Personas & Storyboarding

Introduction

The primary interactive elements are the space for the cup/mug at the bottom of the dispensing unit, and the touchscreen where users make their drink selections. There is also a compartment in the back where coffee beans are stored before being used to make the coffee.

Problem

This machine attempts to solve the problem of having to make coffee manually, which can be time consuming and tedious. It also mixes different drinks together, allowing the user to customize their drink from a set of options.

Description

The interface consists primarily of a screen that initially shows 10 possible drink selections, along with a button on the screen for hot water. Once a selection is made, the screen changes to a menu where the user can choose one of three possible cup sizes (6oz, 9oz, and 11oz), one of three possible coffee bean amounts (small, medium, and large amounts of beans used), and one of three possible caffeine levels (regular, decaf, or 50/50 split), and then press start. For drinks that do not contain coffee (eg. hot chocolate), only a drink size can be selected. After pressing the start button on the screen, the machine will dispense the drink into a cup placed in the lower section.

Questions

Did the coffee machine work as you expected?
What was your process for selecting a drink?
Did you know where to place your mug?
How was your experience using the screen interface?
Did you encounter any challenges while using the coffee machine?

Responses

Users reported that they generally found the screen interface to be clear and quick to use -- they often use the default settings for their drinks, so they only have to press the drink icon and then press start
Users who got hot water for tea noted that they must press and hold the "hot water" button, which is not obvious since all other buttons need to only be tapped
One user noted that the screen will periodically show a pop up notice that the coffee grounds tray needs to be emptied, or that an ingredient (coffee beans, hot chocolate power, etc) is running low, but does not provide much information beyond that, so it can be difficult to solve the issue as a first-time user
Users said that the mug placement area is easy to see, and is also illuminated by a blue light when the machine is dispensing a drink
Users noted that the machine does not provide any information for each of the drinks beyond a name and picture, so the user has to already know what the drink is

Observations

Users made their drink selections at different speeds -- some users made their selections quickly, while others took time to read the options and decide
Different mugs and cups were used by different users -- two used the reusable mugs that were located in the kitchenette cabinets, while one user used one of the single-use coffee cups from the counter
One user "mixed" two drinks by ordering a capuccino and then adding a shot of espresso afterwards
Some users would select and drink and then return to the menu before deciding on a final selection

Tired Tim

Tired Tim is a frequent coffee drinker, but he is especially tired this morning and is just looking for some quick caffeine.

Tim feels that the interface is too complicated -- it is hard to make a decision between the different drink options on the main menu.

Tim represents the users because some of the users noted that they felt very tired when getting coffee in the morning, and often gravitate towards drinks with stronger caffeine content.

Healthy Hailey

Healthy Hailey is very health-concious, and tends to gravitate towards tea but likes to try new things.

Hailey doesn't drink coffee very often, and feels that the interface is somewhat lacking in information, such as nutrition facts and descriptions of drinks.

Hailey represents users who felt less comfortable with the coffee machine and felt that that there was not enough information provided by the machine.

Coffee Machine