Our coach Phil from MCIC encouraged us to have a focus group to discuss the problems faced by the students. Prior to this, we were mostly working off assumptions. Some would say that working on an idea without any market research is plain stupid. So we did some interviews with lecturers in the previous week as well and invited some friends to be a part of this discussion. 

Getting together a focus group was difficult. 

You know when you get those emails inviting you to all these events and you don’t bother replying? Or when someone tells you about an event only to find out that you aren’t interested? Well, that someone happened to be me this time. In this experience, arranging for the location and running the event were the easier bits. Asking and confirming the attendees was the taxing and the most difficult part. 

I made an announcement in one of the lectures and gave away fliers for the event. I also made an announcement in my class. But only those whom I asked in person (and who confirmed) actually attended the event. Must take note of that.

The session itself went pretty well. We gave some snacks and coffee vouchers as a gesture of appreciation. 9 people actually ended up attending the event. We asked them about the problems that they faced during the lecture. Then we asked them about how they tackle these problems. We might have to pivot the idea now that we have some sort of feedback. 

All in all, it was an exciting experience. My cofounders kept track of the discussion while I quizzed the participants. It also turns out that we were the first from the Founders Start cohort to actually conduct a focus group discussion. So that’s nice. I am also grateful to those who turned up for the discussion. 

We’re doing another pitch next week as part of the Founders Start programme. Hope we win this time!

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