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Interview: Someone who has a lot of things (by Adrian) ​

Reason ​

We decided that because our app's main focus was to help people declutter, we should find someone who self describes as having a lot of things, and figure out what their needs are.

Interesting Findings ​

Generally, this interview was helpful in discovering some more nuances of the problem we're trying to solve. Something the interviewee repeatedly brought up is the many barriers they face when it comes to getting rid of things they own. When it comes to the roadblocks they would face when trying to sell or donate something, they brought up many things (taking pictures, setting up times, finding places to donate, etc.) that we can take into consideration, and make it easier. Aside from large action items like selling/donating, setting up more specific actions could be a way to minimize some of the decision fatigue they alluded to. I think another thing the interviewee brought to my attention was the variation and validity of different reasons. While we may need to be more cautious about, say, suggesting to get rid of something with sentimental value, we also need to be able to discern at what point a valid reason becomes invalid due to overuse.

Notes ​

Questions ​

  1. Just to see where you're coming from, how would you describe the amount of things you have?

  2. In your eyes, is the amount of things you have a positive, negative, or neutral thing

  3. Do you think it is inherently (insert previous answer here)?

  4. If a lot, is there any specific reason why you tend to keep a lot of things?

  5. What are your thoughts on the best ways to get rid of excess items/items you may no longer need?

  6. Which method would you be drawn to?

  7. We often see "senior sales" where people who can't physically bring stuff with them. Theoretically, you could do the same thing. What are some obstacles that prevent you from doing so?

  8. Aside from the material obstacles, what are some of the immaterial obstacles you face when thinking about getting rid of things?

  9. Thinking more generally about people who tend to accumulate a lot of things, do you think there are any dangers in creating a quick and largely easy way for people to get rid of things?

  10. If you had a magic wand that could help you reduce the amount of things you have most effectively or change that situation most dramatically, what would it be?

  11. What would you want from a tool that would help you declutter?

General Notes (pulled from a transcript) ​

  • My interviewee said that they have a lot of things, but not all of it is their own, so they don't know what to do with it. They said they don't want to throw it away, and donating is an option, but it is difficult to know where to do that. In addition, since not everything can't be donated, sometimes it's better to recycle something into something else, or repair something so it can be used. They also mentioned that it would be helpful if they were able to get a more specific instruction on what to do with something, instead of just "donate it" or "recycle it".
  • They said that they wouldn't feel that the amount of things they have is a problem, if they didn't have to move so frequently.
  • Interviewee also mentioned that while they themselves might not always use all of their things, they enjoy lending it out to their friends
  • Interviewee identified that sometimes people who hoard things may start doing so after a loss of a loved one, or because they have an emotional attachment to certain things.
  • When talking about potentially selling old possessions, the interviewee mentioned that there are a lot of things that need to be done when trying to sell things that make it a nonstarter. They mentioned things such as cleaning it, taking good photos, deciding whether to ship/when and where to pick up.
  • Interviewee also mentioned that there's some stuff that they may not use regularly, but have for specific niche use cases.
  • The interviewee also mentioned that in terms of keeping broken stuff that may get fixed, people who have things like this tend to have a lot of stuff waiting to be repaired. The interviewee mentioned that at some point, you're just not going to fix it, and are probably better off getting rid of it.