In collaboration with the Illy Cafe team at Italia Innovation, my role in this process was user research, wireframe and ux design for digital interface and mobile application.

Research

For this collaboration, Illy Cafe needed to design a new tabletop coffee machine and coffee corner space for mid-sized offices in the US market. Within 4 weeks, our team reframed our design question, conducted field research within the Venice metropolitan area, and developed our design based on our findings.

We began our research in determining:

• Why does one take a break during their work hours?
• What do they do?
• Where do they go?
• How long do they take their break?
• Are they with people or alone?

The team sought to answer these questions through user interviews and observation in coffee shops in Treviso, and the offices of Ca Foscari University of Venice. We found that:

• - Those who were solo spent roughly less than 5 minutes either enjoying their beverage at the counter within a barista environment, or taking their drink to go if at a vending machine.
• - Groups of two to four spent 10 to 15 minutes within the space engaged in casual conversation before dispersing to their tasks.
• - On a busy day, employees utilize the company coffee machines, and go to a nearby cafe when there is more flexibility.
• - Italians generally stick with traditional drink options, but more are open to variety of flavor.

In regards to the types of beverages people select, we discovered that Italians sometimes enjoy breaking tradition and would enjoy more variety. One university employee pointed out that she enjoys a chocolate cappuccino at 4pm, even though Italians generally do not drink milk after lunch time.

Sprint Process

During the research period, I had the opportunity to experience a condensed Sprint workshop with Jake Knapp. The team raised some "how might we" questions to address the key insights we felt would be beneficial to our design.

I then mapped out our challenge to identify our target and purpose. This was the stage where industry experts are beneficial, however as a team we trusted our instincts based on personal experiences.

I sketched out possible solutions to different components of our design. One of my suggestions was to create a mobile app that will facilitate an organized office environment that will allow employees to save favorite orders and allow for efficiency.

Our Personas

Based on our research findings, these four personas stood out in when and why employees take a coffee break.

Digital Product Ideation

The physical design allows for customizable drinks in variety of espresso, non-dairy milks, and flavors. To cater to each of the personas, employees have the option of creating their drink through the digital interface on the machine or creating an order on the mobile app. The mobile app option includes an NFC system, where the user must tap their device against the machine in order to create their beverage. This allows for a seamless ecosystem within the office environment and insures a fresh coffee drink.

Video of walkthrough at top of page.

Digital Interface Design

Video of digital interface design and walkthrough