Coffeemaker opportunity

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Contents

Executive Summary

For this stage of design, the team narrowed down on market research and found opportunities for redesigning personal coffee makers. Market research led the team to use an anthropological study, survey, product review study, and expert interviews to segment both commercial and personal coffee maker markets. The decision to design personal coffee makers was made knowing the inconsistencies found in the quality of brew from affordable brewers.

This stage of the design process also involved comparisons with competing products. Using Pugh Charts, product designs were compared to the Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Coffeemaker, the Aerobie 80R08 AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker, the Hamilton Beach 49970 Personal Cup One Cup Pod Brewer, and the Keurig B70 Platinum Single Cup Brewing System RED ( for comparison to a high end product ).

As for laying out the team's schedule and work load for the rest of the semester / design process, the team agreed to the scheduled roles described on a Gantt Chart. The chart is setup to condense work for the remaining time in an efficient manner. Each role begins at an appropriate time, given previous completion of other roles.

Market Research and Observations

For this stage of our design project, we conducted four different types of market research and observations including Anthropological Study Observation, Survey, Expert Interview, and Product Review. Besides, we also posted an Online Survey which served as a back up market research study. The major observations, inspections and conclusions from each study are listed by section below.

Anthropological Study Observations

For this approach of market research, we observed faculties, staffs and students around campus (academic buildings and student housings) to make coffee with coffeemakers located in public kitchens or snack bars. In particular, we did a 2-hour observation around noon and a 2-hour in the afternoon on the sixth floor in the Gates and Hillman Center. In addition, we did a 1-hour observation at the Stever House during an early morning. The key observations are listed underneath.

1. People (mostly students and professors) are easily distracted when using the coffeemaker. They are likely to talk to someone other the phone or around, reading and playing with tablets which could possibly cause safety issues.

2. Oftentimes when there might be a problem with the coffeemaker (or there might not be, like slower dripping of coffee), people tend to just punch around the body of the coffeemaker. This could be harmful for both the users and the coffeemaker.

3. There were a few instances when people are in a hurry of doing something else, they tend to forget to put the coffee container back into place and leave the coffeemaker on which could result in overheating problem or damage to the heater.

4. A coffeemaker placed in a public kitchen could have a shorter lifetime due to lack of cleaning and proper maintenance.

5. It is sometimes the case that a full container of coffee would be wasted as the user might want to remake some hot coffee and dump the cold one made by the previous user. This could be a majority factor of wasting all types of resources.

6. Another minor observation concerned with coffee heating is that some people might want to reheat their coffee with their own coffee mug instead of making a new set of coffee all over again. Oftentime they would just use the microwave. Things could be done on the coffeemaker so that it could possess a feature of reheating a small cup of coffee.

Figure: Coffeemaker is a very fragile product.<http://www.greenenoughforme.com/2010_02_01_archive.html>
Figure: Coffeemaker is a very fragile product.<http://www.greenenoughforme.com/2010_02_01_archive.html>
Figure: Coffeemaker Offers Taste while Microwave Saves Time. <http://retroranchrevamp.com/2013/02/06/>
Figure: Coffeemaker Offers Taste while Microwave Saves Time. <http://retroranchrevamp.com/2013/02/06/>

Stakeholder Needs

  • A coffeemaker that have advantages in both timing and quality.
  • A coffeemaker whose problems could be easily detectable.
  • A coffeemaker which makes the controllable amount of coffee.
  • A coffeemaker that guarantees safety under unexpected or aberrant use situation.

Survey

The main purpose for our survey is to know 1)how people learn to use a coffeemaker;2)what are the main complaints about a coffemaker. We conduct a 6-questin short survey to collect relevant responses.

Source

The surver is created using online survey tool on www.surverymonkey.com, and is sent out using Facebook&Twitter.

Result


Analysis:

According to the responses of our survey, the main methods of learning to use coffeemaker are reading instruction manual and observation. Although most of the partipants said that learning to use a coffemaker is not difficult, the learning process still takes some time.

Two main complaints about coffemaker are noise and cleaning process. Thus our design can aim to solve these type of problems.

Stakeholder Needs

  • Coffeemaker that people are able to use intuitively.
  • Less Noise-perhaps coffemaker with soundproofing materials.
  • Easier cleaning process

Expert Interview

Build18 Team Interview

We sat down with Chris Palmer and Colin Buchan who created a pour over coffee maker for the 2014 Build18 competition. Chris and Colin are both incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to coffee and they were able to explain the main variables that go into making a great cup of coffee. They explained that there is a "rule of 15's" to describe time in the entire coffee making process, which is coffee beans are good for approximately 15 months, once they are roasted they are good for 15 days, once they are ground they are good for 15 minutes, and 15 seconds if you are making espresso. They explained that the ideal temperature for brewing coffee is between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. They then spoke about their build 18 design, which utilizes the "pour over" method, which is typically done by hand by pouring the water over beans in a spiral pattern. The radius of the spiral increases as you move outward, as the beans are in a conical filter and there are less beans at the edges. This method tries to evenly distribute the perfect ratio of water to coffee. Chris and Colin also spent some time showing us a few different coffee makers that move away from the standard methods of making coffee in an attempt to make a better tasting cup of coffee. They cautioned us that there are two types of coffee drinkers, the people who don't care what it tastes like and just need it in the mornings, and those who care about taste and would be willing to pay higher prices for coffee maker that produces the best cup of coffee possible. If we ended up somewhere in the middle of these two, there would be problems trying to attract either market to the product.

Ginger's Express Interview

Doug works at Ginger's 4 days a week and at the Bagel Factory the other three and so has a lot of insight into how different coffee machines work and where there's room for improvement. He noted that in regards to water usage there are two types of industrial coffee makers, the 1-10 and the 2-20. The 1-10 takes about five minutes between pots because it only has one reservoir and needs to heat the water back up at the end of each brew cycle. The 2-20 on the other hand has two reservoirs and so while a pot of coffee is brewing it can keep the second reservoir hot and thereby allow the time between pots to be kept to a minimum. He also noted that the amount of water lost during brewing is variable and can have a significant impact on the taste of the coffee. Most industrial coffee makers have valves that can be set so that only a certain amount of water can go into the pot, which limits this problem. One major factor for industrial coffee makers is that the users either recieve no training or manual and must figure out how to work the coffeemaker on their own, or are given a lengthly class on coffee making. He sighted the coffee maker in Ginger's as having three buttons for brewing, but not coming with any documentation, and lacking clear indications for what each button does. He also noted that keeping coffee on a burner to long can cause it to breakdown, which produces ammonia and degrades the taste. He suggested that a better way to make coffee is to keep it in a vacuum flask which will keep the coffee from cooling without over heating and also keep air out which will slow degradation. Even then a pot shouldn't be kept for more than an hour. His final note was that vacuum brewing produced some of the best coffee at the cost of taking much longer to brew.

Product Review

The product review study conducted was setup to go through product reviews online and interpret what people have to say. The goal was to find design flaws in the Hamilton Beach coffeemaker, and additionally to relate these findings to the design flaws found in other competing products. By using product reviews found on Amazon.com, this study was able to narrow down on the opportunities found in the personal coffee maker market. Interpreted reviews were charted for complaints, satisfactions, and general comments from customers.

The reviews demonstrated the importance of speed, quality, and maintenance of personal coffee makers. Important factors found in personal coffee makers and how satisfied these factors are from each reviewed product is shown below.


Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Coffeemaker
http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-49316-12-Cup-Coffeemaker/dp/B002EJF8TI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393191074&sr=8-1&keywords=Hamilton+Beach+12-Cup+Coffeemaker
Desired Outcome Importance (1 to 5) Satisfied (1 to 5) Review Snippets
Minimize time to clean after brewed 4 4 I like that it uses the Melitta type drip system and number 4 filters. Easy to clean and stylish to boot. / FINALLY, we can pour cups of coffee without spilling.
Minimize time to finish brew 5 5 For a so-called cheap bottom of the line coffee maker, it makes a good cup of coffee (12 cups in 5 minutes)
Increase control over water temperature 3 2 Most coffee makers on the market in this price range have the temperature set at nauseating temperature of 75-80º while producing plastic taste in the coffee.
Minimize number of cups brewed 2 3 The fact that it doesn't have auto shut off is not a problem since I make small quantities & turn it off right away. / can be used for small quantities and compete in speed
Increase options for storing hot coffee 3 5 Like the Braun, it uses a cone filter, and you can make a smaller quantity than 12 cups.
Minimize time to setup grounds 5 3 The basket shifts during the brewing of the coffee which allows coffee grounds to go into the brewed coffee. / coffee grounds redistribute in a basket filter and only a portion of them get saturated during brewing, whereas the cone shaped filter of this machine keeps all coffee grounds concentrated in one spot at the bottom of the filter so all grains get saturated.
Minimize time to setup filtering 5 3 The only negative is it uses those funny triangular shaped filters. / We prefer the cone shaped filter because they are more flavorful.
Minimize time to setup water 5 3 You do have to add water every time you brew, and the water unit isn't detachable. / Water could be hotter, and you might spill pouring water in to brewer.
Minimize time brewing excess coffee 4 5 The "pause and serve" actually works without spilling coffee
Minimize size of coffee maker 4 3 It takes up less space and looks nice with black appliances.
Increase time span coffee maker will work 4 3 ...some of the plastic housing that holds the hot plate in place started falling apart and chipped out after only a few weeks. / IF you have very hard drinking water, the machine may stop working in a year, but at this price, I just replace it every year, instead of buying a Kuerig and having that stop working.
Minimize cost to brew 5 5 It uses cone filters, works great and doesn't cost over $200


Hamilton Beach 49970 Personal Cup One Cup Pod
http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-49970-Personal-Brewer/dp/B003GW873G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393191398&sr=8-1&keywords=Hamilton+Beach+49970+Personal+Cup+One+Cup+Pod+Brewer
Desired Outcome Importance (1 to 5) Satisfied (1 to 5) Review Snippets
Minimize time to clean after brewed 4 3 When I am done with my coffee, I put the used pod in my used cup and toss them in the waste can. / I've been using this machine for 6 months and I started finding something weird floating on my coffee. I completely washed the machine but it didn't solve the problem. I guess the outer most layer of plastic has melted over time.
Minimize time to finish brew 5 3 It takes a little bit of time, but it's really not bad.
Increase control over water temperature 3 2 The main problem I have with it is that it does not make HOT coffee...i.e. the coffee is never hot enough.
Minimize number of cups brewed 2 5 This coffee maker is perfect for the person who only drinks one cup at a time.
Increase options for storing hot coffee 3 2 Standard only for single serving. / Now i can have my one cup and not waste any, Love it!
Minimize time to setup grounds 5 2 Even using two pods of coffee produced weak, weak, weak coffee!
Minimize time to setup filtering 5 3 Even using two pods of coffee produced weak, weak, weak coffee!
Minimize time to setup water 5 5 The water reservoir is well designed to access one cup of water quickly unlike many machines in which the water must be poured in slowly.
Minimize time brewing excess coffee 4 5 Quick, easy, never a worry about whether I left the pot on because there is no warmer plate. And no wasting of undrunk coffee, either.
Minimize size of coffee maker 4 4 Love the size and easy to set up
Increase time span coffee maker will work 4 4 Durable unless bought broken. / The first one of these coffee makers that I bought broke (i.e. the lever in front to press to start brewing stopped working).
Minimize cost to brew 5 5 This little coffee brewer is awesome for it's low price
Aerobie 80R08 AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker
http://www.amazon.com/Aerobie-AeroPress-Coffee-Espresso-Maker/dp/B0047BIWSK Image:Coffeemaker_aeropress.jpg Desired Outcome Importance (1 to 5) Satisfied (1 to 5) Review Snippets
Minimize time to clean after brewed 4 5 I was worried there'd be a lot of bits to clean, and being plastic not dishwasher safe. / The extra cleaning takes three minutes.
Minimize time to finish brew 5 5 It's faster than a pour-over, which means you can dish out six espressos for a dinner party in five minutes, tops; once the kettle's hot. / The whole process takes about 3 minutes: I boil the water in a kettle (1 minute).
Increase control over water temperature 3 1 It might help to have a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water you'll be putting into this product, but the back of the manual describes ways to estimate temperature without a thermometer too.
Minimize number of cups brewed 2 5 You can only brew 1 cup at a time. / For quick and small brewing.
Increase options for storing hot coffee 3 2 You can only brew 1 cup at a time. / Small nozzle must fit cup grip and opening.
Minimize time to setup grounds 5 2 However, it uses a lot of grounds so is less efficient in that respect. / Sometimes, I don't even stir the grounds and it still comes out tasty.
Minimize time to setup filtering 5 5 It is regular filtered coffee, whether you hand pour it, machine brew it or push it through a tube, it is plain old filtered coffee. Because of the filter, it cannot make the other kinds of coffee, it can only adjust the strength of the brew.
Minimize time to setup water 5 1 The problem is; even with very fine grind the water leaks right through the filter paper - in my case without stirring the grinds into the water. / Does not heat up water. Prior preparation is needed for hot coffee.
Minimize time brewing excess coffee 4 5 This seems to give a more flavorful cup than if you make the same size cup by adding water afterwards.
Minimize size of coffee maker 4 5 I'd never use another because it all fits in the size of a soda can and my space is at an extreme premium
Increase time span coffee maker will work 4 2 I just want to warn other potential buyers that the rubber end on the plunger tube of my AeroPress wore out after about 9 months of regular but not heavy use. I was frankly kind of surprised it didn't have a longer functional life.
Minimize cost to brew 5 5 The cost of a new rubber and a new cyl. approach the cost of a new complete unit. / I cost out each serving (large mug) at 25 cents using Costco bulk coffee which is awesome.


Keurig B70 Platinum Single Cup Brewing System RED
http://www.amazon.com/Keurig-B70-Platinum-Brewing-System/dp/B000GTR2F6/ref=sr_1_6?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1393188882&sr=1-6&keywords=keurig+coffee+maker+v+cups Image:Keurig B70 Platinum Single Cup Brewing System RED.jpg Desired Outcome Importance (1 to 5) Satisfied (1 to 5) Review Snippets
Minimize time to clean after brewed 4 4 I am very impressed with how quickly it is able to brew a cup of coffee, the selection of brew sizes, and how simple clean up is.
Minimize time to finish brew 5 5 It only takes about 4 minutes for the water to heat up so if you can't wait that long you've got issues that need to be addressed with a professional.
Increase control over water temperature 3 5 Two needles pierce the top and bottom of the cup, and the top needle sends in water heated to precisely the correct temperature
Minimize number of cups brewed 2 5 If you ask me, the machine ideally makes 7oz. of great tasting coffee per one K-Cup. So if you usually drink coffee from giant mugs or travel mugs, realize you will have to use two K-Cups per fill.
Increase options for storing hot coffee 3 5 The LCD panel is the brains of the operation, you can decide what cup size to brew, small cup, small mug, large mug, travel mug or iced beverage setting. / Fit only for quick coffee cups.
Minimize time to setup grounds 5 5 It has been flawless at making perfect cups of coffee with both K-cups and my own grinds (store ground and self ground)in the included adapter.
Minimize time to setup filtering 5 5 So, I purchased the B70 platinum, tried a couple of cups with the K-cups, which were included, and it made an adequate cup of coffee. I like my coffee strong, so I had to limit the amount of water used, by the way, so that there is less water in proportion to the cup. So, in essence, to get one good sized cup of strong coffee, I would need to brew two times (using two K-cups).
Minimize time to setup water 5 2 It's necessary to pick up the water tank and drop it back into place several times until the water begins to draw down. Once you can get it to brew, the coffee is excellent, however it's a big annoyance to have to finagle the tank after nearly every cup. / The directions for the water filter say each filter pod should be changed every 60 tank fills or every two months; which seems more than reasonable as a three pod replacement pack is about $12.
Minimize time brewing excess coffee 4 5 I don't have to worry about spilled coffee grounds, old coffee in the pot all day long and I am able to enjoy the coffee
Minimize size of coffee maker 4 2 I think the B70 is slightly better and seems to occupy less space.
Increase time span coffee maker will work 4 3 I've had two in about a year and they stopped brewing after about 6 months. / The one at home just died. It lasted 25 months.
Minimize cost to brew 5 3 Stopped working after 13 months so your talking over $10 per month to use not counting the price of the coffee / Not easily affordable.

Sketches and Descriptions of Design Concepts

We list 4 of our top design ideas here. Some extra ideas we generated are attached in the appendix.

Figure: Design Idea 1
Figure: Design Idea 1
Figure: Design Idea 2
Figure: Design Idea 2
Figure: Design Idea 3
Figure: Design Idea 3
Figure: Design Idea 4
Figure: Design Idea 4

Design Idea 1

The approach behind this design is trying to mechanically simulate the pour over technique used by baristas to evenly distribute hot water over coffee grounds when channeled down a cone. The nozzle tip connected to a top water basin allows even distribution of hot water over the coffee grounds collected below. The pour over method produces higher quality brews since traditional coffee drip brewers don't simulate even dispersion of hot water over grounds.

Design Idea 2

This design features a decanter centrifuge. A decanter centrifuge is a very compact method of extracting solids from liquids. Hot water is mixed with grounds to produce brewed coffee. The decanter centrifuge is fed this brew and while rotating will separate the grounds from the hot water. The grounds are pushed out from the helix fins and the clean brew pushed out.

Design Idea 3

This design idea is basically a combination of helix mixing and coffee recycling systems. The heated water would go up from the heater at the bottom and go into the three-layer spinning chamber where ground coffee are placed. The three-layer design ensures better mixture of coffee and water in order to increase quality of brewed. In addition, there are two coffee mug hanger at two sides for convenience.

Design Idea 4

This design is setup to channel hot water over grounds through small gaps. The hot water flows from the top to bottom and fills chambers of grounds. The chambers start of larger and become smaller as the hot water seeps down. This approach is designed so only hot water flows toward the next smaller chamber while leaving behind grounds and also producing brewed coffee. This process simulates natural filtration methods seen in rock beds.

Comparison with Competitor Products

As it is mentioned above in the executive summary, we are comparing our design ideas and concepts with four popular products out on the market. This product could be generally used in public kitchens or small restaurants.

  • The Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Coffeemaker is the product we used in dissection phase and it is the very basic type of coffeemaker with simple using steps and low price.
  • The Hamilton Beach 49970 Personal Cup One Cup Pod Brewer is targeted for those who enjoy one and only one cup of coffee for breakfast.
  • The Keurig B70 Platinum Single Cup Brewing System RED is a model that provides high quality coffee. It is considered as a high end product with a high price.
  • The Aerobie 80R08 AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker is a electronics-free coffeemaker which offers fastest speed in coffee production among the competitive products. It is an ideal product for those who like to go green and tend to feel the excitement of making coffee by hands.
Figure: Aerobie 80R08 AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker <http://www.amazon.com/Aerobie-AeroPress-Coffee-Espresso-Maker/dp/B0047BIWSK>
Figure: Aerobie 80R08 AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker <http://www.amazon.com/Aerobie-AeroPress-Coffee-Espresso-Maker/dp/B0047BIWSK>

Pugh Chart

Given the results of different market research and stakeholder needs, we come up with the following criteria for design grading in the Pugh Chart below.

  • Easy to Clean
  • Portability
  • Quietness
  • Safety
  • Quality
  • Timing
  • Maintenance
  • Affordability
  • Easy to Use

We compare our design with a basic product and three other competitor products with distinct advantages and disadvantages so that we are able to assess our design ideas and concepts from a bigger picture. This benefits our conceptual design as we evaluate a number of features of existing coffeemaker and attempt to take in those good ones.

Figure: Team 8 Pugh Chart
Figure: Team 8 Pugh Chart

In terms of the three competitor products, the one that makes highest quality of coffee beats the other two. Its notable advantages include its quietness and coffee quality. This somehow agrees with our market research that a majority people are constantly pursuing high quality of coffee as a necessity of everyday's life.

From our Pugh chart analysis, our best design candidate is design 1. It has advantages because it produces high quality of coffee with a relatively fast speed. Besides, it should be easy for cleaning and maintenance. Although design 4 has the second highest score out of our 4 designs here, we will need some further testing to ensure it matches our theoretical expectation of its actual performance.

Gantt Chart for Team Plan

The picture below is a Gantt chart of a plan for our design project throughout the rest of the semester. There will be two design reviews and a design expo. Our plan is to have two iteration cycles for the two reviews and finalize our product before the design expo. The major stages within each design cycle involves design reflection, design analysis, CAD and prototyping. One of our team member will take the leading role of each of these four stages and the remaining one team member will be coordinating the entire team design progress. The specific roles that who would be leading which particular task are subject to change on the way.

Figure: Team 8 Gantt Chart
Figure: Team 8 Gantt Chart

Summary

Hypothetical Scenario

The average coffee maker over utilizes the coffee beans in the middle of the brewing basket, while under utilizing the beans at the edge of the brewing basket. This is an issue that affects the taste and quality of coffee and one we hope to solve by evenly dispersing water throughout the brewing basket quickly and efficiently. Suppose a consumer wants to get the highest quality coffee possible, but does not want to wait longer or use a more complex hand brewing method for it. The options are to very limited for this consumer. Our product will allow this consumer to utilize all of the beans and get the best flavor out of the coffee without having to wait any longer than a standard drip coffee maker.

Design To Approach

Based on the chosen market to target, the personal coffee maker market, and also based on the Pugh Chart, a redesign will encompass a pour over method of producing brewed coffee. This approach will mimic the pour over method used by baristas to best extract quality from coffee grounds while brewing. Additionally, the design will have to encompass temperature regulation to ensure hot water reaches grounds at a temperature range of 195F to 205F. To mimic the pour over method, the hot water nozzle dispersing the hot water over the grounds will be manufactured to have spouts angled outward. The traditional drip coffee relies on hot water dripping only through one center nozzle over the grounds, whereas the pour over system will use multiple angled nozzles to disperse hot water and reach various radii.

Team Member Roles

Lucas Neffa - Product Review, Team Interview

Andrew Vickory - Expert Interview

Nick Ciesielski - Team Interview, Puge Chart

Yang Wen - Anthropological Study Observation, Gantt Chart, Puge Chart

Kaifu Wang - Team Leader, Survey, Puge Chart

Appendix

(1) 100 Ideas Generation

(2) Additional Design Sketeches

(3) Survey Questions

(4) Some Stats about Coffee Consumption

(1) 100 Brainstorming Ideas

1. Centrifuge mixing and filtering

2. Automatic on/off switch

3. Coffeemaker with solar cell panel

4. Infrared heating and keeping warm

5. Coffeemaker with electronic gadgets dock

6. Manufactured with recycled materials

7. Distinguish the chamber with color which gives better instruction for user to know where to put coffee beans and where to pour water

8. A handle that is able to control the dripping lever or the valve

9. Heat exchanger rapid cooling

10. Container dock that is compatible with multiple container

11. One button control compact design

12. Unbreakable material for coffee container

13. Change the coffeemaker into a multi-drinks maker

14. Portable coffeemaker with rechargeable battery

15. Exposed major components so that potential problems can be easily identified and fixed

16. A side heating dock to reheat just a cup of coffee

17. A rotating disk which enables the coffeemaker to fill multiple cups of coffee at a time

18. A small digital screen that can replace the daily reminder sticker on the fridge

19. A coffeemaker with multiple chamber/cylinder and coffee outlet in the case when there are a group people who prefer different types of coffee

20. Coffeemaker with a coffee mug hanger on the side

21. A convertible coffeemaker

22. Attach a mechanism on top which could utilize the water vapor coming out

23. An overheating/dry heating signal sound or light

24. Some kind of nozzle that maximize the spread of the smell of coffee as air freshener

25. Automate coffee press

26. Coffee maker to handle making both hot and cold coffee

27. Coffee maker with a supersonic wave cleaner

28. Coffee maker a rotating container which enables better mixing

29. A programmable clock to set on/off time

30. Incorporate two chambers each for making and containing hot and cold coffee.

31. Coffeemaker with a hinge at the top half

32. Soundproofing material to reduce the noise

33. Removable filter and ground coffee container (easy to clean)

34. Adjustable coffee potency

35. Thermal insulation container to keep the coffee warm for longer time

36. Rechargeable battery for travel use

37. Sandglass-shape coffeemaker

38. Coffeemaker built on wall

39. Handhold coffeemaker combining with a cup

40. Clear shell with colorful backlit to indicate on/off or temperature status

41. Sphere coffeemaker with three-layer where water in the outmost layer being boiled and vapor being pressured into the mid layer which contains the ground coffee.

42. Coffeemaker with a small refrigerator to keep ice

43. Built-in thermometer & hygrometer etc.

44. Automatically lock the lid during process of boiling water & making coffee

45. Pour over method applied to dripping of hot water over grounds

46. Temperature regulation for water being dripped over grounds

47. Pump air through hot water with grounds to mix into water

48. Cooker for taking the used ground coffee and use for baking goods

49. Ink jet technology used to print water over ground coffee and maximize temperature efficiency

50. Mobile app to regulate coffee being turned on or off and regulated

51. Freshness meter displays last time coffee was brewed

52. Card reader on coffee maker to secure identity of person making coffee

53. Soda gun machine but for dispensing coffee

54. Super small portable coffee maker made for cars / truckers

55. Bring hot water down from the sides of the cone instead of middle

56. Series of holes leading to one drip

57. Cream foam printer for printing designs

58. Centrifuge with grounding coffee mechanism to prepare grounds while mixing with water

59. High pressure mist sprayer shaped as a cone / triangle that rotates to reach all radii

60. Coffee paper that gets printed out

61. Slanted surface with extruded fin walls to run hot water over from the top

62. Rectangular slope with ribs and compacting wall to hold ground coffee together and flat

63. Hydroclone to separate ground coffee from hot water

64. Filter straw that sucks up filtered coffee from hot water and ground coffee

65. Perpetual coffee maker

66. Coffee bags similar to tea bags

67. Laser chromatography to detect quality of brewed coffee

68. USB port powered coffee maker

69. Different volume bins to level amount of coffee to water ratio

70. Coffee spray personal use

71. Cyphen water out from ground coffee

72. Microwave the water, have a small microwave system

73. Soundwaves to break up water tension and get water to run through without needed pressure

74. Shifting platform to move apart ground coffee from hot water

75. Membrane filtration system

76. Temperature neutral pressure brewer

77. Honeycomb surface pattern to hold small pockets of ground coffee to run water through

78. Vacuum brewing

79. Rain powered coffee maker

80. Blood regulated coffee maker that detects caffeine levels and goals

81. Coffee maker that detects if you are awake before brewing at a set schedule

82. Run the coffee through hot water as opposed to hot water running through coffee

83. Cars can run on ground coffee byproduct, so use ground coffee byproduct to heat water

84. Wine opener handles to push down and apply pressure on hot water

85. Have water basin on top of ground coffee to provide natural flow through gravity

86. Coffee breathalyzer

87. 3-in-1 roaster, grinder, coffeemaker

88. Double water tank so that water doesn’t need to be heated between po

89. Attach an electric shaker (like one of those making bubble teas) to the coffeemaker

90. Place an ice chamber at the top of the coffeemaker so that the steam could be used to melt the ice to cool the coffee 91. Coffee maker that snap freezes espresso so that coffee can’t break down. frozen coffee can then be added to a glass of water for iced americano.

92. Facial recognition attached to coffee maker that adjusts the concentration of the coffee based on identity.

93. Heating pot / container with automatic cup filler

94. Apply dispenser that works when cup is pushed against it

95. Built in coffee reservoir with water cooler-style spigot

96. Vacuum sealed coffee bean reservoir

97. Turkish coffee maker mechanism that allows coffee to be dropped directly into the water and isolates the coffee from the water when correct concentration has been reached.

98. Stove powered coffee maker

99. Coffee recirculation system

100. Turkish coffee pot that mixes beans and water using bubbles

(2) Additional Design Sketches

Figure: Extra Design Idea 1
Figure: Extra Design Idea 1
Figure: Extra Design Idea 2
Figure: Extra Design Idea 2
Figure: Extra Design Idea 3
Figure: Extra Design Idea 3

(3) Survey Questions

Cofeemaker Questions
Question Answers
1

What is your gender?

  • Female
  • male
2

What is your age?

  • under 18
  • 18 to 30
  • 30 to 40
  • 40 or older
3

Have you ever made coffee using a standard at-home coffeemaker?

  • Yes
  • What is a coffemaker?
4

How did you go about learning to use the coffeemaker? Was it difficult?

Free response section

5

How confident are you in using a coffeemaker you’ve never seen?

  • Very confident
  • Depend on the type of coffemaker
  • Not sure
6

What are some annoyances / problems with making coffee?

Free response section

(4) Some Stats about Coffee Consumption

Figure: Some Stats about Coffee Consumption <http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=767>
Figure: Some Stats about Coffee Consumption <http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=767>

References

1. Dieter, George E., and Linda C. Schmidt. Engineering Design. 5th Edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.

2. Broken Coffeemaker, n.d. photograph, viewed 22 February 2014, <http://www.greenenoughforme.com/2010_02_01_archive.html>

3. Coffeemaker or Microwave, n.d. photograph, viewed 22 February 2014, <http://retroranchrevamp.com/2013/02/06/>

4. Wasted Coffee, n.d. photograph, viewed 22 February 2014, <http://www.gmcr.com/en/Sustainability/SustainableProduct/CreatingSynergyAlongtheValueChain/UseandConsumption.aspx>

5. Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Coffeemaker, n.d. photograph, viewed 23 February 2014, <http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-49316-12-Cup-Coffeemaker/dp/B002EJF8TI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393191074&sr=8-1&keywords=Hamilton+Beach+12-Cup+Coffeemaker>

6. Hamilton Beach 49970 Personal Cup One Cup Pod Brewer, n.d. photograph, viewed 23 February 2014, <http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-49970-Personal-Brewer/dp/B003GW873G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393191398&sr=8-1&keywords=Hamilton+Beach+49970+Personal+Cup+One+Cup+Pod+Brewer>

7. Keurig B70 Platinum Single Cup Brewing System RED, n.d. photograph, viewed 23 February 2014, <http://www.amazon.com/Keurig-B70-Platinum-Brewing-System/dp/B000GTR2F6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393191482&sr=8-1&keywords=Keurig+B70+Platinum+Single+Cup+Brewing+System+RED>

8. Aerobie 80R08 AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker, n.d. photograph, viewed 23 February 2014, <http://www.amazon.com/Aerobie-AeroPress-Coffee-Espresso-Maker/dp/B0047BIWSK>

9. Coffee Consumption Stats, n.d. photograph, viewed 22 February 2014, <http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=767>

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