Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

Who: People such as restaurant workers (waiters, hosts, etc.), remote workers, and entrepreneurs in a startup business simply don't feel pressured to answer work calls/emails after hours, or need a solution to this problem. This could be due to the nature of their job, their personal preference, or simply their lack of interest in a solution to a minor unmet need in their life.

What: I think some people don't see a need in having a product/service that prevents work calls/emails from coming through. Many people just turn their phone off or don't answer until the next workday. The need I identified used a product as a solution, while some people would rather have a cultural change as a solution.

Why: Again, some people simply don't have this need. Many workers work their job and come home without any need to answer work calls or emails after their shift is over. Although the need may still be there for some workers, such as an entrepreneur in a startup business, it may not be worth putting off some work emails till the next day for an extra five minutes of free time.


Interview 1 (Late 20s male med student and entrepreneur)
He doesn't feel pressured to answer work calls/emails after hours because he is currently working for a startup company. He explained that because of the nature of startups, there is no specific time that work officially ends because he is constantly dealing with clients, his team, and other situations that further develop the business. Although his job requires a lot of work, he genuinely enjoys his career, which accounts for the fact that he doesn't feel pressure to work outside his normal business hours. He doesn't necessarily need a product or service that alleviates the pressure of answering emails/work calls after his normal business hours. He approached the feasibility of a product/service from a business standpoint. If there happen to be a feasible product/service that had low opportunity costs and the ROI (return on investment) was high, he would consider investing in a product/service that potentially eased his working habits after hours. However, he didn't see a beneficial reason to consider such products/services, hence his lack of interest in a solution.

He agrees that technology contributes to his ability to work outside his normal business hours because all he needs is his phone and an internet connection to conduct business. He constantly checks emails and credits the recent technological trends for this ability. Nonetheless, he doesn't view ease of access to technology as a problem, but rather an opportunity to grow his business.

Interview 2 (Early 30s female employee)
She currently doesn't feel pressured to answer work calls/emails after hours because she just started a new job. She believes that it is too early to tell if she'll eventually feel pressure to work after hours or not. However, she did feel some pressure to answer work calls/emails after her normal working hours at her previous job. She does clarify that she personally enjoys knowing what is going on, and often times chooses to put in the extra work at night when it's not required. While there are no set rules or expectations for her to work after hours, she engages with clients daily and chooses to put in the extra work after her normal working hours to show her clients that she cares. For her personally, she frequently communicates with her boss to clarify when she is not available for extra work calls/emails after hours unless the situation is urgent. Because of the communication channel she uses, she does not believe that she needs a product or service to alleviate potential pressure felt while working.

She agrees that technology has made it easier to work after her normal working hours, but has also made it harder for people who prefer not to work after their normal working hours. However, she disagrees that adults feeling pressure to answer work calls/emails after business hours is a problem that needs to be solved. She explained that sometimes, the industry requires that work is conducted after hours, and at the end of the day, she is working with clients who want a certain job to get done, even if that means answering calls/emails after she has left work.

Interview 3 (Early 20s female college student with a part-time job)
She feels pressured to answer work calls/emails after hours for personal reasons. She likes to relax when she goes home and doesn't engage with any work-related tasks unless necessary. To ease her anxiety about accumulated calls/emails, she'll answer them after work but right before she goes home. Although she feels some pressure, she does not believe that she needs a product/service to solve this need. Her solution to alleviating any pressure is to stay organized by setting reminders to reply to work calls/emails within a reasonable amount of time. While she is open to trying different methods to stay organized, a product or service is not one of them.

She believes that recent technological trends have made communication outside of normal working hours much easier. She explains that instead of writing things down or waiting to communicate with someone in person, a simple email, text, or phone call can communicate information faster and easier. However, she believes that working college students and adults in the United States feeling pressured to answer work calls/emails after their respective working hours is a problem that needs to be solved. She approached this problem from a financial standpoint. She explained that many employees are underpaid for overtime, but still expected to put in extra hours at home. She also elaborated that many employees feel obligated to work after hours because society has made the workaholic lifestyle a norm.

Interview 4 (Mid 20s female employee)
Because of the nature of her job, she doesn't completely feel pressured to answer work calls/emails after hours. She works remotely and can set up her own hours. Thus, she can easily shut down her office at home for the day and her job must respect that. With that being said, she doesn't feel like she needs a product or service to help her disconnect. She implements her own ways to distance herself from work after hours by going to the gym the same time every day, muting her email on vacation and weekends, and communicating with her colleagues about when they should expect a response from her.

She believes that recent technological trends have made communication outside of normal working hours much easier. She personally relies heavily on technology for her job, which makes it extremely easy to check up on phone calls and emails on her off days. She also explained that many companies are no longer providing a work phone or work laptop. With work calls and emails now being directed towards personal cell phones and laptops, working after normal hours is easier than ever, and separating the two on the employee's personal devices is challenging. However, she believes that working college students and adults feeling pressured to work outside their normal working hours is a problem. She explained that it is very easy for someone's job to take over his/her life, so creating a separation between a job and life is necessary.

Interview 5 (Early 20s female college student with a part-time job)
She doesn't feel pressured to answer work calls/emails after hours due to the nature of her job. She is a host at a restaurant, so all of her duties can only be conducted while she is at work. Her job doesn't require any extra tasks after she finishes her shift. She also doesn't believe that she needs a product or service to help her avoid working after her normal working hours. Although she uses social media to relax and take her mind off of work, an extra product/service to assist in this action is not necessary for her.

She believes that recent technological trends have made communication and working outside normal working hours easier for certain industries. Clients can be contacted at any time, making it easier for the business to receive an answer to a problem, but also creates the dilemma of never having a specific time to stop work calls and emails from coming in.

Inside the Boundary	Outside the Boundary
Working college students and adults in the United States are the “who” in this situation.	Workers in the startup business in the US, workers outside of the US who don’t feel pressured, workers inside of the US who don't feel pressured, and full-time college students who work a low stake part-time job.
The need is finding a product or service that solves the problem of feeling pressured to work outside an employee’s normal business hours. Whether that is an app or a service, the solution is provided to ease the pressure felt by the “who.”	The need is not necessary to disconnect from work. Also, the need is not wanting a product or service to help avoid answering work calls/emails after hours, and the solution to this problem potentially stems from something else.
The need exists because technology is much more accessible and prevalent within the last few years, which causes employees to have quick access to their work tasks. Employees may have a hard time disconnecting from work-related tasks and feel pressure to continue working after hours.	The need may not exist because people have a good job and don’t feel pressure, people may genuinely enjoy working after normal business hours, or people simply don’t want this need to be corrected.