Testing the Hypothesis

Hypothesis: People across the world, but specifically in the United States, want to eliminate the use of plastic straws and be environmentally friendly, but the current solution of paper straws is not very realistic because they lack functionality and are difficult to use as a straw. I want to create a straw that can be rolled out across the world that is made out of sea kelp and can dissolve in the ocean.

First interview:
She says she hates paper straws "with a passion" and would rather not buy a drink if it's going to be served like that. She also says that she does think there are minimal boundaries to this because she has never encountered a paper straw that didn't dissolve and become useless. I asked her why she thinks there needs to be a better straw that's not paper, and she says that plastic is obviously bad for the environment but paper is not appealing. There needs to be another solution.

Second interview:

My second roommate also says she has the need. She says there are boundaries already, because there are already alternatives and nothing may ever be as good as a plastic straw. A plastic straw is the most functional and 'satisfying' to use. The straws in Gainesville now "don't work" and she says she feels like she gets five sips in and it starts being awful.

Third interview:

My third roommate also has the same need and said along the lines of the same thing as my other roommates. She even says that she saw someone with a sign saying "Honk 4 free straws" last week and was passing out plastic straws to people who wanted then. She says that it is only a problem when the drink is over 8 oz. because if it's any less she just doesn't need a straw. However, almost all the drinks she gets are over 8 oz.  There are a lot of other alternatives she says, but my idea of having one that dissolves in the ocean or could be used as fish food would be smart.

Fourth interview:

The next person I interviewed says that they agree paper straws are annoying, but also doesn't mind just not using a straw and drinking without a lid on. This doubles as a boundary for the need, because not everyone cares that much about a better alternative.

Fifth interview:

The last person I interviewed said that they have this need and have heard a lot of people complaining about hating paper straws too. The boundaries could be that there are a lot of straw alternatives already out there, like restaurants using metal straws or rubber straws (I argued that there is still a need for to-go drinks).

In general, the 'why' may not hold for everyone. I'm going to keep brainstorming and if I come up with a new idea, I may start a new one. I learned a few things about this opportunity that I didn't think of before. For example, I didn't realize that many restaurants have just started using metal straws in their restaurants. There would still be a need for better straws for to-go cups. This idea may be hard for me to implement because a lot of companies are already working on it, so I'm having second thoughts. I do like the idea of still of having a straw that could actually feed marine life if it's thrown in the ocean.