During this course, using the principles of hypothesis driven entrepreneurship, a business model was created around a service that helps people in the process of buying a second hand car. Initially it was hypothesized that people wanted to get help with the decision on which type of car suited them best, and get recommendations on specific models with regards to their needs. When testing this hypothesis, it quickly got disproven. However, the results of this testing did show that people felt a need for an independent expert to help them inspect a vehicle they had become interested.
This resulted in ExpertiseDrive, an application that helps users inspect a car themselves. It uses a freemium business model where everyone can use the basic functionality of the application, which gives them general tips and pointers when inspecting a certain car. However, there is also a paid version where users can get help from a real expert through a video-chat, with the additional option of renting a car-scanner that checks for underlying problems that cannot be seen directly.
In this course I focused more on the development of the business model and really getting to know what people wanted, rather than designing the application itself. This has taught me that design does not always have to be about the product or service itself, but that it is also possible to design a business model. In doing so I have focused much more oh the user, and less on technical development or aesthetics. Lastly I also created a full financial plan to support the go-to-market strategy, where I developed a basic understanding of the financial side of a start-up.
#B&E #U&S #MDC
