Goals of the qualitative research
We needed to better understand the motivations and needs of beginning to slightly advanced hobby piano players. The research also focused on psychological and social factors influencing the learning process, and we explored respondents' experiences with competing products.
▶️ What motivates them to learn and what they truly expect from playing the piano.
▶️ What difficulties they face and what they consider progress in their learning.
▶️ What they enjoy most about learning — or, conversely, what frustrates them.
How the in-depth interviews were conducted
Respondents for the in-depth interviews were adult beginner and slightly advanced piano players from various countries, including Canada, the USA, the Philippines, and Mexico, as well as European countries such as the UK, Belgium, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
- A total of 15 interviews were conducted.
- Interviews followed a pre-defined scenario.
- Each interview was designed to last 60 minutes.
- Interviews were recorded for research purposes.
"We were surprised by how enthusiastically respondents engaged with the research — the interviews were really pleasant and felt more like friendly conversations. The people involved were genuinely delighted to have a say in the product's development," summarized Klára Bučková, researcher at Proof & Reason, on behalf of all team members who took part in the research.
9 steps of an in-depth interview
We always adapt the structure and questions of in-depth interviews based on the research goal, the main topic, and the specific situation of respondents. The scenario below shows how we approached the interview structure in the case of Artie.
1️⃣ Introduction
The goal was to create a safe environment and align expectations, so that respondents understood the interview's objectives and would share their experiences openly.
2️⃣ Introduction and life context
Questions focused on understanding life context, musical background, and the role piano playing plays in their lives.
3️⃣ Learning journey and experiences
We mapped the entire journey of learning to play the piano, including methods used, decision-making moments, and reasons for continuing or stopping.
4️⃣ Social and emotional aspects
Questions that helped us understand how learning to play the piano affects respondents' relationships and emotions — feelings of shame when playing in front of others, or conversely, the joy of sharing.
5️⃣ Goals
We needed to understand what short-term and long-term goals people set for themselves when learning to play the piano, and where their ambitions come from.
6️⃣ Motivation
We explored how respondents measure their progress in playing, what their milestones are, what keeps them motivated, and conversely, what demotivates them.
7️⃣ Expected benefits and needs
We tried to identify the truly deep needs and expectations respondents want to achieve in piano playing — not just functional, but also emotional and social.
8️⃣ Attitudes toward technology
We explored openness to digital tools, trust in AI, and expectations of a "digital tool" in learning.
9️⃣ Conclusion
At the end, respondents had the opportunity to share any unspoken thoughts or personal recommendations.
Findings from the in-depth interviews for improving Artie
The in-depth interviews showed that people are motivated to learn piano more by emotional than technical ambitions. Through the research, ArtMaster gained not only tips for specific improvements to the app itself, but also many strategic CX insights compiled into outputs using the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework:
- User situation (when they're dealing with something)
- User motivation (what they want, what motivates them)
- Problem solution (expected outcome)
"Already during the first interviews, we noticed gaps in the pool of people who signed up — so-called false beginners kept appearing, and we needed to distinguish them from people truly encountering learning for the first time. Men were also significantly overrepresented. In response, we tightened the selection criteria to ensure we delivered data that reflected the reality of the target groups and was therefore useful for designing solutions," adds Jana Hanfová, UX Designer at Proof & Reason, on the conduct of the in-depth interviews.
Jobs to Be Done outputs from the in-depth interviews
- When I start playing the piano for the first time, I want to experience a quick sense of achievement and understand that I can do it — without a positive start, I'll quickly lose motivation. As examples of progress in their learning, respondents mentioned learning to play a new piece or beginning to coordinate both hands while playing.
- When I'm learning with an AI teacher, I want it to match my preferred communication style, without pretending to be human or behaving excessively emotionally. It was important to respondents that AI technology felt authentic — not too mechanical, and not overly praising them.
- When I'm learning to play the piano, I want to feel like I'm genuinely making music, not just practicing technique, so that I enjoy it, feel connected to the music, and have a sense of progress. People want to feel like musicians and know they're making progress. When they feel like they're just doing drills, it doesn't bring them the same satisfaction.
Differences in learning to play the piano in Europe and America
The interviews revealed differences in motivation and approach to learning piano between individual countries, for example between the USA and Europe:
- In America, an alternative way of learning piano is popular — by numbers or "falling tiles" onto the keys — rather than reading sheet music, as is common in Europe.
- Church communities play a big role there, often providing the motivation to learn to play the piano.
- Many respondents had rich musical backgrounds (e.g., from church, jamming, or songwriting) and wanted the freedom to choose their learning method and notation system based on their personal learning style.
Research helps you uncover the most pressing pain points in the customer journey. With information from customers, you increase the likelihood of making the right decisions and avoiding mistakes — whether you're planning a website redesign, an app overhaul, or a full rebrand. You can direct your resources where customers say they're needed most, and therefore where they'll have the greatest impact on your business. We can discuss together which research method is most suitable for your project in a strategic consultation.
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