Projects
Segmentation:
Aptera Motors Corp.
Aptera Motors is a start-up company headquartered in Carlsbad, California that is focused on designing and manufacturing the world’s most efficient Solar Electric Vehicle (sEV). Aptera’s development and operational expenses are currently being funded by venture capital, grants, and crowdfunding. As discussed in Aptera’s 2022 Annual Report (2023), the company does not have sufficient cash resources to cover planned expenses for the duration of fiscal year 2023 and estimates that $50 million in additional capital is required to reach the vehicle production stage. Aptera’s ability to continue raising significant capital via equity crowdfunding is critical to their near-term business goals including production of the Launch Vehicle and maintaining solvency.
I conducted mixed methods segmentation research to enable Aptera to generate messaging and promotional campaigns that are better informed and targeted to consumers who are likely to invest in Aptera Motors Corp.
Deliverables (coming soon):
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Profiled Investor Segments
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Means-End Chain Model
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Positioning Recommendations
Key Skills:
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Conducting In-Depth Interviews (IDIs)
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Coding qualitative data
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Survey programming
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Factor Analysis & Clustering
Course: Captstone Treatise
Market Research:
Falck US
Falck is an emergency medical services (EMS) company headquartered in Denmark that has expanded to the United States. In November 2021, Falck took over as the sole EMS provider in San Diego, California, but has failed to deliver the 900 minimum service hours per day required by their contract. Several sources cite staffing shortages as the cause. Consequently, the City of San Diego has issued fines of more than $1.5 million and recently mandated that Falck subcontract to a competing service provider to address the gap.
I produced three market research deliverables to help direct Falck’s near-term efforts to meet its obligations and guide its public relations recovery into the future.
Deliverables (available to view here):
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Employee Recruitment Infographic
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Mixed Methods Market Research Proposal
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Initial Qualitative Market Research Report
Key Skills:
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Coding qualitative data
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Descriptive statistics
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Data visualization
Course: Workshop in Quantitative Methods
Focus Group:
Electric Vehicle Adoption
California and a coalition of twelve other states have mandated that 100% of new light-duty vehicles sold in these states must be zero-emission by 2035. However, sales of light-duty zero-emission electric vehicles in 2022 indicate there may be challenges ahead in meeting the mandate including new model development and distribution by vehicle manufacturers as well as availability and reliability of battery charging and electricity generation infrastructure. In addition to these technical challenges, consumer’s adoption of electrical vehicles may be too slow to meet the mandate even in the face of inherent cost-savings and government-provided incentives.
I conducted a focus group to understand the barriers to electric vehicle adoption by affluent, urban dwellers in San Diego, California.
Deliverables (available to view here):
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Focus Group Moderator Guide
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Focus Group Report
Key Skills:
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Moderating group discussions in-person
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Analyzing and interpreting qualitative data
Course: Pro-Seminar in Human Behavior - Applications
Image by Kindrel Media
Usability Testing:
PRONTO App
Before the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) moved their ticket purchase and verification system for buses, trains, trolleys and ferries into one condensed mobile app-based payment system called PRONTO. They enacted this widespread change with the hope of getting more people to adopt public transit as their main form of transportation. However, issues that arose with the PRONTO system resulted in: ●Many dissatisfied commuters, some likely resorted back to personal vehicles ●An estimated $3M lost total revenue due to unvalidated tickets ●Contributed to a $51M deficit in MTS annual operating budget
With a partner, I conducted usability sessions to understand users' ease and efficiency of account creation, payment setup, and trip planning in the PRONTO App.
Deliverables (available to view here):
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Usability Testing Moderator Guide
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Usability Testing Report
Key Skills:
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Moderating usability testing sessions
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Analyzing and interpreting qualitative data
Course: UX Research
