7A- Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Problem: College students can not afford their textbooks due to how expensive they are with limited alternatives than just buying from the UF bookstore.
-The who: College students at University of Florida
-The what: They can not afford their textbooks each semester
-The why: The UF bookstore is mainly where they can get it and have to buy new which is pricey. There are not many alternatives to get their textbooks cheaper.
Test Boundaries of Hypothesis
-Testing the who: There are others who have this need, it is all college students across the United States but this opportunity focuses UF students. So everyone in my current "who" is college students at UF and share the need for this opportunity of textbook issues. Student's parents are also in the who if they are the ones that pay for textbooks.
-Testing the what: The boundaries of the need are if all classes require expensive textbooks, do all students purchase textbooks each semester or just some, and how many alternative methods for textbooks do students have.
-Testing the why: The why holds for all college students in this opportunity at UF by their textbooks being expensive and not many alternatives other than the bookstore. Some students price of textbooks might not be an issue, but for others it could be a major problem. Also, students can have Florida pre paid which covers textbook costs or bright futures to add that includes textbook costs. 
Interviews 
Interview 1: Rayah Schwartz, Sophomore at UF
Rayah is a sophomore at UF and has taken an additional summer semester so far.  When asking questions about the textbooks she has purchased thus far, her responses implied that she has spent a lot of money on them and they are just stashed in her closet somewhere. She stated that this is an issue for not only her, but the majority of her friends in her sorority since each semester they have to buy new books. One thing she said they do is resell the books to each other or give them so whoever is taking the class does not have to go buy a new book. For her, she pays for the textbooks herself and would love if there was a place to easily access used books for cheaper prices.
Interview 2: Jason Kaplan, Freshman at UF
Jason is a freshman this year in his first semester at UF. When asking about his classes this semester and how much he paid for textbooks he told me close to $240. I asked what was his most expensive book was and he told me Psychology for $119 roughly. He purchased the textbooks at the UF bookstore new and told me he has Florida pre paid and bright futures so textbook costs are basically free for him. This really is a test to the "why" as bright futures pays for textbooks as well as Florida pre paid.
Interview 3: Paul Schobert, Father of a student that goes to UF
Paul is the father of a sophomore at UF and stated that he pays the textbook costs for his daughter each semester. I asked him if he thinks the prices of the textbooks have been fair and where has he purchased them. He told me he purchases the textbooks each semester with his daughter before school starts at the UF bookstore as it is the easiest to do. For prices, he stated they are pretty expensive but there isn't really much of an option as his daughter needs the textbooks to do well in class.
Interview 4: Jake Ledner, Graduate student at UF
Jake just graduated last year and now is pursuing an MBA degree at University of South Florida.
He went to UF for undergrad so I asked what has he done with textbooks if he purchased them throughout college. He told me that he held onto them since he bought new most of the time but either threw them away or just left them behind at home. I asked where did he purchase most of his books and he told me barnes and nobles for the most part and if they didn't have it he would buy them online. The reason behind this he stated was because he believed the UF bookstore prices were to high and he could find them cheaper in other places.
Interview 5: Ashley Barnes, Sophomore at University of Alabama
I was curious to see if textbook pricing issues was an opportunity at other universities or just at UF. When asking Ashley about prices of her textbooks and if she purchased them, she told me her books are expensive and that she chooses to rent from other places than her university bookstore. She told me with an example that her Biology textbook costs roughly $200 new at her bookstore, and she rented it for the semester for $70 on amazon. Her response is a test to the "why" as she could not afford to purchase this book new and decided to rent to save more than half of what it would have costed her if she bought from the bookstore.
Conclusion
These interviews were very helpful in learning about my opportunity more with personal experience from people other than myself. What I know about college students ability to afford their textbooks now rather than before is how there are some alternative methods than just the bookstore which I thought all students usually purchased books from. Examples would be Barnes and Nobles, Amazon, and friends who have taken the class before for alternative methods. Even after the interviews and what I learned, I still believe there is an opportunity at the University of Florida for issues with textbook prices for students and their ability to afford them. A solution is definitely probable and could be addressed tomorrow if necessary.