NU# 5 New Products/Product Improvements - Jenny Liquete

Ateneo Innovation and Entrepreneurship "New ideas create more and better new products and services; create more wealth."

NU# 5 New Products/Product Improvements - Jenny Liquete

Statement-Indicator LED

It is impossible to avoid road rage in the streets especially if the attitude of the drivers are similar to those in Metro Manila. It is usual that someone cuts, overtakes, or swerves without signal. Many get violent when this happens. Some chase the cars who cut them and there are also few instances where the fight ends up with someone shooting the driver of the other car. The problem with this is that the driver who committed the offense does not have any chance to apologize for his actions until he comes face to face with the angry driver of the other car.

One example is when I was going to Ateneo. There was a large truck speeding and trying to take our lane. We got very angry and did not allow the truck to overtake us. We sped and came face to face with the truck driver. When we got the chance to see the driver, he gestured a sincere apology and our anger immediately went away.

Unfortunately, not all drivers have the patience to see an apology when they are already face-to-face with the other driver. Their anger has already bottled up by the time the other driver gets his chance to apologize. If only the driver who made the offense give an evident apology to the other driver right after he committed the offense, violence and crimes due to road rage will be greatly reduced.

There are also some instances wherein a good Samaritan allows you to go ahead of him despite the traffic and inconvenience it will cause him. It is a usual gesture to beep the horn as a way to give gratitude to the good Samaritan but there are times when the driver has to hurry and cannot beep his horn anymore. It is a wonderful feeling when other drivers appreciate the good deed you made. It also encourages us to do more good deeds to other drivers.

These needs led me to the idea of a “statement-indicator LED” that will already be a part of the vehicle. Two buttons will be added in the dashboard of vehicle – one will trigger the LED to flash “Sorry!” and the other button will trigger the LED to flash “Thank you!”. The LED will be transparent so that it will not be visible when not in use. This will maintain the design of the vehicle. 4

The “Sorry!” LED will help prevent road rages of other drivers because it will not let the anger build up. The other driver will automatically know that the offensive driver is conscious of his actions and is apologetic. The “Thank you!” LED will be more convenient for the other drivers to give gratitude to the good Samaritan. It will also increase the chance that the good Samaritan will continue his positive actions. This “statement-indicator LED” will significantly improve the attitude of the drivers and greatly reduce the roadrage and violence recurring in our streets.

NU12 - Jenny Liquete

Hi Sir,

This is to add to the previous NUs I have submitted last week. Thank you!

NU 8: What pisses you off at the mall? What do you suggest?

I'll have it my way

I go to the mall every weekend to enjoy and relax but I always get frustrated when I can't go to a store at my own pace. There a lot of times when groups of people occupy all lanes. There are also those in front of me who walk as if they have all the time in the world and they could not care any less if they are bothering the people behind them. These are the people who are busy texting, with children or couples. Even without any urgency or something to do, it still annoys me that the ignorance of others has caused me great inconvenience.

  

To prevent this, I suggest that the mall should implement a barrier or a divider for 'fast' and 'leisure' lanes. These lanes will be similar to those in the expressways. It will separate those who are not in a hurry and are not bothered being at the expense of others from those who need to get to a store at the least possible time or do not tolerate this kind of ignorance. This proposal will also prevent groups from occupying all of the lanes because they will be forced to occupy the given space only. With these lanes, both types of mall-goers will now be relaxed and happy during their mall visit.

  

These lanes will not only benefit the mall-goers but also the mall and the stores. Since the mall-goers are now efficient, they have more time to shop. Also, since the stress level of mall-goers has been greatly reduced by the new scheme, they will now have more energy and be in a better mood to shop – both factors leading to more purchases. These will all bring more revenues for the mall and the stores. 3

      NU 9: What pisses you off at the neighborhood? What do you suggest?

Decibel Sound Meters

Loud songs, endless discussions and roaring laughter from drunk groups are almost inevitable during house parties at our neighborhood. It has already been a common courtesy in our neighborhood to ignore the disturbance caused by a neighbor at the middle of the night. However, it still pisses me off especially since our house has a lot of windows. The neighbors sing their hearts out with their microphones and the noise just fills our house.

  

Our neighborhood's security watch should be equipped with decibel sound meters so that there will be an official and standard way to monitor the noise disturbance. The Homeowners Association should conduct a townhall meeting to formalize the use of decibel sound meters and its new rules. The neighborhood must agree and set an acceptable decibel level for parties and other house events and the amount for the penalty.

  

New rules:

1^st warning: When the agreed limit is exceeded, security will call the house.

2^nd warning: Security will go to the house and warn them on the possible sanctions for the next warning.

3^rd warning: High sanctions/fees will be placed on the owner of the house. The fees/charges will be added to the budget of the homeowners association.

  

This will help maintain the peace in the neighborhood. If ever a neighbor still causes disturbance (goes beyond the limit), the neighborhood will be compensated by the fees. 3

NU 10: What pisses you off in your office? What do you think must be done?

Shhh please…

  

It is healthy to have fun in the office for once in a while because it promotes work-life balance and boosts the morale of the employees. DAILY loud non-work discussion inside the office during office hours is a different case. It is annoying because it already disrupts my concentration as well as those of other employees. It is also very frustrating that I am working out of my mind and there they are, being paid for idly chatting and laughing loudly. 

  

Our office layout is designed in such a way that you can have privacy but still talk to those in your 'area'. Each area contains four workstations designated for each employee (within the same department) and is separated from other areas by 5 ft. dividers. Because of this setup, it is inevitable that the employees in each area would chat with one another.

  

Our office should already take actions because it is negatively affecting other employees. The best way to do this is to install a "Shhh please…" button/tool on every laptop and desktop in the office so that when an employee is disturbed by loud non-work discussions from other workstations, he/she can click this button and a sign that shows "Shhh please..." will light up on every area. To prevent any feeling of disrespect/annoyance from the loud group, only a "Shhh please…" will be indicated instead of "SILENCE PLEASE". In addition, the indicators placed within the work areas, instead of a large single sign for the whole floor to see, will prevent the group from feeling ashamed.

  

This will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the affected employees while maintaining the positive attitude in the office. 4

NU 11: What pisses you off at the School? What must be done?

      Let the school  Help You

Currently, there is no way for students to check the pre-requisites of each course/elective unless they ask the registrar's office directly. It is very inconvenient for students to call or go to the registrar's office to check the pre-requisites of the courses they need to take. Either our time is limited, the school is far from our office/home, or the registrar's office is unavailable.

Because of these limitations and inability to know the pre-requisites immediately, I have already experienced (and several of my classmates also) being unable to register/enroll on a subject because of a pre-requisite I should have already taken. This adds more inconvenience to students because we were only able to take lesser courses than what we have planned. We either had to make up for it by enrolling in more courses in the coming term or lose the chance of graduating on time. It also prevented several students from enrolling in their desired electives because they were unable to take the pre-requisite of the elective. If they wait for the pre-requisite to be finished before they take the elective, they will risk their chance again of graduating on time.

To aid the students, AGSB should create an outline that will show the ideal/optimal flow of courses the students must take to graduate at the least time possible. This will remove the confusion of the students because they will know which course they will prioritize during enrollment. AGSB should also implement a real-time chart in the student's online AGSB page. This will be similar to the proposed outline that shows the ideal/optimal flow of courses but it will already be customized and personalized for each student. This real-time chart will color and label the courses that the student has already taken. This will give the student a clear picture on what subjects he/she still needs to take and which of these subjects he/she should prioritize to get his/her desired electives and more importantly, in order to graduate on time. 3

NU 12: New business opportunities you can think of or just think of whatever new things come into your mind.

-          Anti-spice: Never miss your favorite meal again!

How many times have you missed the opportunity to order a delicious spicy meal because someone from your group does not eat anything spicy? This is usually the case for families that have children with them because most children do not eat spicy food. I, for one, have low tolerance on spicy food and I do not want others to miss out the meals they would like to try because of me.

It is difficult for us too; food lovers like me who have low tolerance in spicy food, because there are countless enticing food in menus that look and sound scrumptious. However, due to our weakness in spice, we are too afraid to try them or enjoy them because we cannot control the level of spiciness even when requested to the restaurant.

These gave me the idea of an anti-spice product. By adding this anti-spice to the designated plate, groups can now order spicy food without worrying that one of them would not be able to eat and food lovers like me can now also order any spicy dish and adjust the spiciness through the amount of anti-spice we will put on our serving.

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      DIY bangs (haircut kit)

Bangs are very popular among girls. It is a staple hairstyle and will hardly go out of style. It may look like an easy fix, but the truth is, it is very hard to maintain. It is even harder to maintain than the normal haircut because it always has to be at the right length. If not maintained, it will give a different look. With this high-maintenance characteristic, girls need to spend time and money to go to the salon and have it maintained.

  

Because of this need and high demand, a DIY haircut kit for bangs should be sold. This kit will include a pair of scissors specially designed to cut and style bangs and another tool (similar to a ruler but with an angle) that will be used as a pattern to provide the user a clear guide on the length of hair to cut on a certain area. This tool will also have a clip on its other side to hold the bangs when held up. I noticed that when my bangs are being maintained in the salon, the hairdresser chops it off while holding it up.

This haircut kit will come in 3 variants – 1 for full bangs, 1 for left-side bangs, and 1 for right-side bangs. Its convenience and cheaper price are the main benefits to the users. The interactive process is an additional perk to the users.

  

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      Boat engine-powered heated rail for towel and lifevest

The feeling of wind brushing through your skin and the splash of cold water are two of the most enjoyable feelings during island hopping. That is, if you and your clothes are still dry. The feeling is exactly the opposite when you are already on your way back. Your cold and wet clothes are already sticking to your skin and your towel and lifevest are also dripping because of your constant use. Making matters worse, your towel and life vest already have that certain odor when something does not get dried completely. The wind and the splash of water that once had given you pleasure are now making you shiver uncomfortably and hope that the trip back would already end.

What if you can keep your towel and lifevest dry and warm? This can be made possible through a boat engine-powered heated rail for towels and lifevests. It would only cost a little for the owner of the boat because although he has to set up the rail, the heat will come from its own engine. Towels and lifevests of the island hoppers will be placed on this rail when they are not being used – during swimming or tour on an island. This extra effort and innovation would totally improve the experience of the island hoppers. They might find this value-add innovation worthy of a big tip or better yet, they will hire this boat again on their next island hopping and recommend it to their friends and contacts.

 'Invisible' undercover gadgets (location tracker and audio transmitter)

Human beings have an innate need to know everything especially those that are hidden from them. Although this need has been answered by the creation of undercover gadgets, the risk of being discovered is still a greater threat for amateurs (anyone who is not affiliated with undercover jobs). This threat prevents those interested from using these gadgets.

To solve this problem, undercover gadgets should be designed in such a way that their end products will only be thin transparent films that can be glued anywhere like clothes, tables or cars. To ensure that these gadgets will not be discovered, they should be able to auto-dissolve in a given period. There should also be variants of the product depending on their time limit before they dissolve.

  

This kind of products may be very difficult and expensive to produce and to design but with the level of desperation of people, there would still be a market that would be willing to pay just to find answers or to confirm their suspicions.

It is important to note though that the sale of these products should be regulated and monitored by the business. These products can be very dangerous if they are sold to anyone who does not actually need the product (ex. stalkers, columnists, criminals). An investigation department should approve the request first before closing the deal with the buyer. 

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From: Jennifer Liquete <jenniferliquete@yahoo.com>
To: "jorge.saguinsin.sentrep@blogger.com" <jorge.saguinsin.sentrep@blogger.com>
Cc: "cruz.athens@gmail.com" <cruz.athens@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 5, 2013 11:48 PM
Subject: NU 1 to 6

Hi Sir,

These are my NU submissions for topics 1 to 6. 

NU 1: New attitude / paradigm

The Green Pill

Whether it be for image, confidence, lovelife or health, there has been a great pressure amongst us to look great and feel great, in other words, to be fit and healthy.

 

Well, it's easy for someone who has great self-control and takes time to exercise. What about the majority of us who are easily tempted to eat and have no time to exercise or are lazy enough to do so? We eat a lot of unhealthy food for two sinful reasons: to cope with stress and to satisfy our cravings. After eating, we go back again to feeling bad and depressed because we were not able to suppress our appetite and it brings us further away from our goal.

 

Because of the intense pressure, the lifestyle of the people has also changed. Many have tried and are still trying multiple diet programs such as Atkins, General Motors, and South Beach. Many have also taken different kinds of diet pills and over-the-counter weight-loss pills. There are even those who are desperate enough to buy diet pills online because a friend of a friend who took the pill lost weight. The change in lifestyle can also be evident in the increase in demand for gym and yoga classes offered – from Zumba to Bikram yoga. It can also be seen in the increase in the number of participants who join marathons and other sports.

 

I completely understand these sentiments because no matter how much I try doing most of those things mentioned above, after all that, it is still how and what I eat. It takes a lot of self-control not to eat unhealthy food and most of the time, I just give in because of the two sinful reasons. Since it is more difficult to reduce stress and fight the cravings, I propose the "Green Pill".  It is the means to healthy eating because it will change the way unhealthy food tastes once in our mouths. Its unpleasantly bitter taste will be triggered once it detects a certain level of sugar, salt or oil in our mouths. This will be an effective health pill because it refrains us from eating unhealthy food and at the same time, it does not push us to drastic measures such as the diet programs and diet pills. It will also help us improve our lifestyle by reconditioning our thinking. We will no longer associate unhealthy food as the answer to our stress and there will no longer be a craving for unhealthy food because we will associate it with the unpleasantly bitter taste of the pill. Lastly, this pill will be in a form of a green translucent softgel to give an image that it is healthy and safe to take.

NU 2: New spending habits / routine

Omnisaver App

Let's face it, all of us want to track our expenses. But, with the possibility of having several credit card accounts and multiple cash withdrawals, it is difficult for us to track our expenses. With our limited time, it is hard for us to list one by one all of the credit card transactions and cash withdrawals we made. Since it is hard for us to track our expenses, most of us are not aware of how much we have already spent until we receive our credit card bills or we cannot withdraw any more money from our ATMs. Our lack of awareness can also result to illegal and incorrect charges made from our accounts.

For convenience, accuracy and security, I propose the "Omnisaver App". This app will be linked to the user's mobile or other web-enabled gadgets. We cannot go an hour without checking our phones or gadgets which makes them the most appropriate source for our tracker. Participation from accredited banks is needed because the user must enroll their bank accounts to this app.  The user's credit card spending and cash withdrawals, which will already be assumed as expense, will be tracked real-time by this app. Since it is synced to the gadget, the user is notified for all of his credit card transactions and withdrawals. He can also set a monthly limit for his expenses through this app so that it will trigger him if he is about to reach his maximum monthly expense. To enforce security, this app would also track the number of views made by the user every month. If it is below a certain frequency, the banks can have an automated system which will send an SMS to the user so that he will know that he is already at risk.

NU 3: Professionalism – new work, methods, practices

www.Mommies-Know-Best.com

www.Housewives-Know-Best.com

It is a little disappointing that there is a population of mothers and housewives who were successful in their youth but now, they do not have a work or even a business to run. Although many may have chosen not to work or have a business in the earlier years, it is still a huge loss of opportunity at their side and even greater at the nation's side. There are three major reasons why women choose to become unemployed. They need to take care of their children, do daily housework or they prefer not to work at all. However, the time will eventually come when their children will grow up or they want to experience something more.

It is even more disheartening when housewives arrive at this point and would like to start to work and find success but it is almost impossible for companies to hire them because of their lack of experience and their age. I believe that they can still find success by doing what they do best – be mothers and housewives, and provide assistance and advice to new mothers and housewives. Since their comfort zone is their own homes and it is the most convenient place for them to earn, I propose an online service business called "www.Mommies-Know-Best.com" and "www.Housewives-Know-Best.com".  Mothers and housewives will provide online assistance or on-call support for new mothers and housewives. This is best for emergencies where the new mothers or housewives do not have anyone else to ask or talk to. They can also have a one-on-one or group chat to discuss issues such as money, housekeeping, depression, problems with the family, husband, or children. Given the experiences of the mothers and the housewives, they will be able to appropriately address the issue based on their own experience and from others and give a wise advice for the caller. Customers will also find the online approach as an advantage for them because they can remain anonymous. They just need to register using any username and they will be charged monthly for their membership.

This proposal will provide the mothers and housewives an opportunity to be and feel successful and worthy again and, at the same time, provide a better future for the new mothers and housewives because they can already learn from the past.

NU 4: New processes at work and study

Installation of Efficiency Widget in PCs and Laptops

Social networking sites, websites for streaming series, and online games have become so prevalent since their existence that it has already caused great inefficiency from employees and students. Instead of working or studying, the employee or the student unconsciously spends most of his time to these distractions.

Because inefficiency can never be a good thing for companies and studies, I propose an installation of the "Efficiency Widget" in every computer and laptop being used in the office or by a student. This widget will track the time spent by the employee or the student on the sites and online games. Once the time limit has been reached, the widget will trigger the computer or the laptop to block the non-work/non-school programs. For employees, the company can set the limit to the number of minutes allotted for every employee to get a break. For students, the parents can set the limit. It will be reset again on the next working day for employees and in the morning for students. This widget will be a strong reinforcement for efficiency and it will also discipline the employees and students. It will also lessen the dependency and attachment of the employees and students to the time-consuming sites and games.

NU 5: New products / product improvements

Huh? What Gum?!

Singapore is known for its gum laws, forbidding anyone from selling or consuming gum in the country. It may already be easy for those who have lived almost all of their lives in the country but what about those who transferred for work or education? For someone whose routine includes chewing a gum, it is very difficult to comply to their law. There have already been many cases wherein people were arrested because they have gums in their pockets. Even with the gum law, there is a demand for gums in Singapore, they are just prohibited.

The gum law of Singapore creates an opportunity for a special kind of gum, a water-soluble "gum". For this to be successful, the water-soluble "gum" should have the same consistency and texture as a normal gum but should be able to dissolve slowly when being chewed, similar to a candy. It would be classified as a candy but would be marketed as a gum-substitute.

NU 6: New business ideas

Water Lily of Life

Everytime I go to AGSB, I always pass by the Pasig river. The sight of the immense number of drifting water lilies never fails to amaze me. It is such a waste that that kind of volume is being ignored. Although water lilies are being used by Filipinos for making handicrafts, wouldn't it be better if they are used for more practical and beneficial causes?

My curiosity led me to different innovative uses of water lilies.

The most practical idea is a simple but delicious and healthy soup for the homeless and less fortunate. A feeding program can be tied up with the government or NGOs since it will benefit the nation – feed the hungry and maintain our river.

 

3 Steps for a Fast and Easy Water Lily Soup:

1. Stems of the water lilies will be boiled several times to make sure that these are already edible and to remove the bitter taste.

2. For the soup base, boil rice water with tamarind or kamias, fish sauce and onions.

3. Combine the clean, sliced water lily stems to the soup base

 

On the business side, the medicinal uses of water lilies can be developed and profited from. The market is still small for medicines that use water lilies. This can be the perfect opportunity to introduce a new medicine using an unconventional plant – one that has been ignored but present at all times.

Just some trivia… Did you know that water lilies (specifically Nymphaea odorata) can be used to treat diarrhea and inflamed tissues, gums, mouth and throat?  From this trivia already, various products can already be formed. Since it can treat inflamed gums, mouth and throat, a mouthwash that has water lily as its main ingredient can be developed. Water lilies will be boiled and mixed with mint flavoring. This can be sold at a cheap price to local dentists and small clinics. In partner with a pharmaceutical company, a medicine similar to Diatabs can also be developed to stop diarrhea.

Another product that can be developed is an herbal tea made out of water lily extracts. To make the herbal tea, the water lily will be dried and crushed. There is a market for herbal tea drinkers and a water lily has a natural bitter taste which can be associated with tea. It will have the same medicinal benefits as the water lily medicine but it will have a significantly lower concentration so that it can be consumed daily.

References:

• DeVries, L. (2010). Water Lily. Retrieved February 2013, from Medicinal Herb Info: http://medicinalherbinfo.org/herbs/WaterLily.html
• Tan, R. (2001). Water Lily. Retrieved February 2013, from Naturia: http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/water_lily.htm
• Water Lily. (2013). Retrieved February 2013, from Herbs 2000: http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_water_lily.htm
• Wild Rose College. (n.d.). Water Lily. Retrieved February 2013, from Wild Rose College of Natural Healing: https://www.wrc.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=141&Itemid=536