The document summarizes a student group's project to design a solution for purchasing coffee on the go. It outlines their research process, including identifying known and unknown information, conducting interviews and observations at coffee stations, analyzing findings to identify problems and needs, and developing concepts and a prototype for an improved sugar dispenser. The group found current sugar packets often spilled and made a mess. Their solution aims to allow adding sugar cleanly with one hand. The document reflects on lessons learned around assumptions and iterative research and design.

1. Group 4
Kloe Nelson-Cole
Eamon Nolan
Brian Higgins
Darragh Duggan
Kloe Nelson-Cole
Brian Higgins
Eamon Nolan
Darragh Duggan
COFFEE TO GO
DESIGN GUIDE AND REPORT
21/10/2014

2. PROJECT BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM
STATEMENT
The vision of the coffee on the go project was
to create a quick and stress free way to make
and purchase coffee in a cafe or convenient
store environment.
The aim of the project was to learn
methods of user centered design
research, and to utilize those
methods to understand the needs of
the customers purchasing coffee. As
a result of the research we made concept
solutions based on the needs of the customers
and the problems that we found.

3. INTRODUCTION AND KNOWLEDGE IDENTIFICATION
At the beginning of our research we gathered as a group
all of the information and knowledge we had on the process
of buying coffee. With this information we labeled and
categorised lists of all our known and unknown information.
We then categorized this information into users, environment, payment
and condiments. The category we decided to focus on was users.
This helped us to create a mission statement which would help us to
focus when we went out in the field. Our mission statement was:
To solve the problem of inconsideration. We picked this mainly because most of
our ‘Known’ problems were things that could be avoided with a sense of
consideration that people do not seem to have when they are in a rush buying their coffee.

4. INFORMATION WALL

5. KNOWNS
We collected our known information
on buying coffee as the first part of
our research,

6. KNOWNS
Users
● Students,
● Workforce
● Stay at home adults
● People seeking
energy
Physical Properties
Cup body
● Flimsy
● Leakage
● Too hot to hold
● Recyclable
Lids
● Easily broken
● Susceptible to
spillage
● Can cause burning
Cases
● Prevents burning
hands
● Extra grip.
● Disposable
Preferences
● Baristas - Refill
cups/mugs, Freshly
brewed.
● Coffee Machines -
Quick, Convenient.

7. UNKNOWNS
We gathered unknown information to
establish a starting point
for further research

8. UNKNOWNS
● Better way to dispose of rubbish.
● If it’s better to have sugar dispensers or sachets
● What demographic has the most problems with making coffee
● If labeling everything would help customers
● If people wait to put on lid to let coffee cool down
● If people put on the lid at all
● Largest age group thats purchases coffee
● Freshness of the milk available

9. FIELD RESEARCH METHODS
Our group decided that Spar and the CSIS cafe would be our places of observation. Prior to
going out in the field we prepared interview questions, brought a camera, a notebook and pens.
We assigned each other different roles; Kloë took pictures and notes, Darragh used the zimmer
frame, Brian and Eamon engaged in interviews. For the interviews we conducted them both
individual and in groups of 2 to 3 . This provided us with a good range of answers.
We took a fly on the wall approach to our research and took notes. We noted things like long
queues, rushing, people burning their hands and spillages. Unfortunately we did not feel we had
enough research. We made the mistake of making assumptions and assumed that lids were the
major problem. Once we went out again we then soon discovered that lids were not a big deal at
all. 4 out of the 5 people that we asked said that they wait until they are sitting down and then
take off the lid so they were not burning their mouths on the lids like we had assumed. This led us
to re-look at our information wall and add more too it with our new found information. This
process helped us to understand that you can’t get all the information by just going out in the field
once. Going out again helped us to understand the information we had, get a different perspective
on it and gather information that we may have missed out on. Darragh using the zimmer frame

10. CASE STUDY : DISABILITY
Darragh took the liberty of using the zimmer frame. During his time with it he
interviewed several people with and without the zimmer frame. When asked about
what do people think of disabled facilities in Spar, the people were inclined to be
biased towards Darragh when he was ‘disabled’. The answers jumped from
‘Spar should be more facilitated towards people with disabilities.’ to ‘We don’t
really need certain facilities because there are not many disabled people in UL.’
depending on whether the question ‘Do you think Spar needs more facilities for the
disabled?’ was asked when Darragh was using the zimmer frame or not.
Spar and CSIS did not have many facilities for the disabled and Darragh struggled
to make a cup of coffee and stand in the queue because the zimmer frame was
too wide.

11. CATEGORISATION
We wrote out all the information we had gathered
on sticky notes. From that we made a brainstorm to
try and think of any additional information that
may aid us. We then looked at the photos we had
taken to see if we could find anything we may had
missed during the busy atmospheres we got caught
in. After our group categorized them into disability
access, customers, stations, lids and cups. We got all
our sticky notes and categorised them so we could
start to make our needs statements.

12. SYNTHESIS OF FINDINGS
Problems
Not enough counter space
A non efficient way to dispense
sugar
Coffee station is non
compatible for the disabled
Lids not separating
No way to clean up spilt liquid
Needs
A facility to host more than
one person
A way to prevent sugar being
spilt
A facility that provides a easy
way to produce coffee
A way to distribute lids more
conveniently and hygienically
A way to drain spilt liquids
Observations
Not enough space at stations
Sugar being spilt
Difficulties for disabled people
making coffee
Trouble separating lids
Spilling liquids on counter

13. Observation Problem Need.
Sugar being spilt A way to prevent sugar
Photograph of sugar on
counter
A non efficient way to
dispense sugar
being spilt

14. DESIGN GUIDE
A way to add sugar without spilling it..
Must haves Nice to have
● Use with one hand Aesthetically pleasing
● Cheap
● Mechanical
● Hygenic
● Quick to use
● Clear instructions.
● Easy for a disabled person to used it
● No wrappers
● No waste.

15. INTERVIEWS Example No.1
● How often would you use the coffee machine?
I would usually use it everyday as I have early starts and it gives me energy.
● Do you find the coffee stations convenient?
I find that it is a quick way to get coffee but it can get messy at times.
● Why do you think this is?
It is difficult to manage adding what I want to the coffee and the putting on the lids.
● Do you find the use of lids inconvenient?
Yes I have always found that they have lead to spilling my drink so I just remove them.
● Do you find that sometimes the work station may be difficult to move around due to crowding?
Well as I am in early I find I avoid the crowds but I do notice later in the morning there are
larger crowds. The counters are also messier later in the day

16. INTERVIEWS Example No.2
● How often do you buy coffee?
Most weekday mornings,
● What is your opinion of the experience of getting coffee here?
It’s pretty good, sometimes it can be too busy
● Would you change anything about this experience?
Maybe better lids for the cups, i never use them as they’re awkward to drink from.
● What do you think of the quality of the coffee?
Not as nice as barista coffee but i like it
● Are the stations easy to operate?
Yea, they’re fairly simple, i haven’t had any problems.
● What do you think of the sugar sachets available?
They are maybe too easy to spill, and awkward to open while holding coffee.

17. INTERVIEWS Example No.3
● What do you guys find most inconvenient about making coffee?
I find that the sugar sachets always rip and spill all over the counter. Its a pain to clean up
● Do you think that it would be a help to provide a new way to dispense sugar more effectively?
I think that even though it seems not to be a big deal, it would really save time by not having
to clean up.
● Are there any other problems you can think of which makes it difficult to create a cup of coffee?
There are a few small things that annoy us but nothing that can slow us down as when we
add sugar.
● Can you think of any way that could prevent this problem?
If there were an easier way to get sugar without having to worry about ripping up a sachet I
think it would be easier.
● Would you find a sugar dispenser of some sort to come useful?
If it were made to dispense it easily and accurately then definitely yes.

18. How might we?
● Prevent damage
● Prevent theft
● Dispense sugar without spilling it.
● Clean it
● Refill it
● Make sure there is no waste
● Prevent blockage
● Monitor sugar use
● Measure one teaspoon
● Make it cheap
● Make it faster
● Keep it in good condition
We made a list of ‘How
might we’ to try and think
of ideas that really help
the cause we researched
and the area for which we
are designing for.

19. IDEATION

20. IDEATION

21. Concept Sketches

22. Concept Sketches

23. Concept Sketches

24. Prototyping
After doing some ideation and concept development we
then chose our final design and began prototyping
with masking tape and thick paper. We really had
to work as a team to build our prototype as it
was an awkward shape.

25. Finished Prototype

26. CONCLUSION & REFLECTION
Group 4 worked really well together. We were interested in our topic and enjoyed
using some of the IDEO method cards to get the information we needed. Our group
learned especially that one should never assume as it hinders process and is a step
backwards. Using brainstorming and information walls helped us to gather our
thoughts and categorize them in a way that was clear and simple. This helped us to
progress further. As buying coffee is such a casual thing we found our interviews gave
us a lot of insight towards the attitudes and habits of the people buying it. We found
that asking them after buying the coffee as opposed to prior made them more relaxed.
Doing all the research was easy but we found it difficult to dissect the information and
see it for what it was, rather than what we wanted it to be.
After our realisation that people produce a lot of mess we thought it would be in their
best interest to keep the place clean. This lead us to design a sugar dispenser that
could be used with one hand.
We kept our mission statement in mind and by keeping counters clear it shows
consideration for the person after you.