San Francisco Reflection and Top Three Learnings

 

            I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself into when I signed up for this course but as I reflect on the past week on the plane ride back to DC, it is safe to say I am glad I signed up.  Not only did I get to experience the great city of San Francisco from a new and different perspective but I learned quite a bit about the sharing economy.  And most importantly, I discovered meal sharing and had some of the most delicious meals while meeting new people.

            My greatest takeaway from the course was the actual learning about the sharing economy and meal sharing.  The readings and pre-course work were very relevant, interesting, and laid a good foundation for my experiences in San Francisco.  I had always used Uber and knew how the company functioned but I had never experienced other industries and companies within the sharing economy.  When it comes to meal sharing, I had never even heard of the concept and was initially taken aback by the idea of going to a stranger’s home with other strangers.  All of my trepidations quickly dissipated after each unique and positive experience.  The three experiences we had in San Francisco were particularly amazing.  We got to explore different neighborhoods in San Francisco as a group and eat amazing food while meeting new people.

             I also learned a great deal from the company visits that were organized.  All three visits provided so much insight into AirBnB, Uber, and Feastly.  We were able to tour some of the most impressive offices I have ever seen but also got to meet with important people such as Chip Conley and Noah Karesh that are true influencers in the sharing economy at the moment.  They took a lot of time out of their busy schedules to answer our questions and talk very openly about their companies and the struggles and successes they are currently facing. 

My last takeaway from the course was the amount of work that was required to do a proper analysis.  From the user experience forms to the mystery shop forms to the importance-performance analysis, it was overwhelming at times.  We fit in three meal sharing experiences, a ride sharing experience, an attraction experience, moving all around the city every other night, company visits, data collection and analysis, and creating a presentation within a matter of four days.  I was so thankful to have such a great group and that we all worked so well together.