Assignment 18A - Create a Customer Avatar

My product will be sold to businesses who produce smart devices, as a component of the device, and it will in turn then be sold to individuals who buy the smart devices. But, because my product will be sold to an “individual” that meets very specific criteria, my avatar will be based on the individual, or ultimate consumer.

The individual has no face, and no distinguishable features that differentiate them from any other individual. You cannot tell their gender, their body type, sexual orientation, or their age (for the most part). There is no hobby, personal interest, political or religious identity, or general activity that makes them unique when compared to others. The avatar is a shadowy outline of an individual, with personal features, interests, and unique characteristics that you cannot quite make out. And that, in fact, really matters very little.

However, there is much we do know about this individual. They live in a developed country where the general population has the means and access to personal, motorized transportation. They are at least of legal driving age, but what they drive is really irrelevant. This individual is likely very social. They like to stay in close contact with family and friends, and keep up with the social lives of people they do and do not know. This desire is so strong, that they need to be in constant contact, sometimes up to the minute! And perhaps they also get easily distracted, or need constant entertainment or stimuli. They cannot let those moments of quiet go by with time to just think. Rather, they need a constant flooding of information. They have to know, and they have to know now! They are the definition of the acronym FOMO. The individual is also impulsive, has a hard time exercising self-control, and doesn’t always exercise sound decision making. They focus on the satisfaction of the moment rather than the long-term impacts of their decisions. It is not that they are incapable of doing so, it is because their impulses overwhelm or distract them from it.

I have in common with this individual two things. I also drive a motorized vehicle, and I own a smart device. However, the commonality stops there. All of the needs and impulses that I think this individual has, that drove me to pursue this product, I do not share with this individual. I do not think it is a coincidence, that I do not share these characteristics, because I am so passionate about the implications and adverse impacts of these behaviors. Because of this passion, I suppose it is not surprising that I have chosen this product.