Cindy T. CabreraCOM 410: Children In MediaProfessor HobbsOctober 09, 2012Informal Writing 4 & 5: Mini-Proposal TITLEChore...Chump? Champ! CONCEPT:According to the Apple App Store found on computers and Iphones, most apps use log lines that are 2-3 sentences. I recognize that the purpose of a log line is to immediately catch the attention of potential consumers however, I thought it was necessary to create two separate log lines because I have two different target markets - caretakers and children. Specifically, since my log lines exceeded the one line requirement I made use of creative language (i.e. slang used amongst children and efficiency/lifestyle language for the adults).

Children’s Log Line:Show- off your swagger to all your friends for being the chore champ at your house! Use this game as a tool to keep track of the points earned from completed chores and cash them in at the end of your shift to earn your reward(s). Noobs beware! If you can’t keep up, you’ll be dubbed the chore chump & receive no credit!

Adult’s Log Line:Take the tension out of delegating chores and responsibilities to your child by using our app to track, analyze and monitor your child’s positive and negative behavior. Chore Champ!Chump? creates easy to follow deadlines for children and adults and offers a timed open discussion for both caretaker and child to discuss details about the behavior at hand. CONTENT This app will allow the caregiver to delegate tasks/chores that a child needs to accomplish and have the apply desired deadlines for the child to complete the tasks. The child will earn points every time a chore is properly completed and will need to accumulate a certain amount of points in order to receive the grand prize set forth by the parent. Before the grand prize is awarded, both caregiver and child must engage in Talk Time to discuss any positive or negative behavior. However, both parties only have one minute to try and refute or elaborate on the behavior. Also, the caregiver has the option to share the child’s progress with neighboring caregivers and neighboring children to try and create friendly competition. Neighboring caretakers can use Chat Spat to vent about their child’s behavior and or swap parenting tips and approaches.

Caregiver’s ContentPrior to filling out a short survey described below, the app would provide a short tutorial describing the app and its features to caregivers. Caregivers would have the option to maneuver through the video by using the skip, fast forward, and rewind features.

To conceptualize a plan to monitor a child’s behavior the caretaker will take a short, one-time survey that asks them the following questions:

● How many children will be using this app for?

● How often do you want to award the child? (i.e. weekly prizes, sub-set of mini-prizes,

etc.)

● What sort of rewards system would most excite your child? (access to exclusive games,

collection of badges and stars, etc?)

● If you opt to receive reminders to update or review your child’s progress, how often do

you want to receive these reminders?

The caregiver would then create a Parent Profile with a unique login username and password in order to change the settings on the account and to monitor the cores/tasks the child has completed thus far. Along the way, the caregiver can make use of the Coach’s Corner feature and skim through quick tips and guidance reminding caregivers of things such as not losing their temper when address unhealthy behavior, having open discussions that allows for the child to reflect on the situation, etc.

Children’s ContentThis app helps children understand chores/tasks that need to be done and sets deadlines for them to be accomplished. Children have a completely different login screen to access their chores and this screen is labeled Accept Your Chore Challenge! Along the way, the app records the status of each chore and and rewards children with different mini-rewards to keep them motivated to carry on with the game and reach their goals. Children are able to create animated characters and personalize the animations by using actual photos of themselves saved on to the device. They also get to choose the setting they want their progress to be displayed on (i.e. “Olympic Race”, “Rocketship Rocketeers”, “Himalayan Mountain Journey”, etc.). GENRE & FORMAT This app can be categorized into two genres: games and lifestyle. Essentially, this app is geared towards caregivers who live a busy lifestyle and try to juggle raising a child on top of other responsibilities. Although the app is a tool used to motivate children to complete tools and engage in positive behavior, children will use the app a a game. In a child’s point-of-view, the app has game-like features such as animation, sound effects, creative concepts, etc. The app is formatted using animation techniques and as mentioned earlier, personal photography. The app is structured with an obstacle-format feel since children have to complete a series of tasks in order to receive a personal prize at the very end. AUDIENCE & DISTRIBUTION The target audience for this app involves two different target markets - busy “on-the-go” caregivers and children ages 6-10 years.

The change in economy as well as society has decreased the number of stay-at-home caregivers and increased the number of both parents obtaining full time jobs. therefore, these changes has made it difficult for caregivers to maintain an open, responsible means of communication with their child. Specifically, parents tend to face difficulties trying to communicate with their children among the clutter of technology they feel they have to compete against. But our app acts as a liaison between caregivers and the child. On the other hand, our app is most suitable for children in the 6-10 years of age group. This specific age group recognizes that they do have a sense of responsibility and are expected to carry out actions that reflect this responsibility. However, at such a young age it is difficult for a child to directly understand what a caregivers wants, expects, and needs from them regarding responsibilities in different environments. This app would clearly outline (with the use of animations) what chores/tasks is expected of them and provides an easy to follow timeline for them to accomplish what is asked of them. By using this app, it gives children in this age group a sense of control over what needs to get done and allows them to engage in friendly competition by seeing the progress of their neighboring friends and peers. COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS The leading competitor in chore-managing apps is Chore Monster. This animated app allows parents to create scheduled chores with point values and parents must then approve the points and reward the child. Perhaps the only unique feature is that this app offers parents an online blog they can read about related parental issues. Once children earn a certain amount of points, Chore Monster gives them access to a specific monster. However, the older the child tends to be the less likely they will be impressed by the novelty of earning the exclusive monsters. Despite the striking similarities among the apps mentioned above, my app still has a substantial amount of competitive advantages that evokes appeal to the target audiences.

Unique Features● Photo Icons - Allows the users to personalize the app by using photos saved on to the

device to paste onto the faces of the characters used in the app. This feature is a reminder to children that the app is a fun way to take care of tasks their responsible for in the “real - world” and that it is far more than just a game.

● Talk Time - This feature reminds caregivers that the app is create to enhance aspects of real life and therefore, requires active caregivers. This is the only app that specifically allocates a time for caregivers and students to engage in conversation regarding the positive or negative behavior rather which creates a clearer understanding on the child’s behalf about their behavior. The discussion is limited to one minute specifically so that parents do not dwell on a given point and requires for the child to provide feedback and expression of their emotions.

● Chat Spat - This feature allows caregivers to interact and connect with other caregivers in their neighborhoods to discuss trending parental approaches applied to children and provides an overall discussion area where caregivers can rely on one another for local parental support.

● Coach’s Corner - This feature provides quick tips and techniques to help caregivers remain their sense of understanding when dealing with problematic behavior. It is normal to get caught up in our routine daily grind and have that stress carry over with the way we interact with children regarding chores, so this feature simply suggests tactics you can use to engage in effective interpersonal communication.

● Modern Lingo - The app has Facebook posts created by the 6-10 year old target audience and surveyed the current words children this age use to communicate with one another. The app makes great use of these results and incorporates the slang into the app in order to make the app relevant and to create buzz in

● Different Themes - We view children as individuals and understand that although they may be in the same age range, not all children have the same likes. Therefore, the caregiver and child are allowed to choose different themes to tailor to their specific interests i.e. “Olympic Race”, “Rocketship Rocketeers”, “Himalayan Mountain Journey”, etc.

● Community Interaction - What makes our app especially unique is that caregivers and children will have the option to share and access the chore profiles of their neighbors in order to compete against them. The ability to see the progress of neighboring children will create friendly competition and also a sense of unity. Children will not want to be left out of the fun and all of the commotion!

APPEAL The children in our target audience will enjoy this app because it gives them the sense of control they urge from thier parents. Children will have a positive attitude knowing that they can easily manage and accomplish chores so easily and in a game-style format rather than the stressful arguments they used to have with their caregivers. They can also compare and contrast their results with their friends and neighbors so it will reinforce a strong sense of community interaction. Another appeal is that children will have the opportunity to personalize the app by using personal photos saved onto their device. Also, once the novelty effect begins to wear out, caregivers can help them change the themes of the app to re-engage their interests! DISTRIBUTION/MARKETING/PROMOTION Due to the fact that our app would be a new app without any sort of popularity and for monetary constraints, we would rely on an array of blogs to reach our target audience. We would aim to become active in an array of blogs such as the following:

● Children’s Media - Imaginary Eric, Cloud Kid, Red Balloon

● Online Novelties & Trends - Reddit, WIRED, Gizmodo

● Parenting - Happy Hippy Mom, 2 Wired 2 Tired

● Iphone/Ipad Apps - MacRumors, Computer World, Mashable

● Children’s Games - Big Fish Games, Hello Kids, Kids Games Blogs

We would also rely heavily on social media to promote our app and we would create free accounts on the following social media websites:

● Facebook

● Twitter

● Google Plus +

● Friendster

● Hi5

LICENSING/MERCHANDISING The business of making an app is an inexpensive risk in terms of money. There are plenty of blogs and instructional videos and books that guides an individual through the steps of how to create an app. Therefore, the only money I would need from investor would go toward buying high quality software programming to develop my app. Even so, there are links on the Internet that give users access to free computer software or free extended trial versions of the latest technology.