Way.
SO... ARE COLLEGE STUDENTS AN ADVISABLE TARGET MARKET FOR VEL?
YES!
TAKEAWAY
We found that Vel's greatest competition comes from the colleges themselves as they already provide students with workspace options on campus. If Vel pursues this new target audience, our research suggests that the most successful approach for integration will be to partner with colleges and universities to create new workspaces for students
PROJECT LEAD
As the Project Leader, my role throughout this project was to manage a larger creative team in producing project deliverables for the client. I was responsible for client management, group representation through public speaking, leading creative discussions and ideation processes, and assisting in the delegation of tasks. Additionally, I illustrated my primary research capabilities through the interviews I conducted, and my design skills through aiding in the branded design elements. I was elected as spokesperson for the team during Client Briefings and gave a live presentation of the comprehensive deck, with the help of one of my other team members.
FINAL DELIVERABLES
Primary Research and Interviews
Branded Research Deck
15 minute Final Live Presentation to Client
10 minute WIP live Presentation to Client
Research Synthesis Document
Behind the Scenes Video
Immersive Walkthrough of Cafe and Outdoor Spaces
Business Model and Strategic Recommendations
Strategic Research Plan
Live Client Research Project & Presentation I 10 Weeks
Hover Over Me
CREDITS
Bella Erhamza
Sam Grimm
Gabby Pierre
Abby Hanly
Nina Prodanovic
Tekla Khantadze
Megan Anil
