1. Coffee Bean
full-scale user experience prototype
Douglas Radecki & Claudia Ruge © 2012 p. 1

2. Design Criteria
Coffee time on the 4th floor should be...
a social activity, since coffee traditionally
has been. Using an organic shape, we
wanted to increase the circulation of the
people in the area.
We wanted to make the coffee experience
at ID more enjoyable by taking the
coffee station (and the users) out of the
walls. This allows the users to interact
simultaneously with preparing and
making the coffee along with interacting
with fellow users and the environment.
Douglas Radecki & Claudia Ruge © 2012 p. 2

3. Brain Storming
Environment Evaluation
We wanted to turn the 4th floor lounge into a more social
space. Observing that most people used the 4th floor lounge
to make themselves a cup of coffee, we choose to utilize the
coffee station to help drive social interactions.
By looking at the space, we recognized the need to pull the
coffee station out from the wall. Taking the coffee machines
“out of the wall”, the coffee station would become the
focal point of the space.
This would help draw more people into the 4th flour lounge
to make themselves a cup of coffee.
Douglas Radecki & Claudia Ruge © 2012 p. 3

4. Brain Storming
Sketching
Along with utilizing the coffee station, we brainstormed
around the idea of transforming the coffee machine from
an appliance that needs to be up against the wall, into
furniture that could be placed in the center of the room.
With this design principle, along with the user criteria
that the coffee station facilitate more social interactions,
we were drawn to the natural shape of the bean.
We recognized that this shape would utilize the
roundness of the room as it created a flow for people.
This shape meant that two individuals could make coffee
simultaneously, as well as a third person start to prepare
their coffee with cream and sugar.
Douglas Radecki & Claudia Ruge © 2012 p. 4

5. Brain Storming
Making sense of the space
Once done sketching, a franken-esque prototype was
created with blue tape and paper. Getting on our hands
and knees we started testing our hypothesis within hours of
starting the project.
By utilizing this quick prototyping method we were able
to pivot and tweak our concept as we did quick tests to see
how our prototype interacted with users and the space.
Douglas Radecki & Claudia Ruge © 2012 p. 5

6. Building Our Prototype
It needs a
trash can
-RUSSEL
Douglas Radecki & Claudia Ruge © 2012 p. 6

7. Building Our Prototype
Douglas Radecki & Claudia Ruge © 2012 p. 7

8. Testing the User Experience
One thing that might help is some sort of lip
along the outer rim so they don’t fall off.
-TOMOKO
Douglas Radecki & Claudia Ruge © 2012 p. 8

9. Conclusion
The Coffee Bean prototype was We believe in the ability of utilizing After six months this prototype built
launched in October 2011 and the quick prototyping when faced with out of gator board and corrugated
feedback we have received from a space or a service that needs to be cardboard is still in the lounge, helping
the Institute of Design community envisioned. Through quick prototyping us to continue the dialogue. Being
has been enforcing our hypothesis we were able to start observing, testing, a prototype we are still learning from
to change the space dynamics to and tweaking in a matter of hours. the interactions users have with the
facilitate more spontaneous social As we developed and iterated on one coffee station, the problems and
interactions through utilizing the problem, new needs would appear the adaptations the staff has made.
coffee station as furniture rather then and being able to tweak allowed us the These road signs can start to point out
as appliance. It feels more social. answer the problems that would arise opportunities that can help us iterate
Now people don’t need to turn through the design process. on the next prototype.
around because in the station they
were already in front of someone.
Douglas Radecki & Claudia Ruge © 2012 p. 9

10. THANK
YOU!
Douglas Radecki Claudia Ruge
douglas.radecki@gmail.com claudia@id.iit.edu
@DouglasRadecki @magnetiksou
Douglas Radecki & Claudia Ruge © 2012 p. 10