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A Twist In Developing Social Interaction
What else can we say but WOW! Those are the words that many of our evaluators had to express in agreement about GrandParent Talk. This product that just as Family Talk, is an ingenious tool that proliferates social interaction between people; primarily grandparents with those who are of younger generations. Where with Family Talk, it was a barrel of laughs for conversations, GrandParent Talk takes that same medium and takes it to an entirely new level! In today's society, history has become a thing of the past, (no pun intended).
This generation does not fully realize the wealth of knowledge which is held within the minds of their grandparents. Walking history books are what grandparents and people of similar age have become. Everything has become so techno-oriented that the treasures of knowledge from the past are being lost and forgotten with each year that passes. GrandParent Talk is the perfect solution to build a bridge between generations.
A Balance Of Good and Not So Good
We were all quite pleased with the very carefully chosen questions which are displayed in the collection of cards from GrandParent Talk, myself included. Each question is an excellent tool to create some laughter in a group or just between two individuals. In speaking with one of the psychologists we work with in our evaluation of GrandParent Talk, she was prompt to express "how GrandParent Talk serves as a conduit of communication between generations, with such a intuitive design that breaks down the walls of generations in social courtesy and learning." I must agree my own self, it is common for kids today to simply ignore the "older" folks. Be it fear of unknown or seeing what they will eventually become, kids from this generation need a bridge building tool to restore inter-generation communication.
Just as with our evaluation of Family Talk, one of the primary points which we kicked back and forth in our evaluation was how it is our nature today to just pull the entire lot of cards right off the carabiner that comes with GrandParent Talk. The problem with that it is a task which would require a little extra effort. This is a simple concern that once recognized soon afterwards becomes a minor point of thought. The overall effect from the game draws the attention to the unique questions that create plenty of levity in the social environment where GrandParent Talk is being used.
Looks Can Surely Be Deceiving
For most of the evaluators of GrandParent Talk, we took a look at the product and automatically "assumed" it couldn't be much of anything, but we have all learned from past experience that looks can be deceiving. GrandParent Talk proved that point a thousand time over. In our test groups as well as consumer hands-on groups, we witnessed young kids breaking down their walls of insecurity they had built and were absolutely fascinated to listen to the older folks and hear about so much they had never even begun to imagine from the past.
Just imagine the potential if GrandParent Talk was given out as a gift to a bunch of employees at a work site, or if it was given out at a party for others to enjoy as they interact with each other throughout the evening. In our evaluation, we came to the conclusion that GrandParent Talk brings an entirely new experience into the lives of two separate generations as the questions are asked and the answers that come forth keep the kids completely enthralled with wonder.
Consumers Were Overtaken With GrandParent Talk...
Consumers hold no punches when it comes to hands-on evaluation of a product. We have already seen all too many times in the past where products we have provided for consumer hands-on evaluation were literally blasted out of the universe with negative feedback. Let's see how the GrandParent Talk fared in our latest evaluation.
At all of the public locations we used for our evaluation, things started out VERY slow at first with GrandParent Talk, partly due to the fact we just arrived with all of these products with no warning and invited consumers to do a hands-on evaluation. People are of course a bit skittish at first but that changes promptly once they sit down and begin playing with GrandParent Talk.
Two of our evaluators were literally brought to tears as they saw a young grandchild who in the past had ignored his grandfather, was now hugging him and telling him he was sorry. The child said to his grandfather, "I am so sorry Grandpa, I never knew you had done those cool things...wish I could have seen that too." This was the end result of the grandfather challenging his grandson to ask him some of the questions from GrandParent Talk. It was truly a moving experience for all of us.
After compiling all of our notes and feedback form information, it was easy to determine that GrandParent Talk was clearly a very unique product which could work well in both consumer and education market venues. This was an experience in our product evaluation that all of our evaluators had an excellent time working with as the product was being evaluated.
Your Opinion Counts
Your opinion counts whether you realize it or not. Maybe you were not on of the hands-on evaluation participants, but your opinion still counts all the same. We welcome you to share your opinions about this game or the product evaluation summary itself in our "Ask The Toy Man" Blog / Forum for others to see what you have to say.
A Breakdown On Some Of The Individual Category Ratings
While other organizations will define their ratings in a "blanket" method which simply defines each rating in an overall usage, we choose to take a different approach. Each individual rating that was assigned to this product, based upon our evaluation process, is briefly explained as to how that specific rating score was reached. The ratings for this product are listed below. The ratings featured here are only a small part of the entire group of evaluation ratings used in our product evaluation process.
COST BENEFIT: Rating Level 5 - The Cost Benefit for GrandParent Talk is quite simple to determine. When you look at the MSRP of the product, and then consider the functionality of the product, it is simple to establish that Family Talk is a magnificent product which earns the highest score possible in this category. With the incredible response that is gained from the use of GrandParent Talk, it is well deserving of this score.
DURABILITY: Rating Level 3 - Durability was a tough call for us. The cards are strong stock, but the question keeps coming to mind in regard to people having a tendency to try to remove all of the cards at one time from the carabiner. That obviously will wear down the holes which the carabiner slips though and most likely will lessen the durability level of the cards. GrandParent Talk missed a perfect score by a single digit in this category.
EASE OF USE: Rating Level 4 - Ease of use? Overall, the ease of use is an easy one to call, but then the problem with the cards being on the carabiner comes into play. The question cards are made of fine card stock and are quite likely to withstand excessive and repeated use, but the carabiner issue causes GrandParent Talk to fall short of a perfect score in this category by a single digit. Some older folks have issues with Arthritis or other ailments which make use of the fingers far more difficult and this had to be taken into accoun tin the evaluation.
INNOVATION LEVEL: Rating Level 4 - All of our evaluation members for GrandParent Talk had a consistent opinion and the actual rating scores averaged out the same. GrandParent is truly unique and can be used in a massive number of possible environments or activities. With such an innovative design and maximum potential in functionality, GrandParent proved itself all too well in this category yet missed a perfect score by a single digit.
MARKETING VALUE: Rating Level 4 - The marketing value of GrandParent is just a single digit short of the very best! Unique, reasonably priced, and having a measure of diversity of application which seems literally endless, Family Talk is almost over the top in this category. The only downside is the issue with the carabiner which dropped the score down by a single point. GrandParent is a product that once a person grasps the potential of what they can do with it, they will never leave home without it. GrandParent had a score of "4" in this category.
VISUAL APPEAL: Rating Level 5 - When it comes to visual appeal, GrandParent was on the borderline of above-average and perfect. It has a shape which draws immediate attention with the carabiner which appeals to most people and kids alike. In our consumer hands-on evaluation, GrandParent proved to be a favorite product in regard to visual appeal. When you combine the scoring from our own evaluation and the consumer feedback, GrandParent had what it takes to capture the attention of many as stated earlier pulled a perfect score in this category.
| EVALUATION RESULTS - From evaluation for induction into "The Toy Man® Product Guide" | | Overall Rating: 4 | Seal of Approval: Approved | eco-Recognition
Seal: Not Eligible | Award of Excellence: Not Eligible | eChoice Award: Not Selected |
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THE TOY MAN® SEAL OF APPROVAL
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