Project Overview
Coffee is a ritualistic part of many people’s mornings. Making coffee, which involves running water through ground coffee beans to extract flavor, can be done with a wide variety of devices, machines, and contraptions. For this project, I was tasked with designing a simple yet long-lasting coffee maker for the home. I conducted research to understand the method of making coffee and to develop insights to guide the iteration and prototyping process. The end product is a concept for a coffee maker set with a pour-over, electric kettle, and burr grinder, and an appearance and CAD model for the pour-over.
Brief: Design a coffee maker for the home that does not require an app or a ‘coffee capsule subscription’ to function, and if cared for, could last for generations.
Research
To build a solid foundation for my design, I conducted research exploring the world of coffee making using secondary sources, ethnographic observation, and user interviews.
Research Goals
Explore the many different methods to make coffee and understand the pros and cons of each.
Understand how coffee is made and how the form of coffee makers influences the taste of the coffee.
Pinpoint the pain points that exist when making coffee.
Making Coffee
To kick of the research process, I made some coffee and tested a variety of stovetop coffee makers from a stovetop coffee maker “petting zoo.” This hands-on, tactile research was valuable to gain an understanding of the practical components of coffee makers and to explore the refined formal details of many different well-designed coffee makers.
Key Insight 1: Making coffee is a ritual for many.
Key Insight 2: The form—both the shape and material—of coffee makers affects the taste of the coffee because of how it affects the temperature and extraction process.
Secondary Research
Using secondary online sources, I explored different methods of making coffee and the wide range of opinions surrounding all of these different methods. From researching these different coffee makers and methods, I noticed an emerging pattern: the tastier the cup of coffee, the more involved and complicated it tends to be to make. I charted how different coffee makers measure up in terms of ease of use and taste, illustrating this trade-off.
From exploring the trade-off between taste and ease, pour-over coffee makers emerged as an area of opportunity, as it was one of the easier methods that produced a high-quality cup of coffee. However, opportunities still exist to make this process easier and more convenient.
Images: Capresso / Keurig / Nespresso / Bodum / Bialetti / Melitta / Breville
In addition to exploring different methods of making coffee and the trade-off between convenience and taste, I used secondary research to understand the scientific process of making coffee with a specific focus on pour-over coffee makers and how different factors, such as temperature and extraction processes, affect the taste of the coffee. Thus, an effective solution would work to minimize the room for human error in existing methods for making coffee.
Key Insight 3: There tends to be a trade-off between great taste and convenience when making coffee. Coffee makers that are more convenient to use make coffee with poorer taste, and vice versa.
Key Insight 4: Pour-over coffee makers are one of the easier methods for making a good cup of coffee, but there is still room for improvement in convenience and in minimizing human error.
Key Insight 5: Both the maker and the technique affect coffee taste. Aspects such as the coffee-to-water ratio, water temperature, coffee ground coarseness, type of filter, and brew time all influence how the coffee tastes just as much as the type of coffee maker used.
Ethnographic Research and User Interviews
Once the focus area of pour-over coffee makers was selected, I observed a selected user while she made her morning coffee using a pour-over, and then interviewed her about making coffee.
The most unique thing about how this user made her coffee was the hot water tap installed in her kitchen. “I wouldn’t like making pour-over coffee as much without the hot water tap,” she said, as the process would be that much more involved with having to heat the water separately.
Key Insight 6: Having a system in place for making pour-over coffee increases efficiency.
Analysis
Synthesizing all of the research I conducted, I developed a design proposal statement:
I also developed a list of features to include in the design of this pour-over coffee maker:
Development
After finding pour-over coffee makers as a point of opportunity to minimize the trade-off between taste and ease, I began developing a new product by sketching and iterating. I explored various forms that would be best for extraction, in addition to being aesthetically pleasing and joyful.
I also sketched burr grinders and electric kettles, working to develop a consistent design language to tie the set together:
Through several iterations of sketches, CAD models, and physical prototypes at varying levels of definition, I refined the form of the pour-over device in terms of both function and appearance.
Final Concept
Conclusion
Most coffee makers are either convenient or make good coffee. Few are both. I designed this long-lasting pour-over coffee maker based on the insights I gained from my research to minimize the trade-off between taste and ease. The internal cone shape and flat bottom maximize extraction and drainage to create an ideal taste. For convenience, the pour-over will come with an electric kettle and bean grinder to address all parts of the pour-over-making process. The pour-over set is designed for accessibility and longevity by not requiring specialized filters, using quality borosilicate glass, and avoiding overly complex mechanisms.