Concept 1 - Traffic Light Portafilter
Test Resultthree colour LED system aimed to communicate small weight changes in coffee dosage, but found to lack visual range, difficulty reading dose adjustments
Physical Product Design
Smart Portafilter
The Smart Portafilter integrates a built-in weighing scale to speed up coffee dosing for baristas in busy cafés, streamlining workflows and automating precision.
01
Overview
Project Outcome
Designed and developed an electronic portafilter through 4+ iterative concepts and prototypes, informed by barista feedback and validation to deliver a functional, high-fidelity prototype with integrated electronics and functioning code
Project Information
- Role
- Product Designer
- Team
- Individual Project
- Focus
- User Research & Testing, Electronics Integration, Arduino, Lateral Design Thinking
- Users
- Café baristas
Problem Statement
During café rush hours, manually weighing and adjusting coffee doses on kitchen scales slows baristas down, reducing workflow efficiency and making the consistency of coffee harder to maintain.
Product Requirements
- Ergonomic design, constrained by small café workspaces
- Water-resistant construction to protect integrated electronics in a hospitality environment
- Intuitive functioning necessary to encourage widespread adoption
- Integrate low-cost electronics within the university project budget
Research Insights
- 01
Manual coffee weighing can feel time consuming, so baristas may skip the step and compromise quality and consistency of coffee in rush hours
- 02
Café environments demand constant multitasking, making streamlined workflows essential for reducing clutter, delays and mistakes
- 03
Beginner baristas often struggle to remember correct coffee dosages and make adjustments under pressure, increasing the risk of inconsistent coffee results
02
Concept Development
Concept 2 - LED Gradient Portafilter
Test Resultleft-side LED placement limited ambidextrous use, as it was obstructed when held in the left hand
Concept 3 - LED Arc Portafilter
Test Resultinterface remained visible and intuitive during use, and ergonomic handle supported comfortable ambidextrous operation
Final Prototype and User Journey
The functional high-fidelity prototype was coded to measure coffee grounds in real time and translate the weight into an LED arc, progressing from red to yellow to green at the optimal dose, then back to yellow and red as the dose exceeded the target.
03
Final Product
A smart portafilter concept with an integrated scale and LED dose feedback, developed as a functional electronic prototype. The resolved design specifies a sealed, ergonomic, injection-moulded handle for use in café environments.
