Implementation Plan

Kara Ing

John Ingram

Vincent Tsao

BAEP 499

May 9, 2014

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Mission

Provide educators with a fun, customizable toolkit for reinforcing math concepts to kids

through soccer.

What is Conecepts?

Conecepts is a toolkit that allows educators to teach and co-create soccer games to help kids

practice simple math concepts. At its core, Conecepts is a two-part product comprised of a set of

12 disk-shaped soccer cones with chalkboard surfaces and a clipboard with a chalkboard surface

that is used as a scoreboard. Educators use chalk to write numbers on the cones and then set up

the cones so that kids can run soccer drills while simultaneously performing math functions.

Three examples of games that are simple to teach and learn are printed on the front of the

clipboard, along with set up diagrams. Educators become familiar with the example games and

then adapt the games to teach math objectives that align with their classroom or tutoring goals.

The freedom to co-create allows educators to customize games and drills according to the math

level of the students. Conecepts grows and develops with the students as their math skills

increase.

Figure 1. Conecepts

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Figure 2. Front of the clipboard

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Addressing the Needs of the Community

Informal education is highly important to the development of an elementary school child;

education should not be confined only within the walls of a school. Our team found through our

field research that learning in Lamont took place predominantly in the schools. With parents

working long, arduous hours during the day, they could not fully promote informal learning for

their children at home. In our home in particular, the kids did not have many toys to play with

that could provide educational benefits. Additionally, teachers expressed how the school system

constrains their curriculums. Their lessons plans were somewhat inflexible because the teachers

feel forced to meet school standards. The kids do not always enjoy the teaching techniques and

become restless in the classroom when they do not grasp concepts taught only in lecture format.

Conecepts addresses the needs of the community by creating a means for teachers to teach math

concepts through the more informal, less traditional channel of soccer. Conecepts also allows

kids a method of learning that is more interactive and exciting, helping educators to engage

students in their learning, maintain interest, and reinforce math concepts in a way that kids can

understand. In other words, Conecepts provides a creative way for educators to teach math and

allows students to practice and understand math outside the context of a traditional classroom

setting.

Cultural Rationale

Firstly, we observed a fair amount of open space in the community. Playgrounds, fields, and

parks were common. Conecepts allows educators to utilize the space that already exists in the

community, in and around schools. We also noticed that kids in Lamont enjoyed playing outside

and thus developed a product that takes advantage of the existing affinity for outdoor games.

Furthermore, from observation and interviews in the community, we found that the children of

Lamont greatly enjoy soccer. Camila Chavez of the Dolores Huerta Foundation confirmed our

observation, stating that many kids play in organized leagues and even more kids engage in pick-

up games of the popular sport. Soccer is something that our target user already identifies with

and practices on a regular basis. It is ingrained deeply into the culture, and many kids we spoke

to loved both playing and following the sport. So our team asked: how might we use soccer as a

method of informal learning? We sought to capitalize on the principles of soccer and apply some

of those principles, such as active participation, thinking on one’s feet, and practice and constant

repetition, to informal education. Our product bridges the gap between active soccer playing and

inactive learning, utilizing the love of the sport as motivation for learning math outside the

classroom.

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Target Customer

Our product’s target customer is educators who teach elementary school students, particularly in

the 3rd through 5th grade range. These educators may be teachers in the local school district

seeking out alternative ways of teaching math, PE teachers or soccer coaches looking to add

value to their physical education programs, or tutors and after school program leaders searching

for engaging ways to help students practice what they learned in the classroom. These educators

also act as users as they incorporate Conecepts into their existing programs and curriculums and

co-create games. The end users of the product are the kids who benefit from practicing soccer

drills with these soccer cones while practicing simple, important math concepts that are the

backbone for all further levels of math in their education.

Competitive Analysis

Many sports businesses provide soccer cones. Big athletic brand names (Adidas, Franklin Sports,

Nike) make their own cones. Other companies (Cintz, Power Systems, SKLZ) advertise cones

for training, not soccer. Whether for soccer or other activities, cones are versatile. No one brand

dominates the market. Users shop for cones based not on brand name, but shape and design. The

first store customers visit that have the desired cone shape (whether the short round discs or the

tall traffic cones) will be the store in which the customers purchase the cones.

The market integrating math with soccer, or even sports in general, is less saturated. No widely

distributed products bring math concepts into any sports practice. Products that combine soccer

and math do not have the physical activity component. Math practice books (The Math of Soccer,

Soccer: Math on the Field) teach math lessons through the game of soccer. The most relatable

product to Conecepts is Smart Toss. Smart Toss is a bean bag tossing games that helps early

elementary school students practice basic math. In regards to the chalk clipboard component of

Conecepts, no such products are available on the market—only expensive custom-made chalk

clipboards on websites such as Etsy.

Conecepts’ competitive advantage is that there are no comparable products. It is not simply a set

of cones, but multipurpose chalkboard cones. It is not just a clipboard, but also a chalk

scoreboard. Conecepts is not just a game, but a math toolkit as well. The creative disruption

Conecepts creates combines educational resources with physical activity. Physical Education

instructors and after school programs seek out fun, yet educational tools. They would be more

inclined to buy Conecepts than regular cones for that informal learning component. Smart Toss’s

physical component is limiting. The board cannot be manipulated. A strong selling point is that

Conecepts allows for co-creation. Users can design the game however they see fit and it can be

played in various group sizes. Lastly, Smart Toss sells for $40, a much steeper price than

Conecepts.

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Distribution and Marketing

Because our customers are after-school programs and schools, our initial distribution will be to

focus on personal relationships and bring our product straight to our target audience. We have a

niche target, and a retail presence would take a significant percentage of our profits and would

not provide marketing value for the time and cost. There are two primary ways in which we will

sell our product:

1) Create a fully-functioning website that includes a description of our product, a promotional

video, and a one-click purchase option for credit, debit, or electronic bank transfer. We would

ship directly to the purchaser within two business days of confirming an order.

2) Reach out to potential customers via phone, email, social media, and in person. We would

identify their problem and need for our product, direct them to the website for quick and easy

ordering, and offer to ship the product for free as a promotion. We could also offer to demo the

product in person if requested and make a sale on the spot.

We will also initially seek to bring and demonstrate Conecepts at education conferences,

childrens’ recreation centers, and other locations where we could find individuals and groups

interested in utilizing our product. We plan on using a “try-and-buy” technique in which

potential customers will have a one month trial period to test our product. At the end of the

month, the potential customer can choose to either purchase the product or return the product if

they are not completely satisfied. Finally, after building a strong network of individuals in the

field of education and sports, we would launch a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds,

manufacture Conecepts at scale, and invest in creating a professional branding campaign.

Packaging

Conecepts will be packaged in a black, drawstring mesh bag and will consist of 12 chalk cones,

one chalk-holder with white chalk, and one chalk clipboard with game instructions printed on the

front.We want to keep the design simple and make sure that the packaging is reusable,

convenient, and of high quality. Customers will also be able to purchase extra packages of

twelve cones separate from the Conecepts package to expand the use and functionality of our

product. These extra sets will be packaged in plastic wrap with the cones stacked on top of each

other. Additionally, our logo and name will be stitched onto the mesh bag, and the objects in the

bag will be branded with the logo.

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Cost and Pricing

We’ve identified the current cost of the product at zero scale to be $12.51. These cost estimates

are based off our current hand-made prototypes with no overhead as we will not be paying for

labor, legal services, facilities, or employee salaries:

$5.80- 12 flat cones

$1.09- primer and chalk spray

$2.17- 1 clipboard

$0.98- 1 chalk-holder with chalk

$0.47- instructions label

$2.00- 1 mesh bag

$12.51

After conducting a materials search on providers that would sell these materials at bulk, we

identified a number of cost savings and would be able to produce 1000 units of our product at

$8.41 per unit:

$4.80- 12 flat cones

$0.31- primer and chalk spray

$0.60- 1 clipboard

$0.98- 1 chalk-holder with chalk

$0.12- instructions label

$1.60- 1 mesh bag

$8.41

When determining our initial pricing, we sought to provide the most economical price for our

customers. Since most physical products, and specifically games, have a profit margin per unit of

20-40%, we decided to maintain a margin of 20% and sell the product at $15 a unit inclusive of

everything that we have outlined in the “Packaging” section. Our focus is to keep the price as

low as possible and push for cost efficiencies. Our current production cost is currently $12.51 per

unit, but as we scale we expect to be able to sell a higher volume of our product, cover increasing

overhead costs, and raise our profit margin % while continuing to provide the highest quality

product at the best possible value to our customers with the $15 price point. Additionally, based

off feedback from interviews and meetings with our customers, $15 falls well in the purchasing

range, with one interviewee expressing that $25+ would be reasonable if providing the right

experience and the cones were extremely durable.

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Co-Creation and Open Sourcing

Conecepts was developed not just as a game, but as a teaching tool for educators to use outside

the classroom. Therefore, the product gives facilitators the freedom to adapt and develop games

that supplement and reinforce classroom concepts, particularly math. As the product gains

momentum and educators co-create, there is great potential for developing an open source

platform for educators to share their game ideas. This platform would be included in the fully-

functioning website discussed in the distribution section. Conecepts customers would receive a

passcode with the initial purchase of the product that would allow them to access and add to this

platform. The site would allow users to list instructions and create diagrams in the same format

as the example instructions printed on the clipboard. Educators would be able to print these

instructions and diagrams and keep them on the clipboard to use at their convenience. The

possibilities for co-creation and sharing ideas are endless as all facilitators impart their own

creativity into the product.

Next steps to bring the product to market

1) Establish a management team and define clear roles

A. Three functioning areas: Product Designer, Operations (including production and

finance) Marketing & Sales

B. Talk to and identify the individuals that would be interested in taking on this project

(original group members included)

2) Iterate on the current prototype

A. Sanding texture into the cones before applying primer and paint, so that paint adheres

to the otherwise smooth plastic

B. Spray cones with multiple layers of chalkboard paint

C. Laser print game instructions without having to use an adhesive label

3) Conduct final testing with customers and users

A. Conduct more tests in which we observe the interaction of our game between

facilitators and kids

B. Ask facilitators and kids to create their own games and record the various ideas on the

open source section of our website

4) Obtain materials in bulk and begin production

A. Find providers that can provide materials in bulk (Alibaba, eBay, Amazon, etc.)

B. Design and create a linear production process that maximizes efficiency and resource

allocation in making a set of Conecepts