Market Research
Target Group, Competition and Requirements
By Group 5
PACT Analysis
This analysis is done to get a better understanding of the people involved with our PSS, the activity it is used in, the context wherein it is used, and the technology involved with our PSS.
People
Our product service system allows people to rent instruments so that they can start their learning journey and see for themselves if they enjoy playing that instrument . Our target group is rather broad. It mainly consists of beginners, who are generally middle- to upper middle class citizens that have the motor capability to hold and play an instrument. Another target group would be the parents, with children 6 and up, that want to provide an instrument to their child but might not be sure which instrument would be suitable or don’t know if their child wants to commit to it.
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To give a good understanding of our target group, some personas are set up below describing potential clients of our product service system.
Activity
The main activity of our product service system is learning to play a new instrument. Our service will then provide the user with the instrument, its additional tools (such as spare parts, stands, carry bags etc.) and online lessons. The important aspects of this main activity will be explained and connected to important aspects of our provided service in the next paragraph.
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Learning to play an instrument
According to Malachi Mott, a professional music producer and instructor for about 6 years, the key to learning an instrument is repetitive practice. With practice comes dedication to achieve your goal, many hours will be invested in learning and mastering an instrument. Which is why the instrument of choice should be carefully considered, the more interest and attraction to the instrument the more motivation there will be to pursue playing it.
Another key concept for motivation is setting goals, by doing this there will be something to work towards and focus on. Keeping track of the improvements and achieving a goal will be rewarding, and will increase the motivation to do more. This is also the case with seeking competition, this competition will be the driving force for the user to keep going and keep up with the lessons and practice.
Another aspect of learning to play an instrument is professional mentorship. Having someone who can criticize and advise the user is crucial for improvements. This person can also motivate the user to keep going and congratulate them on their achievements.
But in the end the most important aspect of learning is having fun and share joy with the surrounding people. Keeping the experience fresh and exciting is the key to having fun.
These aspects are of importance for our service of providing the lessons and will be taken into account in our design progress of the website. This will be discussed in the design progress section.
Context
Since InstruRental is a start-up business we have decided to start small and to limit our reach of customers to the region of Twente. And so, this province is our context for our order and maintenance service of our employees.
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The context in which the instrument kit will be used is not specifically defined. The users might use it anywhere they like, depending on the portability of the product. Since the main “product” is the instrument itself, a guitar might offer more flexibility in usage for example.
The most likely and aimed for use situation would simply be anywhere inside, where the user is comfortable and has access to a laptop, or maybe a smartphone. Starting to learn an instrument can lead to frustration and it might be preferred to be alone without distractions when doing it. This might be preferred by the secondary stakeholders as well, E.g. housemates, parents, neighbours etc. since playing an instrument is noisy. Noise could lead to nuisance, especially when the player is not advanced.
So, the product would ideally need a quiet environment without distractions, that preferably has some noise cancellation properties. This will also be achieved with headphones.
Technology
The technology aspect of a PACT analysis is usually split into two parts: the input and output of the product. The input of our service consists of the user being able to gain access to the instrument they want to start learning and the tutorials for their loaned instrument. The technology behind this is in the design of our website, where we should strive to make it as straightforward as possible and prevent keeping information behind numerous tabs. (The direct methods of input are the mouse/keyboard or touchscreen of the user’s device).
Another part of the input is the use of the instruments themselves, but since we will not be seriously redesigning any specific instruments, this is not something we need to account for.
The output will be the screen of the user's device (and the sound of the instruments, which is once again not something we need to account for outside of the context of the product), which will display all the information regarding their purchase, as well as a comprehensive overview of their lessons. Another output is the sound of the videos, and since the main focus of the service is to teach the user a new instrument, this should be of a high quality on our end, but we cannot guarantee that the user will have the technology to listen to it at a high quality (speakers/headphones).
Then there is also communication. The user might run into issues or would like to ask personal questions relating to their progress or the instrument. The service should therefore allow for a communication channel between the user and our company/ the professionals that teach the instruments.
Competition
It is of importance that when designing our PSS we take into account who our competitors are and what they provide. We need to be the best out of them all, and this can only be done when we know what is offered by the market.
Instrument Rentals
The main part of our PSS is the rental of the instruments, this is of course not a new concept, and we can learn a lot from the companies already out there. Which is why our competition, but also potential collaborations, has been researched below (since we are planning on starting off in the Netherlands, the search was narrowed down to companies and shops in the Netherlands).
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Bax Music
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Bax Music is one of the biggest musical stores, which offers any kind of instrument and all necessary accessories for rental (and also purchase). It has several stores all over the Netherlands, in Amsterdam, Goes, Rotterdam and Apeldoorn. The rental of the products is fairly simple, you need to choose a product (or several) between the range of 300 and 1500 euros total. And the monthly payment will be the total price divided by 15, with an additional 1 time deposit (equal to product price divided by 3) and first month payment of 28 euros.
Bax Music also offers the possibility to get a partnership with them, which is very interesting to our start-up. And we have tried contacting them, but sadly they never responded.
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Artist on the Road
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Artist on the Road is specialised in backline rental and tour support all over Europe, their rental catalogue is the biggest of the Netherlands (their warehouse is located in Amsterdam) and contains any kind of instrument. They do not only supply the instruments, but also accessories, tour vans, crew to venues, booking agencies, tv/radio shows, concerts and festivals. Because of this wide variety of products and services they also have a lot of collaborations with other brands and a massive amount of big company clients, such as vpro, ADE and many more.
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References: Bax Music. "Samenwerken met Bax Music" I Bax Shop.be
Bax Music. "Huren" I Bax Shop.be
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References: Artist on the Road. "About Us" I Artistontheroad.eu
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Music Lessons
The other part of our service are the online available music lessons given by professional musicians. We can learn a lot from the competition on how the lessons are structured, but also find a place where to get our professional musicians from. Some big Dutch companies providing online lessons are discussed below.
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Hub Guitar
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Hub Guitar is a free online service which provides professional guitar lessons with video and explanation text. The fact that this is a free service is a big competitor for us, which is why our service should offer more valuable functions and additions than Hub Guitar has. Hub Guitar provides fretboard, technique, musicianship, theory, reading and repertoire lessons and on top of that they also offer advice and recommended instruments and accessories to buy from Amazon. But not everything on Hub Guitar is free, there is a paid option for private lessons from a professional musician. For this you can pay 75 euros for every 30-minute session or pay 199 euros per month for weekly sessions. This way of proposing basic-level facilities for free, Hub Guitar is building relationships with consumers, making them more likely to buy the private lesson package.
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MusicGurus
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MusicGurus is an online service delivering music education from world-class musicians. They have courses for all instruments covering all styles and levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced). The courses are interactive, and the teachers also provide with historical context. There is a free try out trial, once ended, you have to pay for each course you would like to follow, the price range of these courses can vary from 110 to 30 euros depending on the expert and the content.
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Yousician
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Yousician is an online service that almost works as a game. The application tells you what notes to play or sing and as the music goes along it listens to the users notes and rhythm, based on the user's accuracy the application will give a score. The classes are offered for guitar, piano, bass, ukulele and singing. The lessons have different difficulty levels, but are mainly based for beginners or not very experienced players. The price is 8,21 euros (9,99 dollars) a month or 164,38 euros (199,99 dollars) per year, with a free trial account for 7 days.
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Distance Learning Schools or Programs
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Distance learning is an educational program or school where learners are given a personal teacher that gives lessons through an online call. Some schools that offer distance learning are Argosy University, University of Phoenix, Capella University and Kaplan University. These are cheaper than the physical lessons but still more expensive than the previous three providers. It allows for the teacher to check and correct the technique and gives the possibility to have more learning material available, however it isn’t very flexible and the visibility of the video isn’t always great.
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References: Grey from Hub Guitar. "Study by lesson topic" I hubguitar.com
Hub Guitar "Private Guitar Lessons in Boston, MA" I hubguitar.com
References: Becton Loveless. "Distance Learning: The Ultimate Guide to Online Learning" I educationcorner.com
Conclusion
Now the research is done, the design vision and requirements of our PSS can be constructed.
Design Vision
The product service system needs to provide an affordable and accessible learning environment, which engages and stimulates the user to try out a new instrument both individually and within a community. This community is full of other users, which will inspire them and help them with their progress. The user is encouraged to use his/her freedom to create their own musical path without having to commit fully, they can then decide what they want to learn and use the many tools available to do so.
Value Proposition
In the figure below, a value proposition is shown. On the right side of the figure below, it shows our customers' jobs that they want to get done and the pains and gains that come with these jobs. The left side is about our product service system, what its offering, its pain relievers, and gain makers. These two sides correspond with each other because the left product and service side is the key instrument to get the result of the right customer side.
Requirements
Product
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The product should have enough instruments in stock
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The product should be affordable
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The product should be durable
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The product contains the maintenance and lesson service, the instrument and the additional tools for each instrument
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The total product package should be personally adaptable
Service
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The service will be provided through a website
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The service should clearly show its value
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The service should be transparent
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The service should smoothly and openly show and execute the subscription payments
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The service should help choose a service and product package
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The service should be affordable
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The service should be motivating and rewarding
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The service should offer feedback and/or answers on progress and/or questions
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The lessons should offer the possibility to interact in real time with professional musicians
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The lessons should be available at any time
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The lessons should be interactive
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The lessons should be optional and flexible
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The lessons should support the functionality of following them at personal speed
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The lessons should give the opportunity to diverge into your own taste
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The lessons should be taught by professional musicians
Additional Wishes
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Providing more advanced and expensive instruments
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Providing a wide range of professional teachers