How can the design of a consumable change a category? By Abandoning the physical object and embracing the output. The consumable is where the magic happens!
Think about the last time you made a coffee with a Keurig. I made one the other day & took time to appreciate what makes it so great. It has nothing to do with the device even though the way it hinges & moves is super cool.
I like to think about the product experience using the approach of The Moment of Truth. As I document the significant points in the user experience, I identify the ones with the biggest impact. I call these The Moments of Truth. I borrowed it from the Google ebook Zen: Moment of Truth that focuses on potential customer's experience prior to purchase. It resonated with me & I applied that idea to product development. This is something that we designers already do, but formalizing it for presentations helps the team understand the significance of these moments & prioritizes where to spend the most time on creative problem solving.
Okay back to the coffee maker.
As I looked at the k-cup that just made my coffee, I appreciated the brilliance of the design.
When I break down the traditional coffee making experience, there are 3 significant moments:
1. Scooping the grounds into a filter. Eventually some will fall onto your counter.
2. Disposing of the filter in coffee grounds after use is messy. It drips coffee on the counter, floor, or garbage can. It needs to be wiped up.
3. Cleaning the coffee pot. You need a sink to do this.
Keurig fixed all of these, but what I find interesting is the identity they gave it & the constraints it created.
No mess cup of coffee, anywhere. You just need water.
- If you have water bottles you can make coffee.
- If you have a drinking fountain you can make coffee.
- If you have a sink you can make coffee.
Take an office environment. No one likes coffee on the burner for 15+ minutes. How do you fix it? Let individuals make their own fresh cup of coffee directly into their cup.
This identity of simple, individualized coffee anywhere creates clear constraints and primes our brains to make solutions. Design decisions are easier too.
So making individual cups of coffee eliminates the need to clean and maintain a coffee pot. (3 is fixed)
We all know how they solved the coffee ground filter mess problems (1&2). The k-cup.
This is why I think the Keurig is so cool: They improved the coffee making experience and created a new subcategory by focusing on the output and not the device itself. Having the container for the coffee grounds also be the container for brewing that dispenses directly into a cup is what makes this so brilliant. It's simple, easy, and there's nothing to clean. It had nothing to do with the machine itself. The design of the k-cup enables the machine to be great.
Use this approach for your next project. Abandon the physical product and think about the output of the experience. What are the moments of truth that you can improve & what identity can you create. You will design unique and compelling solutions!
