Market Research ideas...

I've been thinking about a site I could design. I have a couple of options:

1. My Dad's business desperately needs a new website. He imports electronic pipe organs from Italy (quite a niche market!) and sells them to churchs and some private buyers (even more niche!). His website at the moment is - to say the least - quite 'elementary' in style and functionality and I think it could do with an overhaul. It's an informational site - rather than a transactional, e-comm site (mostly because no one is going to fork out $80K online for an organ without playing it!) - which makes it (for me, with more experience with e-comm sites!) a little harder to conceptualise. But I love a challenge and I'd love to be able to help him out. The cons to this idea are that (1) it's an already existing site (though I'd almost be working from it 'not' being s site considering the amount of overhaulin' needing to be done) and (2) it would be very difficult to distribute questionnaires to the target audience. Being a niche market, there would have to be things on the site that appeal to and are understood by 'pipe organ' types - though I think an advantage of me designing it (with little pipe organ knowledge) would be that it would be from the perspective of someone that knows nothing. So, someone without pipe organ know how could understand and appreciate the site.

2. My second idea (and one that I'm a little more taken with) is to develop a 'mentoring and meeting site' for female academics. I like this idea for several reasons:
- There is a finite, contained 'problem' that I believe could be addressed by this site. In short, female academics (at least in my department) suffer from feelings of disenfranshisement with the general academic community because of the strains imposed by competing demands - family life, mostly - and, from my experience, they can really benefit from being mentored, and mentoring others. Mentoring is an opportunity for people to connect with and learn from the experience of people that may have 'trodden their path' already. I've found it immensely helpful with my research, yet I think there are opportunities still to be addressed. These are particularly for females in smaller or more remote areas that don't have access to established mentoring programs.
- Being online, it could avoid the time commitment needed by attending formal meetings - a synchronous discussions, like we have on WebCT, could be a really useful forum for airing concerns and discussing issues without having to commit to meetings.

OK, so that's what I'm working with at the moment. Questionnaire questions to follow :)