Time
October - December, 2023
MDes Course Project
Individual
Tools
Figma, Adobe Illustrator & Adobe Photoshop
Overview
BrewMate is the definitive app tailored for coffee lovers who are passionate about exploring the nuanced world of coffee.
This app uniquely blends the joy of discovering new coffee varieties with the enrichment of learning sophisticated brewing techniques.
Features
Designed to cater to both novices and connoisseurs, BrewMate personalizes your coffee exploration journey with curated recommendations and insightful tutorials.
From understanding the origins of different beans to perfecting the art of espresso making, BrewMate equips you with the knowledge to enhance your daily coffee ritual.
Without the need for a social media-like sharing platform, BrewMate focuses on enriching your individual coffee experience, making every cup an adventure in taste and aroma.
Research
Analysis
Ideation
Design Frameworks
Design
Validation
Background
A significant portion of Americans (73%) drink coffee daily, with a preference for drinking 1 to 2 cups per day by 60% of people.
The majority (83%) prefer the taste of coffee as the primary reason for consumption, highlighting the importance of flavor in coffee preferences.
Survey
A significant portion of Americans (73%) drink coffee daily, with a preference for drinking 1 to 2 cups per day by 60% of people.
The majority (83%) prefer the taste of coffee as the primary reason for consumption, highlighting the importance of flavor in coffee preferences.
Target Users
Coffee Beginners and Learners
Individuals new to the coffee world who are eager to learn about different types of coffee beans, brewing methods, and the art of making coffee, including latte art.
Needs
They would benefit from educational content, step-by-step brewing guides, and tutorials on different coffee-making techniques.
Coffee Professionals
Experienced coffee makers, baristas, or industry professionals who are passionate about refining their craft and sharing their expertise.
Needs
Features that allow for recording, archiving, and sharing detailed brewing processes and creations.
Coffee Enthusiasts (Documenters)
Hobbyists and coffee aficionados who enjoy keeping detailed records of their coffee consumption, including details about flavors, origins, and personal ratings.
Needs
A coffee journal or log feature where they can track and analyze their coffee intake, brewing styles, and flavor profiles over time.
Coffee Shop Explorers
Users who enjoy exploring new coffee shops and experiencing different coffee cultures and environments
Needs
An interactive map and directory of coffee shops with filters for location, flavors, environmennts, user reviews.
How do you measure your progress in learning about coffee？
“I mainly notice my progress by the taste of the coffee I brew. It would be helpful to have an app that tracks this progress with feedback or tips after each brewing session”
#Beginner
User Interview
How do you learn about coffee?
" I've mostly used online articles and YouTube videos. What's often missing is a personalized learning path that progresses as I gain more skills "
#Beginner
What are the main tools for document coffee brewing?
" I use a digital notebook and sometimes spreadsheets. An app allows me to organize information by date, type of coffee, or experiment results would be much better"
#Professional
What are the main tools for document coffee exploration?
I've been using a general note-taking app, but it doesn't have features specific to coffee, like flavor wheels or caffeine trackers.
#Enthusiastic
How would you feel about social interactions?
Not necessary. I wish it keeps the focus on professional growth and learning without the distractions of a social media platform
#Beginner
How would you feel about social interactions?
Not necessary. I wish it keeps the focus on professional growth and learning without the distractions of a social media platform
#Beginner
Market Research
Persona
Affinity Diagram
Solutions
Learn
Users can learn about latte art, coffee beans, and brewing techniques, as well as expand their coffee knowledge through Coffepedia.
Coffepedia
Latte Art
Beans
Brewing
Explore
Post/Record
Additionally, they can document their journey in making latte art, purchasing and collecting coffee beans, their progress in brewing, and their explorations of coffee shops."
User Journey
Storyboard
Story 1: Coffee lover & beginner -- Emily, feels overwhelmed trying to perfect her latte art and seeks structured guidance
Emily, feeling overwhelmed by her unsuccessful attempts at latte art, seeks a structured learning path
She finds a series of step-by-step latte art tutorials in the app, starting with basic designs
Emily practices along with the app with tutorials, and also captures images of her attempts and note areas for improvement
Over time, she observes her progress through documented images and notes in the app, feeling motivated as she masters more complex designs
Story 2: Lisa, an avid coffee enthusiast, needs an efficient way to organize her extensive collection of coffee beans and monitor her caffeine intake.
Lisa is concerned about organizing her extensive coffee bean collection and managing her caffeine intake.
She uses the "Post: Beans" feature to catalog her coffee beans by origin, roast, and flavor notes, and starts a daily log of her coffee consumption
Each entry allows her to track the caffeine content, which the app aggregates to monitor her daily and weekly intake.
Lisa reviews her consumption trends and adjusts her coffee choices to better manage her health and explore her bean collection effectively
Story 3: Mark, new to the city, wants to explore local coffee shops that fit his taste but finds it challenging to track and plan his visits effectively.
Mark feels lost in a new city, wanting to explore coffee shops that match his taste but unsure where to start
He uses the "Explore" feature in the app to find top-rated coffee shops that align with his preferences, marked on an interactive map
At each location, Mark logs his experiences, including the coffee quality, ambiance, and personal notes.
He reviews his logged entries in the app, forming a personalized coffee exploration map of the city, aiding in planning future outings and revisits.
Wireframes
Post
Post allows users to share their coffee-related experiences in four distinct categories: My Homebrew, My Latte Art, Explored Coffee, and My Beans.
Users can also upload pictures to enhance their posts.
For Homebrew, the category includes information on different brewing tools, specific brewing methods, and parameters.
The Latte Art and Explored Coffee sections capture details about the coffee, such as types of drinks and flavors.
My Beans category provides comprehensive information about coffee beans, including variety, origin, flavor profile, roast level, and processing methods, allowing users to document and share every aspect of their coffee journey in detail.
Gallery
The Gallery allows coffee enthusiasts to view their posts in a masonry layout gallery, which can be further categorized and sorted by post type (home brew, latte art, coffee shop exploration) and calendar, offering a daily view of posts.
Each post displays detailed information entered by the user, including the type of beans, roast level, taste notes, brewing method, and personal reviews, making it easy to organize and retrieve coffee experiences efficiently.
