Nick Matthews (24 years old working in environmental consulting)
Nick Matthews with his of learning always looks forward to receiving mail and unlike many people does not mind junk mail because he is always curious. He takes his time looking over the junk mail even if it appears to be advertising for products he would never buy. However, he usually finds nothing interesting and nearly always throws away the junk mail. As an environmental consultant and with his love of the outdoors he always feels a pang of guilt disposing of all of the paper. He thinks to himself, what could we have done with all of these resources used to produce this junk mail? He wants a more innovative way to deal with the junk mail aside from just recycling it.
Paula Davis (82 year old woman lives alone)
Paula Davis looks forward to getting outside and going to her mailbox is one of the few times she gets outside. Many days however she does not feel great and must stay inside the entire day. When she does get her mail the load is often too burdensome because she must hold the mail in one hand and her cane in the other. When she goes days without picking up her mail, there is often a lot of mail, typically junk mail. She struggles to carry all of this mail back. She could dispose of it right there but with her going eyesight it is sometimes difficult to decipher between what is important and what is not. None of the advertisements are of interest anyway because she does not leave her house. She needs any easier way to sort between what is important and unimportant to make her load lighter and prevent an overflowing mailbox after days of being unopened.
John Patrick (40 years, working man, lives alone)
John Patrick, with his busy work schedule, often goes on many long business trips. With his schedule he usually forgets to put holds on his mail being delivered. Thus, he goes days without opening his mail box signifying that he is not home which prompts potential break-ins. Due to his constant absence, he does not have a great relationship with his neighbors and does not feel comfortable alerting them that he needs his mail picked up. When he does receive his mail, he gets annoyed by the junk mail because he has limited time and usually just disposes of it unopened. He needs any easier way to deal with junk mail.