Yue Fan: The Pattern Clock

Hi Yue! First of all congratulations on the success of your product so far. I am currently a senior at Eastern Michigan University right down the road, and have been wokring on a business plan for one of my classes. My business plan includes starting my own all natural and organic bakery. Since working on the project it has really opened my eyes to all the things you have to think about when deciding to open a business, or like in your case designing a product. I think it is awesome that you have gone so far with this product, especially since you are at the engineering school and this project involves a lot of business know how. How much research did you have to do regarding this project? Also did you have a business plan, or did you just start without one. Congratulations again. Jennifer Ahlers

Nice product Yue, If one of these pattern clocks was around when I was in high school I probably wouldn't have spent so much time getting yelled at by my folks, unfortunatley that wasn't the case. I'm looking forward to seeing what heppens with your product in the future and I hope it's a huge sucess. Hopefully you can cut down your costs on the manufacturing end of things, $13 per unit does seem pretty cheap to produce though. I've been wondering where you may be considering having these on sale at? I know the discovery channel store in the mall would be one place where I'd expect to see it they always seem to have new and innovative products at their stores. I was also curious if you would consider dropping the price to under $40 if you could find someone to manufacture the prodcuts for less than $13 per unit. Well im definetly exited for you and I hope your product goes far. Congrats, and good luck in the future.

Yue, I think you're pattern alarm clock is a great idea! I too sometimes have a problem of turning off my alarm clock when it first goes off, and then later waking up and wondering why my alarm did not go off. It sounds like you have the beginning steps laid out for the routes you could take to advertise and get you're product manufactured. Television would be a great route to take, as there are always ad's for new unique products being advertised. You're right that it is going to cost you more to manufacture it here in the States, but for our economy right now, it may be the right to thing to do. It's great that you have secured 1000 pre-orders for this product, are any of the orders from U of M students? I feel students of any age could really benefit from your pattern clock, and students themselves would be a great way to get the word out about your product. I heard that you're wondering where to get the funding from, and this seems to be the most challenging part of ones business plan. If you don't have the capital you're self, you have to go out and find out. I would suggest family members, as they would be the best resource to begin with, them perhaps approach a bank. Congratulations on your product! -Amy Suich

When I first seen this interview, I thought to myself what a great idea. I am surprised that no one else has thought of a new way to get people up in the morning. I find myself hitting the snooze so many times that when I actually do wake up it is much later and I find myself running late. This pattern clock can help many people with this problem, by challenging them to complete a simple task, but this simple task is just enough to get someone up and start their day. This is a great example of how your degree can cross into other areas that you may have never thought of. Many people see their degrees only applying to that industry but Yue Fan has been successful in creating a device that does require some engineering but to get the most out of his product, you need some business skills which he does have. This is such a simple design but it does what it is meant to do by waking you up to an alarm and keeping you up because of the need to answer this memory question. I believe people think to hard when it comes to inventions and over analyze creating the perception that it needs to be an elaborate design to be successful and profitable, but that is not the case here. Through this interview I learned how hard it can be to get your idea from paper into an actual product and how expensive this process is. I can see that Yue has great motivation to get the most out of his idea and will be successful with it I hope to see this on the shelves in stores some time soon. I am just interested how you received the capital you needed to get this product running and start the development and what you have learned in the process? Zac Donofrio

Yue, I find your product quite interesting. I think you have a good idea. The design is very vibrant and eye catching. I too am wondering if this device contains features other than the function of an alarm clock. Having other features may make it more appealing to young people who may be a prime target for this product. You mentioned that you are looking for funding for the product in order to get it mass producing. Does the program that you are affiliated with at the university have links to any funding or grants for entrepreneurs? There are organizations in the community that may be able to help you get financing for getting the pattern clock off the ground. One of those organizations is the Center for Empowerment and Economic Development here in Ann Arbor. They help entrepreneurs who have been turned down by other financial institutions. They also specialize in helping women and minority business owners. You may also consider getting your product on the shelf by going to some of the retailers yourself to see what the qualifications are for becoming a vendor with them. I thought of Meijers and Walmart. They both have vendor programs that may seem at first a bit overwhelming but your product will become more accessible to students and parents who buy for them. Meijers vendor page has a tutorial in how to sign up it also has information on becoming a vendor under the join page. Walmart has a local vendor program that allows “unique” products to be debuted in your local area. This would be a great opportunity. Also would help in the way of getting funding for manufacturing if your orders can be back by monetary guarantee. Of course there are stipulations, insurances, credit history, these are issues that would come up with any venture to get into the retail business. I look forward to seeing the Pattern Clock on store shelves soon. Meijer vendor page. Walmart Local Suppliers website I tried to submit with websites I had found for reference but it wouldn't go so here's another try. Thanks for the interview. Denise Dublin-Green

Hello Yue! Congrats on the success of your product so far. I am currently a senior at Eastern Michigan University, and have been working on a business plan for one of my classes. With being an engineering student at the University of Michigan, I am curious to know what sort of sleep research has been investigated for the development of the Pattern Clock. Has it been proven that cognition based tasks cannot be carried out without the person being fully aware of such tasks? Also, with cell phones in high demand and all the functions that they do will the Pattern Clock have a competitive edge, will the Pattern Clock offer any traditional features such as radio, CD player, etc. in addition to the pattern feature? As for funding where do you hope to receive it from? Did you have a group of student’s help you come up with the making of the product or did you solely engineer the product yourself. Since the clock was created during your term at the University of Michigan will the university have any claim on profits? Have you looked into engineering firms in the area that specialize in helping to mass produce your product? I know small firms out in Troy have this type of frame work. Where the engineer comes up with an idea and produces one product that works and the firm will help you get patents along with funding and the mass production of your item out into the stores. Or does the University have a manufacturing department that will also aide in the help of producing your product? Have you tried the route of QVC? They sell a lot of the new type gadgets from the little research that I’ve done they have very good end results in a short amount of time. Thanks Yvonne Mroz

I think that the Pattern Clock is a great idea. I have had problems over sleeping myself. If I was able to purchase the pattern clock right now I would. I think this would be a huge sale item. One question I would have for Yue Fan is with the memory test what type of question would be asked. I’m not a morning person so a clock with the ability to not let you fall back to sleep is great. I wonder if any tests have been done to show the increase of people not falling back to sleep. I think this would be a great product for students of all ages. I think that parents would be happy if they owned the pattern clock to get the kids up for school in the morning. I know for a fact that my mother would have loved this clock, 10 years ago when I was in high school. I think this product will become a big seller. He should market to different companies and colleges to become potential buyers. The colleges could offer the pattern clock in dorm rooms. Many companies can offer there employees the clock so that they can arrive to work on time. I think he would be able to sell over 5000 pattern clocks with no problem. I think his product would sell good at the local Wal-marts and Target stores. Another good place to sell the clock would be an online store to attract customer who shop online. Yue Fan stated that he would sale the clocks for $40. I think he should sale the clock for $60 and see how the clock sells. If he isn’t able to sell a large amount he should take the prices down. I think he has a great idea and I would love to learn more about the pattern clock.

This interview was very interesting and intriguing. I think the pattern clock is such an innovative idea. I think it would be very useful for a lot of people, especially college students. I personally would purchase one of these pattern clocks, there have been so many mornings where I have had to set three alarms because I always hit the snooze button and fall back asleep at least two times in the morning. I can only imagine how popular this product will become when it is manufactured since I'm sure that many people suffer with the hitting the snooze button and falling back asleep problem. As an Eastern Michigan student I'm really impressed that a fellow student invented something like this clock. I think his biggest obstacle that he will have to overcome is being able to get his product well known and out on store shelves. I think that he has already made a lot of progress as far as getting his product on the shelves since he stated that stores have already said that they were willing to put his pattern clock on their shelves when they are manufactured. This is definitely something that I want to keep up to date with, although I wonder how close he is to being able to get his pattern clocks manufactured and on stores shelves. I really am interested in finding out more information about the whole process that he went through to create this pattern clock. Also, I'm interested in finding out more information about the pattern clock itself. I think that a great place for him to start would be a college, like Eastern Michigan. He should see if he can possibly sell his pattern clocks in college general stores, like the one that's in the Student Center at Eastern Michigan University. Either way, I'm really excited to learn and hear more about this product and hopefully to be able to purchase it soon! Congratulations on such an innovative invention!

I think the pattern clock is a great idea. It seems like such a simple concept and at the same time it's a very useful thing to have especially if you’re in college or have to get up early in the morning. I would definitely buy one of these. At $40 per clock, it's a good deal for a useful new product like this. He can definitely sell it for more if people know the benefits of this clock. I think that it would be a good idea to have product demonstrations and instructional videos to showcase his clock and also to inform people of the benefits to this clock. He can market this clock in retail stores and also sell it on his website. I think this is a perfect product to be marketed on TV. channels and commercials in the future. A great market is at colleges and universities too. Going to universities across the country and getting the word out about his clock can get him thousands of orders. I know that this would help me because I never hit the snooze button and I always over sleep past my time. A clock that forces me to wake up would be great. The fact that he already has over a 1000 preorders is a sign of this product's success in the future. One question that I have about the clock is, if there is any possibility to customize your alarm tone. I hate those type of alarm clocks that can’t be customized and don’t even allow you to go backwards when setting the clock. I would like to physically see this clock to also make sure that it has all the features that I need. Overall I think that this clock is great for any market and will be very successful.

This is a great idea, it seems that Yue was born with the entrepreneurship spirit. It seems that he has a working model down and some pre-orders but is getting stuck trying to figure out how to market and sell his product. It is interesting to see him talk about and discuss the various costs and difficulties that he is going through trying to get his invention to market. It looks like he has considered several options including the infomercial, I would like to know what criteria he is using to weigh his different options and how he went about contacting the various outlets that he is considering. If I could ask him a question it would be how he found his manufacturer and how he is considering which to go with?

This sounds like a great product and I can’t believe it took someone this long to think of it. It seems like you have to play some version of Simon says just to turn it off which would defiantly get people to actually wake up. I usually wake up pretty easy to alarms, but I have many friends who are always turning them off or hitting snooze ten times. If the product were to be picked up by a retail store, I think they would just fly off the shelves. Of course, marketing this product will be the most important aspect of the process. I am wondering who your target market is? I think the best market would be high school and college students. Most of them have had the experience of missing the alarm more than once. Another question I have is if the design we saw is the final design? The clock in the video was lime green. Hopefully, it will be offered in different colors and possibly shapes, too. I think the style now would fit for the target market I suggested. With the right marketing, I think you could get most people to pay $40 for a pattern alarm clock.

Way to think outside the box, I do like the concept that he came up with. It is very simple and it would definitely wake me up because I wouldn't be able to hit the snooze and roll back over to fall asleep. I am amazed he came up with this in high school, I like how by solving a problem for himself led to a discovery for helping others. It's really a great product and story all together. I would be interested in playing around with this topic and maybe see if this could spark anymore ideas involving waking up concepts.

Yue, this is a great invention. You certainly have an innovative mind, to work this up when you were so young. Congratulations. I too have difficulties waking up in the morning and very frequently turn my alarm clock off without realizing it. The bad thing is, I think I might be able to beat your test. I seem to be almost out of bed and just lay back down after deciding it was time to get up and purposely turn off my alarm. I would love to try the Pattern Clock to see if it could break this terrible habit. Have you thought about setting up kiosks in area malls during the holidays to let people check out your product. This might help you get to 5000 units. - Crystal Bray

Yue, what a great idea. I am one who will hit the snooze button about three times before I finally get out of bed in the morning. I would love to own a clock that I can not turn off. Although a little expensive, I think it is still a great investment. Good luck with financing, and finding a manufacture. I am looking forward to owning the pattern clock. I would like to know if the clock will be sold in different colors.

The pattern clock seems like a good idea. After having to develop a business plan in a class, I do know the struggles with funding. In my business plan, the financing seemed to be the biggest challenge to overcome. I do feel that when you have a good idea, the willpower, and courage to actually take it past just an idea, you should be congratulated. Like many I was also wondering about the University of Michigan claiming any rights to the product and has it been patented? Although the price does concern me, I believe that it is a good idea. Advertising is a key factor in selling a product Fan seems to be in the early stages of the product and so his advertising strategy was a bit vague to me, but I’m sure once funding becomes available more time and energy will be spent on this as well as other factors that concern the product. Also, I was wondering how you were raising the money, have you reached out to students on campus for donations, or tried fundraisers? It is important to keep searching for a manufacturer that has a lower price for maximum profits. Good job Yue.

Hello Mr. Fan, I was perusing MichiganInnovators and found your PatternClock Blog, which I think is a great idea. After listening to the video blog and perusing your website, I thought I’d leave you with some pearls of knowledge I have gained from my classes as a business student at EMU in areas that weren’t apparent to me from the information and I think could improve your business venture. I have a lot of friends with this issue, and I think there is a definite market for your product. However, your website, nor your video blog, convinced me that you had a “target market.” It is true that your product applies to everyone with this waking issue, however, you can’t market to the WHOLE world! When you reach out to everyone, your grasp is too weak to have any affect. I would suggest you focus on targeting a specific market (group of individuals with specific qualities in common). Who most commonly has waking problems? To who is getting up on time an important issue? These two questions alone diminish your market to a manageable size. Young professionals, like myself and many of my friends, who have trouble waking up on time fits both of these questions, especially because school screws with your sleeping schedule so much. Since you just left college, you will be able to empathize more successfully to your peers than an older, well established professional who has trouble waking up. Whomever you choose to market to, then you can start tailoring your market to cater to your market’s needs. For examples, an older well established professional is not going to buy the chintzy colored lighting product which you have posted on your website. A suit and tie worker would be ashamed of the look, even if they benefitted from waking up on time. You would have to re-design your product to be sleek, have less bold colored lights, or maybe no colored lights, and just a pattern. It is good that you are integrating Mp3 and iPod ports, however, it seemed to me that these were just ideas that seemed cool to you and were not inspired by your target market. What will the additional cost be? Is this demanded by your market? As a college student with an iPod, I don’t want to wake up to music, because it puts me to sleep again, so for me your additional features are just added cost. As a mechanical engineer, I’m sure you’ve thought about how to make the product as cost effective as possible.. The pictures I saw don’t inspire a durable working machine (even if it is durable). The prototypes look chintzy and childish. Some people would love the look, but since you are trying to market to a large swath of people, you might want to consider giving it a more universal look. Great idea!! I look forward to seeing it on the market too!

Great idea Yue! I am a business student at Eastern Michigan University and am currently taking an entrepreneurial course in which we must develop our own business plan, and it's ideas like these that make the class exciting. I enjoy when people take a simple issue like waking up on time, and can see the potential that lies in its' resolve. I was curious how you went about developing the first prototype. Did you construct it yourself, or did you detail your vision to someone else who put it together for you? Also, have you taken any steps toward protecting your idea of the pattern clock? Have you thoroughly tested the device to uncover any potential kinks or bugs in the design? Is there a considerable potential for people to block out the sound of this alarm or even subconsciously solve the puzzle and turn off the unit without awakening? It appears there would be a market for something like this. Do you have any specific demographic or target market in mind for the pattern clock? I understand you had this idea come to you after multiple days of tardiness at your high school, so is that your primary target customer? If so, how do you plan to market the product to these teenage students? You mentioned the possibility of radio advertisements; is there any particular reason you would choose radio over television or online advertising? Overall, I think this is a very creative product idea and I can’t wait to see the pattern clock at my local mall in the near future. Sincerely, Mark Meyer

As my wife and I are perpetual over-sleepers, I find this product to be incredibly desirable for use in our home! The concept for the idea is simple, yet perfectly functional! Mr. Fan looks like he has a hit on his hands. I some of his next steps should be to do some serious market analysis to determine where the sweet-spot for pricing the product, and his target customers/distribution strategy. It sounds like he has done some initial investigations. I could see this product being priced much higher than $40.00 if marketed to specific consumers. Hammacher-Schlemmer or The Sharper Image are distribution opportunities that I feel Mr. Fan’s Puzzle clock would be a perfect fit for. They market to upper end consumers via SkyMall and direct stores in higher-end shopping centers. These outlets tend to attract a more affluent consumer. Another option for selling the product would be to actual sell the idea to a high-end consumer electronics company, such as Bose, for integration into their current product offerings. From a manufacturing standpoint, it appears that the limited complexity of the system would be a great fit for overseas manufacturing. China, Taiwan and Indonesia would all be target countries which offer significant cost savings over manufacturing in the US. If the product were to be manufactured in the US, I would advise Mr. Fan to look into a more high-volume production intent, and manufacturing the product internally. This would allow him to automate the production of the product, therefore reducing cost and becoming more competitive with the low-cost countries. This would also allow him to control the quality much more easily as his organization would have direct control and not be at the whim of a manufacturer on the other side of the globe. If the product is sold to higher-end consumers, it will need to be of the highest quality and perform as such.

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