Bug List

Hello everyone! My next assignment required me to write a list of 20 "bugs", or unmet needs. I have to say, this task was NOT as easy as I expected. I thought I would be able to blow through this assignment because heck, I can be quite the complainer sometimes and complaints indicate unmet needs! Boy was I wrong. I guess I should probably be relieved that this was a challenge though...

So, I started collecting my "bugs" on Wednesday and would jot down things that were minor annoyances as I went through my day. What I've learned from this assignment is that a lot of my "bugs" already had existing solutions. I'm not sure if other people noticed that in this assignment too. Come Thursday, I hit lucky number 10 on my list and my ideas began slowing down. The last ten were a bit of a stretch. I tried asking my parents what annoys them, and they found it difficult to come up with a list on the spot as well. On Friday, I was able to come up with "bugs" much more easily. In fact, I was able to think of more than were required for this assignment.

I've realized, when going through the motions of life, we often notice things that annoy us in passing, consciously or subconsciously. The difference between entrepreneurs and others is that they pay full attention to these little annoyances and look for a deeper explanation of them. What I've also noticed during this exercise is that some "bugs" would seem to have easier, more practical solutions than others. I suppose that is a common problem entrepreneurs face when deciding which idea to more forward with. 

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As you go through my list below, I am including a "why" portion for each "bug". I couldn't help but think of this Vine as I wrote this post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sluHwh3hJhI. 

For maximum enjoyment, I would suggest watching the 4 second clip before reading my list and then reading the word "why" in that voice as you make your way through all of my "bugs"! 

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Bug List:

1. It is dangerous and frustrating to try to change a song on your device when you are using an AUX cord in your car because your car doesn't have Bluetooth.

Why?  

This bug exists if your car does not have Bluetooth. If your car does not have Bluetooth, you'll need an AUX cord to play music. Because the AUX cord is manually connected to both the car and the phone, you have to manually change the song on your phone. This can cause a distraction while you're driving, putting yourself and others on the road at risk.

2. I have a hard time finding jeans and pants that fit right. They're usually too big around the waist and too tight everywhere else.

Why? 

I suppose that clothing designers typically have a set of body types that they tailor their clothes to. Not all women are proportional. Some women have skinny waists and larger thighs. Others have larger hips and thinner thighs. Unfortunately it's a bit easier to find pants that fit right if your waist is larger than if your waist is smaller and everything else is bigger. I have a slim waist but muscular thighs (shout out to dance), and I have the most difficult time finding bottoms that fit. Either they fit around the thighs and butt but are giant around the waist or they fit around the waist and are too tight everywhere else.

3. Carrying around a water bottle while running is chunky and gets in the way of the workout.

Why? 

When you go for a run, it is important to stay hydrated. It makes sense to bring a water bottle with you, but water bottles are bulky therefore annoying to carry. They typically don't fit in fanny packs because they're too large, and running with them in a backpack is uncomfortable because the bottle hits you.

4. When watching TV, often the commercials will be so much louder than the actual TV shows.

Why? 

The TV commercials are louder than the TV shows to grasp the audience's attention and so that they can still be heard even if the person watching TV leaves the room. For me, I personally find the drastic change in volume between show and commercial to be jarring, especially at night when I am trying to watch TV quietly. 

5. When I go for a run and use my Apple headphones that come with the iPhone, they usually fall out of my ears.

Why? 

The Apple headphones fall out of  my ears because they don't fit inside properly. They also get sweaty throughout a workout and thus slide out more easily and frequently. 

6. AUX cord won't fit through my phone case.

Why? 

My nice, high-quality AUX cord won't fit through my phone case because the plastic ridge around the rim is too wide and the plastic hole for the insertion in the case is not large enough. I'm guessing that phone case companies make the holes just large enough so that the basic Apple headphones will fit in.

7. My keys always fall to the bottom of my purse and are hard to find.

Why? 

I have a bunch of keys attached to my key chain and my car keys are bulky. The weight of the keys causes the key chain to sink to the bottom. I have trouble finding my keys at the bottom of my purse when I have a lot of other things in it.

8. I live in a golf course country club and when the lawn crews all come to cut the grass, there is so much noise pollution.

Why? 

There is a lot of noise pollution because there is a lot of grass acreage for the lawn crews to cover. They use large riding mowers, blowers and edgers. All of these tools emit loud sounds. When the loud sounds go on for a long time due to the large acreage, it gets really annoying and I get headaches. 

9. I can't take my computer to places without easily accessible outlets for an extended amount of time because I'll need to plug in my Asus laptop.

Why? 

My laptop is approaching its fourth year of age now. The battery typically lasts about two hours unplugged. If I am going somewhere with my laptop, I typically plan on using it for extended amounts of time. If there is not an outlet that is easily accessible, I cannot use my laptop as I want because it will die and I won't be able to plug it in.

10. The rush hour traffic on I75 from Venice to Bradenton is really slow.

Why? 

There is a ton of construction on I75. The Venice-Sarasota-Bradenton area has a very large population and people also commute to, from, and through the area.

11. The construction on I75 is still incomplete and the road is more torn up than ever.

Why? 

I wish I knew why the construction was taking so long... I75 roads are pretty horrible to drive on because of the construction and all of the cones. Add in thousands of tourists, locals commuting, and the elderly and that drive becomes quite the headache.

12. I get pretty bad sinus headaches but do not like to take all of these medicines for it because they make my stomach feel weird. 

Why? 

I'm not exactly sure why my sinus headaches are persistent, but I imagine it has something to do with undiagnosed allergies. I don't like taking pills for allergy relief because they either do nothing, are not long-lasting or are too strong and make me sick. 

13. Smaller food packaging with smaller portion sizes.

Why? 

Companies are trying to cut product portions and packaging sizes to cut costs while keeping the price the same. This causes the consumer to lose out because they don't get as much "bang for their buck".

14. People who don't use their directionals while driving.

Why? 

I also wish I knew why people don't use their directionals for turning or switching lanes... In Florida, it is very common for people to just cut across all lanes with absolutely no warning. I have no idea why! It's not that difficult to turn the directional on! Prevent an accident by letting everyone else on the road know that you're switching lanes. Rant over. 

15. People who don't realize that they are driving with their brights on at night.

Why? 

It's a bit easier to accidentally leave your brights on and not notice because you don't see the lights head on. Driving with your brights on when unnecessary can blind other drives and create a dangerous driving situation. 

16. My cat's white fur gets on everything! I can't wear black clothes around him.

Why? 

My cat sheds a ton, even after we brush him. His fur gets everywhere and once its on your clothes, it's pretty hard to get off. 

17. When I microwave my bowls and plates for a certain amount of time, they're too hot to take out.

Why? 

I'm assuming this has something to do with the material the bowls and plates are made out of, as well as what you are heating up. 

18. Because some parking spots are tight and not accommodating to larger cars, when the car doors are opened, they can leave dents on neighboring cars.

Why? 

Because the parking spots are tight and cars may be large, this leaves little room for passengers to get out of their cars with plenty of space. Sometimes you don't realize how close you are to the car next to you and you ding the other car while opening your door. 

19. When you can't tell how hot your coffee is.

Why? 

When I make coffee, I usually let it sit so it can cool down. When it stops steaming, I assume it's cool enough to drink and oftentimes I end up burning my tongue. On the other hand, sometimes I let my coffee sit too long and then it's cold to drink.

20. When Word grammar and spell-check gives you incorrect corrections. 

Why? 

I imagine that the Word spell-check function has some bugs and was programmed to address certain mistakes. When you are writing an essay and use grammar and spell-check to check it one last time, the program can offer incorrect solutions to grammar problems that don't exist. Also I find it very annoying when the little squiggly lines appear under words that are correct.

Thanks for reading!