Claris is readying a specialized version of ClarisWorks that has been adapted for the educational market and children in kindergarten through the fifth grade (ages five through 11). Called ClarisWorks for Kids, the new application is based on ClarisWorks but contains a number of modifications that make it useful for schools that offer Windows or Macintosh-based computer education for their students.
Over the past two years, Claris has been quietly gaining ground in the education market, and ClarisWorks is becoming the program of choice for middle-school computer education projects nationwide. ClarisWorks for Kids is interesting because of the approach the developer has made in order to adapt a "grown up" integrated software package for young students. The company hasn't "dumbed down" the software, but instead has added features that make it more appropriate for a classroom setting. The core elements of this program are password protected so that teachers can unlock new features as they are needed. ClarisWorks for Kids contains a special Internet launching tool that works with Navigator or Internet Explorer and which can be used to easily connect to a Claris Web site designed for kids. And the program has a speech-to-text generator that makes it easy to use for the youngest students, as well as those with learning challenges. Changes to the interface design also help youngsters learn basic skills needed to work effectively with software applications.
Claris establishes a strong example in leveraging a core competency into new markets. Unlike other software companies who are trying to take old products into new markets (usually by altering pricing and packaging), Claris stands apart in its efforts to make a horizontal product suitable for a somewhat vertical market by first examining and understanding the unique needs of that market.