Reflection – Learning Launch 

 Challenge 

 My team and I were challenged to sell an inventory of products that we had no experience with , nor   knowledge of .   We are a team of males who have a small online store .   We were presented an   opportunity to sell an inventory of adult toys for women .   The reason we accepted a challenge in such   an unknown field was the potential financial gains .   We were not required to put down any capital nor   required to provide any storage .   We were obligated to pay back only the cost of the products after the   sales were made , which are sold at roughly a 50 % profit margin .   No deadline was established and there   was very limited capital available for this project . 

 Selection 

 We chose to do a learning launch .   A learning launch is a quick and cheap experiment on an idea in the   real world that allows you to test your assumptions on real customers .   A more in depth explanation can   be found in Module 4 of the course ‘ Design Thinking for Innovation ’ through the University of Virginia . 

 We chose this tool because we needed direct conversations with our customer base .   Instead of   researching articles and analyses of this market and its customers , we wanted to learn directly from   them .   We knew these products were in demand , however we were looking for the most effective way   to get them into the hands of the buyers .   This tool was designed to perfectly meet our goals . 

 Application 

 After researching our new product line , we held a showcase event as our learning launch .   We invited   members of our target customer group , displayed our products and displayed prototypes of potential   versions of an online store .   We raffled prizes and products and had conversations with guests .   We   gathered all the data and feedback from our conversations and questionnaires , took notes and then met   as a team to compile our findings .   The learning launch met all our expectations .   It was quick , easy to   arrange , inexpensive and provided us with a wealth of in - depth intimate information through direct   conversations . 

 Insight 

 This tool was invaluable in meeting our goals .   It set us in a new direction , turning us away from a path   of certain failure that we would otherwise have followed . 

 Assumptions held prior to the learning launch that we expected to confirm : 

 -   We assumed women did not trust or feel comfortable purchasing these products from men 

 -   We assumed an online store would be most effective . 

 -   We assumed we would need to partner with female experts to consult on webpage design and   content 

 Conclusions from the learning launch : 

 -   Customers want to see the physical products and make purchases in person 

 -   Are comfortable purchasing products from men , provided they are knowledgeable 

 -   Are interested in getting male opinions and insight on products and experiences 

 -   Most popular purchasing environment would be a Tupperware style party held by   knowledgeable males 

 These were not results we expected to receive , however it has changed our mindset and pointed us in   the direction of another quick and cheap learning launch , to validate our findings and continue   improving our methods as we move forward . 

 This tool was an effective way to quickly test our assumptions in a market that was unknown to us .   I   believe this is also true of Design Thinking as a whole .    It allows us to organize and make structured   decisions in areas that can be very murky and unknown . 

 Approach 

 I would undoubtedly use the same tool again in the same scenario .   We knew information existed that   we did not possess .   We also knew that our customers possessed this information .   A learning launch   was the best way to quickly and inexpensively make direct contact with these customers .   The only thing   I ( we ) would do differently in the future is to hold more learning launches and hold them more   frequently . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: 
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Reflection – Learning Launch 

 Challenge 

 My team and I were challenged to sell an inventory of products that we had no experience with , nor   knowledge of .   We are a team of males who have a small online store .   We were presented an   opportunity to sell an inventory of adult toys for women .   The reason we accepted a challenge in such   an unknown field was the potential financial gains .   We were not required to put down any capital nor   required to provide any storage .   We were obligated to pay back only the cost of the products after the   sales were made , which are sold at roughly a 50 % profit margin .   No deadline was established and there   was very limited capital available for this project . 

 Selection 

 We chose to do a learning launch .   A learning launch is a quick and cheap experiment on an idea in the   real world that allows you to test your assumptions on real customers .   A more in depth explanation can   be found in Module 4 of the course ‘ Design Thinking for Innovation ’ through the University of Virginia . 

 We chose this tool because we needed direct conversations with our customer base .   Instead of   researching articles and analyses of this market and its customers , we wanted to learn directly from   them .   We knew these products were in demand , however we were looking for the most effective way   to get them into the hands of the buyers .   This tool was designed to perfectly meet our goals . 

 Application 

 After researching our new product line , we held a showcase event as our learning launch .   We invited   members of our target customer group , displayed our products and displayed prototypes of potential   versions of an online store .   We raffled prizes and products and had conversations with guests .   We   gathered all the data and feedback from our conversations and questionnaires , took notes and then met   as a team to compile our findings .   The learning launch met all our expectations .   It was quick , easy to   arrange , inexpensive and provided us with a wealth of in - depth intimate information through direct   conversations . 

 Insight 

 This tool was invaluable in meeting our goals .   It set us in a new direction , turning us away from a path   of certain failure that we would otherwise have followed . 

 Assumptions held prior to the learning launch that we expected to confirm : 

 -   We assumed women did not trust or feel comfortable purchasing these products from men 

 -   We assumed an online store would be most effective . 

 -   We assumed we would need to partner with female experts to consult on webpage design and   content 

 Conclusions from the learning launch : 

 -   Customers want to see the physical products and make purchases in person 

 -   Are comfortable purchasing products from men , provided they are knowledgeable 

 -   Are interested in getting male opinions and insight on products and experiences 

 -   Most popular purchasing environment would be a Tupperware style party held by   knowledgeable males 

 These were not results we expected to receive , however it has changed our mindset and pointed us in   the direction of another quick and cheap learning launch , to validate our findings and continue   improving our methods as we move forward . 

 This tool was an effective way to quickly test our assumptions in a market that was unknown to us .   I   believe this is also true of Design Thinking as a whole .    It allows us to organize and make structured   decisions in areas that can be very murky and unknown . 

 Approach 

 I would undoubtedly use the same tool again in the same scenario .   We knew information existed that   we did not possess .   We also knew that our customers possessed this information .   A learning launch   was the best way to quickly and inexpensively make direct contact with these customers .   The only thing   I ( we ) would do differently in the future is to hold more learning launches and hold them more   frequently .
### Output: 