7A- Testing the Hypothesis

When cooking popcorn in a microwave it is difficult to ensure all the kernels are popped without cooking it for too long.  This creates the issue of trying to pop all the kernels without burning it.  There is a need to be able to recook these kernels once the original bag is opened.

The Who: Frequent popcorn eaters

The What: They are unable to cook all the kernels in the popcorn bag without the risk of burning the popcorn.

The Why: Each microwave and popcorn bag cooks in a different amount of time making it difficult to determine how long is the perfect amount of time to cook all the kernels without it burning.

Testing the Who: Frequent popcorn eaters want to get the most amount of popcorn without burning the popcorn.  Additionally, movie theaters may struggle with this because they want to sell the most popcorn possible without it burning.   

Testing the What: The dilemma of trying to cook the popcorn and popping every kernel without burning the popcorn.  These kernels that do not cook fully create an insufficient amount popcorn to eat.

Testing the Why: When cooking popcorn some may not care about the lack of popped kernels if it is not burned.  However, uncooked kernels and burnt popcorn tends to be undesirable.

Interview #1

In my first interview I spoke with a resident on my floor who I have not talked to that much.  He enjoys popcorn and says that he considers most people to be frequent popcorn eaters.  He sees the dilemma of a large number of uncooked kernels vs. most kernels popped but most of it being burnt.  In this dilemma he would rather have the popcorn cooked perfectly with more uncooked kernels.  He sees a need for movie theaters to care about this dilemma.

Interview #2

In my second interview I spoke to someone while waiting in the Pollo Tropical line.  She enjoys popcorn and thinks the most common popcorn consumers are non-active people who enjoy watching movies.  She hates when popcorn get burned and would rather have an excess number of kernels at the bottom of the bag.  She also said she does not see a huge need to address this problem because she considers popcorn a snack.

Interview #3

In my third interview I interviewed someone who previously worked at the movie theater and has experience working the popcorn machine.  He said that obviously popcorn is the best seller when people go to the movies.  He also assured me that the use these popcorn machines usually cooks the majority of the kernels and does not burn them.  However, when he cooks popcorn at home in a microwave he tends to feel that many kernels do not pop.  With this experience, the issues of burning popcorn and kernels that do not pop only happen with microwavable popcorn.

Interview #4

In my fourth interview I interviewed someone while I was walking to class.  This person said that they do not enjoy movie theater popcorn because it is to buttery.  He said that when he cooked popcorn at home it was on the stove top rather than the microwave.  The stove top cooked the kernels unevenly and left a large number of kernels uncooked.  Additionally, it was sometimes hard to monitor the popcorn to make sure it did not burn.  He agreed that there is a need to ensure the kernels are cooked evenly and it can be done if the movie theater machines are able to do it.

Interview #5

In my fifth interview I spoke with someone in my sport facility class.  She said she enjoys popcorn and usually cooks it in the microwave.  When she is hungry she prefers to have the majority of the popcorn cooked which creates the dilemma of cooking popcorn and burning it. She also sometimes likes to eat the non-popped kernels and hares when the popcorn is burned.  She feels there is somewhat of a need to be able to recook  popcorn kernels that do not pop.

I learned a lot from my interviews.  Originally, I thought there was a big need to find a way to cook the majority of kernels without burning the popcorn.  However, after conducting my interviews I do not know if the need is an important one to solve.  There are different ways to cook popcorn each with a different goal or result.  If I were to redefine my need it would be to address the way popcorn is cooked only through the microwave.  Movie theater popcorn machines seem to be able to cook popcorn evenly and cook the majority of these kernels.