Black Rifle Coffee Company - Dope

PROJECT: DOPE APP

Black Rifle Coffee Company is a premium, small-batch, roast-to-order, veteran-owned coffee company.

CHALLENGE

Our challenge was to design an app experience that helps customers find and brew their perfect coffee cup. The world of coffee-brewing seems simple on the surface but can quickly become humbling if not overwhelming. As with cocktails and wine, the more you learn, the more you realize you still don’t know. Personal preferences with coffee vary greatly, and research suggests novice drinkers often have difficulty manipulating brewing variables (Brew Method, Coffee/Water Ratio, Temperature, Duration).

APPROACH

While gathering requirements from BRCC Leadership and product owners, we began our audit and analysis of existing coffee brewing experiences. Understanding the CEO’s vision and intent for the app provided the groundwork to consider our business and user goals, emphasizing the social aspect of sharing coffee rituals while logging each brew and accommodating recipe refinements.

DELIVERED ARTIFACTS

Competitive Analysis
User Flows and Scenarios
Wireframes and Final Designs
Content Matrix
Implementation Documentation

OBSERVATION

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

We observed many different approaches towards the brewing rituals and functionality offered during our research of several desktop and mobile app coffee calculators. Ultimately, our team chose to iterate towards an experience that started with a strong foundation of proper practices for each unique brew method while educating users on the impact of the following variables:

Roast
Grind
Ratio
Temperature
Time

ORIENTATION

GUIDING INTENT

Social: Sharing recipes

Intuitive: Friendly defaults

Knowledgeable: Education and advanced configuration

SOME CONSIDERATIONS

“How might we build an experience as valuable to a first-time brewer as it is to an experienced “coffeehead.”

“Customers brew coffee every day, how might we optimize the calculator experience for frequent users.”

“How might we accommodate for different weight and volume units of measurement?”

DESIGN RATIONALE

RATIO MEASUREMENT

Our research revealed several user frustrations regarding the coffee:water ratio and measurement experience common in other “coffee calculators”. Our design addresses these frustrations with an experience that begins with the intent of the cup based on personal preference.

On a scale of strong to weak, how would you like this coffee to taste?

BREW AMOUNT

A common mistake in other coffee calculators is the assumption that the amount of water and coffee used in the recipe is an intended ratio. Our solution which specifies a desired ratio (on a scale of weak to strong) guarantees brewers will have the same great tasting cup of coffee regardless of their cup size.

Adjusting the amount of coffee or water will update the measurement while maintaining a constant ratio.

CALIBRATE

Following a brew session users are prompted to edit the recipe if they’re still looking for a different flavor in their cup. Each major variable (Grind, Temperature, Ratio, and Time) is presented with educational information to help the user make informed choices on how to brew a better cup next time.

Editing brew variables will update the users recipe for next time.