Extensive educational brands market with space pieces
With the regular needs to nurture children, there appears numerous educational agencies parents and kids will stay long often, but they remain in simple development and operation.
For many of them with heavier competitive pressures, they intend the active operation of educational business to drive leads.
For parents and children, their time is hugely wasted in the public space of education brands, with low comfort and service.
APPROACHES for the educational business to
empower educational brands, create a better experience for parents and children, & nurture brand identity and equity.
In 2017, invited by Reith Group, KAI took charge of the product innovation of educational business in Shenzhen central area. Facing a 17000㎡, 3 stories stock project, KAI started from the industry’s status quo and consumer paint points, conducted consumption scenario innovation by opportunity insight, user experience design, and scenario innovation.
Reith CCtimes Work Mapping
01 Opportunity Insight
Initiating the scenario innovation for educational business -
In the first phase, KAI offered possibilities for product innovation and ascertained consumer needs that are not addressed after researching on market and competitors, and further interviews with the target families.
Visiting Shenzhen and Shanghai markets for the typical similar products, KAI discovered 2 orientations for optimizing the products today, to enhance the comfort and function of public space, or, to introduce more entertainment content for parents to spend their time when waiting. However, the actual operation showed the attraction of the first somehow, but saw no increase in consumption; the latter one offered consumption content but gained low revenue.
Why is this happening? We found the answer in the subsequent interviews with consumers.
"At such fast pace, not only children, but we also need to always keep learning ."
"When your child is studying, if you go to SPA, hairdressing, etc., you will feel a bit guilty. It's not going shopping with your friends and you are in a relaxed state then."
"When children enhance themselves, as parents, we should not fall behind, but keep learning - even just to exchange educational tips with other parents, we should not waste the time."
- Voice of parents
"My classmates and I all study in extracurricular classes, and we are still accompanied by our parents. When classes are consecutive on weekends, he/she has to wait till the class over before taking us to the next place. It really took them lots of time ."
"I will focus more on two aspects. One is a fairly quiet environment to sink myself in learning, and the other is some space available for self-study or communication."
- Voice of children
After communicating with parents and children, we directly notice that parents, as crucial companions for their children, also expect to learn, share, and grow together with their children.
This is what neglected by current educational business, and provided a specific opportunity for KAI and Reith’s innovation.
02 User Experience Design
Designing a space enabling parents to grow with children together -
KAI immersed in the mind of parents and children, to envision the possible actions happening in the space, and devise the experience in multiple dimensions covering space, consumer and service scenarios.
For some instances -
For parents ：
An area for parents, encourages their mutual communication and learning
Parents center
Allow parents to raise self-value when waiting in a relaxed learning
A place for parents to see their children’s study process, meanwhile as an extension of shopping mall and educational agency.
Parents class
Cooperating with educational agencies, help parents better understand how children grow with educating concept and sharing what they are learning.
For children ：
A place for self-study before class and after class, where we could preview and review the lessons.
Study Lounge
A self-study and socializing space
Self-study Corner
Activation of segmented public areas, creating space for our independent thinking
A corridor not for grades ranking, but for works sharing - here we could communicate and share.
Sharing Corridor
Cooperating with educational brands, to display the learning achievement via regular curation.
03 Scenario Innovation
Merging the imaginations of user experience when developing products -
In dimensions of space, consumption, and service, KAI offered a life scenarios plan in the forefront to the product’s development, to co-create a brand-new educational brands scenario.
Space layout
After 2-year optimization of the ideas above, the project, named CC times, opened on Jun 1, 2019, for bringing a vivid and creative growth land to parents and children.
Utilize public space accordingly, nourishing the self-study and communicating vibe
Educational gaming facilities, a switch between study and play for children
Enable rich options of educational content with superior brands
Regular works sharing as a stage for children to demonstrate themselves more
Growth study, offers a private space for parents reading
“Parents class” operation, interconnecting experts and brands.
Provide the educating perception for the parents to grow up with kids together, and form a growth circle for them.
After the 1-year operation of the project, through an interview, to learn and verify the real feedback from the market and consumers regarding this innovation for “parents and kids grow up together”, KAI receives:
Mr. GAO Lei / Head of Reith Group Planning Department
"As a comprehensive enterprise founded in Shenzhen with booming here, Reith Group always regards "Establish the upcoming era" for the city as its mission, and is committed to creating more value for the society with Reith's wisdom and full investment.
Reith CC Times is located in the central area of Futian. It is a project of stock asset transformation surrounded by superior schools, municipal facilities, and high-quality communities. Hence, when devising this project, with cherishing the land and insight into the market, we chose to start from the educational business, a field with consumer pain points, and we hope to bring a different growth space for parents and children through Reith investment.
We have contributed enormous enthusiasm and effort to the creation of this project, including choosing each partner. I am very glad that having KAI joined has offered us precise product innovation directions, enable clear standards for the follow-up design, investment and implementation. Our devotion to the partners has allowed us to realize our ideas.
For Reith, it’s a highly successful project. We have won the recognition of our peers, consumers’ preference towards Reith, and the experience and capability of creating themed business; for society, we believe Reith CC Times as a space where parents and children grow together, is surely of great social value; we will uphold this initial aspiration, and create more high-quality projects in the future. "
Mr. HAN Shuqian / Operations Director of Reith CC times
"The project opened on Children’s Day in 2019 and has exceeded our operation goals. Plus, the commercial brand and parents recognize highly with the project’s space planning and functional facilities. Unlike other educational brands, CC times is popular all the time. Parents and children naturally learn and relax here, so many colleagues come to visit, communicate, and even talk with us about the output of light assets."
Mr. PANG Chundong / Business Consultant of Reith CC times
The scenario planning directly hits the pain points of consumers, enables the brands to fully understand our insight into the market, enforces the brand confidence in cooperation, and forges a full resonance with the project’s operation team. Therefore, as soon as the project launched, it becomes an industry benchmark and a typical case of commercial stock asset transformation.
Ms. YANG / teacher of YMM Art Education in Reith CC times
"What impresses me most is the perfect learning vibe in CC times. For children and parents, it’s hassle-free, also, "work-sharing" and "community study " encourage children and parents to learn. As staff on education and a mother, this also touches me much. "
Mr.ZHOU / Store Manager of SUFEI International Art Education in Reith CC times
The project holds a strong space, and I can clearly feel the intended scenes to create here, such as the study in the public area, and some educational facilities for children, including some smart ones that can rest or study. This space is possible to connect with our good educational agency, build a content sharing platform via continuous operation.
Ms.YUAN / Operation Director of OneSmart International Education in Reith CC times
The entire Reith CC Times feels high-end and high-quality. We have nice parents here as well, they fit our brand spirit a lot. We concentrate on practical teaching services i.e. middle school entrance, secondary school entrance, and study abroad. Upon parent classroom activities, we can also join and share with more parents what needs to be focused on at the key points of children’s growth.
Ms. REN / Parents Representative in Reith CC times
Nice vibe in Reith CC times, in particular in the study - you could sit and relax, or do some reading, with the well-chosen books there. Whether you come here alone or with friends for children’s lessons, you feel at ease here.
Mr. LIU / Parents Representative in Reith CC times
You offer great insight into building up the project. It generates preference for us when choosing educational brands - we may still choose this compared to others with similar costs, for its convenience, transportation, foods, and the public spaces, we enjoy a lot here. Plus, if the educational brands here will getting better, our children will take the extra-curriculum here, and we don’t have to rush around at all.
Student LIU, 8 years old / Students Representative in Reith CC times
”I enjoy the environment a lot and feel pretty comfortable here. I have played all the games in those interactive areas while hoping games could get updated. Normally my parents are quite occupied, but we can stay together here when they take me to class.
Student MA, 16 years old/ Students Representative in Reith CC times
Very comfy place. I have lessons in the educational agency here through every Saturday. When it’s noisy in the classroom, I will go out to sit, play some music or videos to relax, and go back to the class after; or when arrived early, I will preview here as well. So things are easy to reach here with abundant food options.
From the diverse ideas for the scenario innovation to the feedback from various sides after the 1-year operation, what delights us most is the changes in public life brought by any tiny innovation of the product. Each innovation is a repeated collaboration of multiple teams. We are truly grateful for the trust and courage of Reith Group, for resonance and endeavor from each partner, and for everyone who strives for “Growing together”.
