Punto de Interés: Siete de Agosto
1. Point of Interest: Siete de Agosto is a neighborhood in Bogota filled with countless workshops for cars. Despite of it's dangerous location it is known for being one of the best places to find affordable car repairment services. Siete de Agosto is a large neighborhood but it's comercial area goes between Calle 68 to Calle 63 and between Carrera 29b to Carrera 21. Our main focus is gonna be on the location Cra. 29b #67, where a lot of small car shops are located.
2. Time: I visited the place on January 31, from 2pm to 3pm. I made sure not going to the POI too late because the activity on the zone decreases due to the insecurity in the area.
3. Rationale: It is always smart to analyze the behavior in highly commercial areas of an urban city for finding problems. The selected area is always filled with people looking for repairment parts or services, so it can be a good place to spot some interesting situations in the afternoon, where there is the most number of clients nearby. Personally, I had to visit the zone very often so I know how to move around the place and know where are the best places to find interesting situations and possible problems.
4. Method 1. What? How? Why?
Situation 1
What: Many clients are afraid of parking their cars and looking around.
How: The clients stay in their cars knowing that the insecurity in the place is really high. They start asking around for repairment parts from their cars.
Why: Due to the well known insecurity issues the area has, it is difficult for people to take the time to find the right shop for their needs. They don't seem to be annoyed by it, because they already know of this issue beforehand and take the necessary precautions for it. The shops are really close to each other so it isn't really that difficult to ask around from their cars.
Situation 2
What: Young guy (alone) that runned around the shops asking for something and walked out without anything.
How: He was looking for something in particular that apparently couldn't find. He was also in a hurry or not comfortable being there alone on foot.
Why: It seems he didn't know what kind of repairment tools where sold there or he was looking for something in particular. He just arrived to the area and started browsing the shops that were available, not knowing where to find what and relying only on asking the people there for directions to other shops where he may find what he was looking for.
Situation 3
What: People in line waiting to be attended.
How: There are many people in a single store waiting to be attended. They seem a little bit distressed and impatient.
Why: The insecurity in the area and all the time they had to be waiting, people there seem a little bit angry.
Situation 4
What: People walking around recommending other stores nearby
How: There are people that go around the area recommending to people there to go to specific stores for their needs.
Why: Due to the misinformation in the area, there are people hired to find clients around the area.
Situation 5
What: Strong congestion of cars, making it difficult to move around.
How: There are many cars parked around the area and people trying to go through the street.
Why: Due to people parking and asking around in the area, there is a lot of congestion so this makes it difficult for everyone: the ones trying to get by and the ones trying to buy something in the area.
Situation 6
What: Several stores are unnatended
How: There are some stores where clients try to go and there is no one to ask for the availability of the repairment parts.
Why: There are some hours where there aren't supposed to be any clients around, so the owners of the place go around to do some errands, so there are several stores unattended and potential clients are wasted.
Situation 7
What: There are some stores without clients for a long amount of time.
How: The stores that are attending often wait a long of time for people to come by and ask around.
Why: The rumors of insecurity in the area damages the reputation of stores and makes people prefer other zones for their repairments, so there are times where there aren't a lot of clients around.
Situation 8
What: Public roads are blocked.
How: There are several roads blocked by the people, cars, garbage, etc.
Why: Because of the lack of space in the area and the high density of stores concentrated in one space, there is a lot of issues with the public roads for people to walk by or get by in their cars.
Situation 9
What: There is a lot of garbage in the area.
How: There is garbage bags across the sides of the road in almost all of the stores in the street. This makes the area smell really bad.
Why: The high density of stores and cars in the area makes it difficult to maintain it clean for people to get by and get their repairments without any problem.
Situation 10
What: The availability of the parts is very low.
How: It is obvious that there is a lack of offer in the area because of the amount of people that return of the stores empty handed.
Why: Stores are having a difficult time to find their repairment parts because they are very expensive, and the area is known for supplying low cost parts so they have to compromise availability for affordability.
Situation 11
What: There is a lot of unknown difference in the prices of same products between stores, so clients need to look at all of them.
How: Clients come and go to different stores because of the high differences between prices from one store to another, so they have to verify in almost every one of them to find the best offers for them, taking them a lot of time of their day.
Why: Because of the differences in availability and quality of product from one store to another, there are a lot of different prices all around the area. There isn't any information about the prices so clients have to go store to store asking for them..
Situation 12
What: The store owners are often highly susceptible to get angry.
How: Asking for some help to a store owner can be a little bit difficult sometimes because they can be very angry. They would start responding to your questions in a bad manner and this makes you want to leave the place immediately.
Why: Store owners can get very frustrated because of the state of their business or because of the clients that go to their stores without knowing how to ask for what they want or need.
Situation 13
What: There are a lot of clients lost at what they need for their cars.
How: Clients often take a lot of time of the store owners asking some information that they should already know, so this makes long queues even worse and makes the store owners somewhat angry.
Why: People don't generally know a lot of things about cars so when they have to get some repairments they tend to consult the store owners for almost anything, taking a lot of their time that could be valuable by helping other people in shorter time.
Situation 14
What: There are stores that take advantage of clients and offer them things they clearly don't need.
How: Clients end up buying a lot of things they don't need by the persuasion of the sellers that are hired to do this.
Why: The lack of general knowledge of car issues from clients gets owners to take advantage from them and offer them things that they clearly don't need, and end up charging for a lot of things.
Situation 15
What: The pollution in the area is very high.
How: The air in the area is very gray and difficult to breathe in. Clearly there is a lot of pollution in the area.
Why: The density of people in the area and the incredible amount of garbage that isn't recollected is making the area difficult to be around. This makes it an unnatractive place for people to find their parts so this also decreases the clients there.
5. Method 2. Travel Map
The travel map is focused on the guy that was looking for something and leaved empty handed. I was in my car observing from a distance.
Situation 1
What: Many clients are afraid of parking their cars and looking around.
How: The clients stay in their cars knowing that the insecurity in the place is really high. They start asking around for repairment parts from their cars.
Why: Due to the well known insecurity issues the area has, it is difficult for people to take the time to find the right shop for their needs. They don't seem to be annoyed by it, because they already know of this issue beforehand and take the necessary precautions for it. The shops are really close to each other so it isn't really that difficult to ask around from their cars.
Situation 2
What: Young guy (alone) that runned around the shops asking for something and walked out without anything.
How: He was looking for something in particular that apparently couldn't find. He was also in a hurry or not comfortable being there alone on foot.
Why: It seems he didn't know what kind of repairment tools where sold there or he was looking for something in particular. He just arrived to the area and started browsing the shops that were available, not knowing where to find what and relying only on asking the people there for directions to other shops where he may find what he was looking for.
Situation 3
What: People in line waiting to be attended.
How: There are many people in a single store waiting to be attended. They seem a little bit distressed and impatient.
Why: The insecurity in the area and all the time they had to be waiting, people there seem a little bit angry.
Situation 4
What: People walking around recommending other stores nearby
How: There are people that go around the area recommending to people there to go to specific stores for their needs.
Why: Due to the misinformation in the area, there are people hired to find clients around the area.
Situation 5
What: Strong congestion of cars, making it difficult to move around.
How: There are many cars parked around the area and people trying to go through the street.
Why: Due to people parking and asking around in the area, there is a lot of congestion so this makes it difficult for everyone: the ones trying to get by and the ones trying to buy something in the area.
Situation 6
What: Several stores are unnatended
How: There are some stores where clients try to go and there is no one to ask for the availability of the repairment parts.
Why: There are some hours where there aren't supposed to be any clients around, so the owners of the place go around to do some errands, so there are several stores unattended and potential clients are wasted.
Situation 7
What: There are some stores without clients for a long amount of time.
How: The stores that are attending often wait a long of time for people to come by and ask around.
Why: The rumors of insecurity in the area damages the reputation of stores and makes people prefer other zones for their repairments, so there are times where there aren't a lot of clients around.
Situation 8
What: Public roads are blocked.
How: There are several roads blocked by the people, cars, garbage, etc.
Why: Because of the lack of space in the area and the high density of stores concentrated in one space, there is a lot of issues with the public roads for people to walk by or get by in their cars.
Situation 9
What: There is a lot of garbage in the area.
How: There is garbage bags across the sides of the road in almost all of the stores in the street. This makes the area smell really bad.
Why: The high density of stores and cars in the area makes it difficult to maintain it clean for people to get by and get their repairments without any problem.
Situation 10
What: The availability of the parts is very low.
How: It is obvious that there is a lack of offer in the area because of the amount of people that return of the stores empty handed.
Why: Stores are having a difficult time to find their repairment parts because they are very expensive, and the area is known for supplying low cost parts so they have to compromise availability for affordability.
Situation 11
What: There is a lot of unknown difference in the prices of same products between stores, so clients need to look at all of them.
How: Clients come and go to different stores because of the high differences between prices from one store to another, so they have to verify in almost every one of them to find the best offers for them, taking them a lot of time of their day.
Why: Because of the differences in availability and quality of product from one store to another, there are a lot of different prices all around the area. There isn't any information about the prices so clients have to go store to store asking for them..
Situation 12
What: The store owners are often highly susceptible to get angry.
How: Asking for some help to a store owner can be a little bit difficult sometimes because they can be very angry. They would start responding to your questions in a bad manner and this makes you want to leave the place immediately.
Why: Store owners can get very frustrated because of the state of their business or because of the clients that go to their stores without knowing how to ask for what they want or need.
Situation 13
What: There are a lot of clients lost at what they need for their cars.
How: Clients often take a lot of time of the store owners asking some information that they should already know, so this makes long queues even worse and makes the store owners somewhat angry.
Why: People don't generally know a lot of things about cars so when they have to get some repairments they tend to consult the store owners for almost anything, taking a lot of their time that could be valuable by helping other people in shorter time.
Situation 14
What: There are stores that take advantage of clients and offer them things they clearly don't need.
How: Clients end up buying a lot of things they don't need by the persuasion of the sellers that are hired to do this.
Why: The lack of general knowledge of car issues from clients gets owners to take advantage from them and offer them things that they clearly don't need, and end up charging for a lot of things.
Situation 15
What: The pollution in the area is very high.
How: The air in the area is very gray and difficult to breathe in. Clearly there is a lot of pollution in the area.
Why: The density of people in the area and the incredible amount of garbage that isn't recollected is making the area difficult to be around. This makes it an unnatractive place for people to find their parts so this also decreases the clients there.
5. Method 2. Travel Map
The travel map is focused on the guy that was looking for something and leaved empty handed. I was in my car observing from a distance.
2:22pm: I see the guy for the first time arriving at one of the shops. He seems in a hurry.
2:24pm: He leaves the first shop unsuccessfully. The owner there pointed at some other store so he ran there.
2:25pm: He got to the other shop and waited for a bit because there were other people in line. While he waited, I noticed he was kind of worried for his safety (or was just stressed out), because he was in plain sight on the streets of a dangerous neighborhood. Despite that, he often looked at his phone, perhaps to look for the specifications of what he needed
2:30pm: He gets to talk to someone at the store and apparently tells him that the piece he's trying to find isn't there. He leaves dissapointed and starts making a phone call.
2:32pm: He leaves the neighborhood in his car, very dissapointed and talking in his phone to someone. He left without visiting a lot of shops in the area, probably because he felt insecure just by being there.
6. Brainstorm of problems encountered in POI
By watching the behavior of the clients in the area, especially of the one I talked about in the travel map, I found 10 problems related to the POI: people don't feel safe walking in the area, lack of safe parking spaces, poor visibility of the catalog of the stores, environmental isssues, pollution in the area, blocked public space roads, sellers that take advantage of the lack of knowledge of their clients, highly variable prices for the same products, the volatile temperament of the clients and sellers, and the overwhelming amount of people that go to stores without knowing exactly what do they need for their cars.
7. How did I do it
It was all by taking notes in my notebook. Because of the insecurity in the area, it was impossible to make recordings or record any video of the situations, so I had to just take notes in my notebook from a safe space in my car. I started asking people that left the stores what was their experience there and just two store owners agreed to talk to me about his problems there, so I took notes of the most important things they told me.
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