The Challenge
Peace Coffee is a specialty coffee roaster which sells packaged and bulk coffee at grocery stores and co-ops. What is the shopping experience like for their customers and how might we improve it?
The Solution
Update the packaging with the information customers desire. Improve the experience of grinding coffee by adding a Peace Coffee brand toolkit at each store.
The Design Process
Field Study Finds Bulk Customers Have Unmet Needs
Despite the messiness, Co-op shoppers buy in bulk for environmental reasons.
When asked why they buy in bulk customers responded:
Key Insights:
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The majority of Peace Coffee is sold at Co-op grocery stores: (clockwise from top left) close-up of Peace Coffee's bulk set with 12 varieties; Wide-shot of the entire bulk coffee set; brewed Peace Coffee for sale in-store; shelf with packaged coffee. |
Customers Care About Roast Level and Recyclable Packaging
Forty-four participants who identified as making coffee at home were surveyed. Two questions were added to specifically address Peace Coffee's desire to educate the public about the coffee supply chain and the effects of climate change. The results have been ranked by desirability, followed by a score out of 44 (a perfect score being 44).
Forty-four participants who identified as making coffee at home were surveyed. Two questions were added to specifically address Peace Coffee's desire to educate the public about the coffee supply chain and the effects of climate change. The results have been ranked by desirability, followed by a score out of 44 (a perfect score being 44).
Packaging Features Ranked in Order of Importance:
Packaging Types Ranked in Order of Desirability:
Key Insights From Survey:
Changes to consider (These would result in changing their manufacturing process.)
- Roast Level (40)
- Whole Bean/Ground (37)
- Fair Trade (36)
- Origin(34)
- Roast Date (29)
- Flavor description (28)
- Organic (28)
- Rainforest Alliance certified (24)
- Supply chain details (19)
- Roast Level 1-10 (19)
- Climate Change impact on supply change details (17)
Packaging Types Ranked in Order of Desirability:
- Recyclable (37)
- Biodegradable (34)
- Resealable (32)
- Plastic (24)
- Metal (17)
Key Insights From Survey:
- Add roast level to the front of packaging
- Add flavor description to the front of packaging
- Add Origin to the front of packaging
Changes to consider (These would result in changing their manufacturing process.)
- Recyclable or biodegradable packaging
- Adding roast date to the front of packaging
Wireframes and Mockups Are Created For Usability Testing
High resolution images of the proposed packaging varieties.
Usability Testing Shows Roast Level Vital
Participant Led Testing Has An Interesting Methodology
Instead of walking the user through pre-scripted steps, I would employ Participant Led Usability testing, where the user creates the tasks themselves and solves them their own way. This is a method developed by Christopher Stephan and Nick Rosencrans. The goal is to discover the mental models of the customer as they are choosing a coffee that meets their specific desires and to compare the experience between the current and new packaging.
The participants self-identified as having previously purchased coffee from grocery stores and signed a consent & recording release form. They were asked to write down 3-5 characteristics they look for when shopping for coffee. Next they were led into the testing chamber and shown either an assortment of the current or the new coffee bag designs.
The coffee bags were arranged at eye level as they would be found at most wholesale retailers. Participants were asked to approach the display as they would at a grocery store and to locate a variety of coffee that meets their first characteristic they wrote down. Then they were asked if the variety they choose met their second characteristic, if yes, then we moved down the line to their next characteristic. If they answered no, then they'd be asked to choose which variety would they buy instead and why?
Participant Led Testing Has An Interesting Methodology
Instead of walking the user through pre-scripted steps, I would employ Participant Led Usability testing, where the user creates the tasks themselves and solves them their own way. This is a method developed by Christopher Stephan and Nick Rosencrans. The goal is to discover the mental models of the customer as they are choosing a coffee that meets their specific desires and to compare the experience between the current and new packaging.
The participants self-identified as having previously purchased coffee from grocery stores and signed a consent & recording release form. They were asked to write down 3-5 characteristics they look for when shopping for coffee. Next they were led into the testing chamber and shown either an assortment of the current or the new coffee bag designs.
The coffee bags were arranged at eye level as they would be found at most wholesale retailers. Participants were asked to approach the display as they would at a grocery store and to locate a variety of coffee that meets their first characteristic they wrote down. Then they were asked if the variety they choose met their second characteristic, if yes, then we moved down the line to their next characteristic. If they answered no, then they'd be asked to choose which variety would they buy instead and why?
Current Packaging Causes Mistakes
Proposed Packaging Leads To Faster Shopping
Key insights from testing:
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Moving Forward
Peace Coffee has now released new packaging based on this research. They are also in development of a branded grinder station toolkit.