Bold Insight was asked by a manufacturer of pod-based coffee brewers to conduct a usability study of new commercial brewing machines. In addition to understanding how the brewers might work in an office setting, this project aimed to determine how much maintenance a typical employee might conduct on a coffee brewer and to what extent they were comfortable being exposed to maintenance components of the brewers.

 

This research was conducted in a simulated office environment to allow for research without disrupting the workday. We conducted usability testing with three high-fidelity prototypes and conducted a "build your own model" activity based upon the three models' features. Based upon this research, our team provided the client with insights around both machine usability and brewer maintenance tasks. Results from this research directly impacted the design decisions the client made with regard to maintenance component placement, screen size, and brewery layout.