Press
A project born out of the desperation for good coffee in the outdoors
Camping and good coffee don’t mix
Camping Coffee Standards
Cowboy Coffee
The desperate-times-call-for-desperate-measures way of making coffee, cowboy coffee is the most bare-bones method. It includes adding grounds to a pot and filling it with hot water. The grounds will float to the top where you can scoop them out with a spoon after letting it steep for a few minutes. This is not a recommended way to make coffee as it tastes terrible.
Pour Over
The classic pour over can be found at any coffee shop and usually tastes quite good. This method can be difficult on backpacking and camping trip as it produces a lot of wast i.e. soggy coffee filters and grounds.
Instant Coffee
Instant coffee is a fan favorite of backpackers everywhere simply because it hardly takes up any space or weight. Each cup is also a struggle to consume.
Product Testing
The Wacao Minipresso is a portable espresso maker for people on the go. To start this project I began heavy user research and product testing, using the Minipresso as a benchmarking tool.
Opportunities
Too Many Parts
Too many parts created an unpleasant experience for the user.
Prone to Spillage
Overlooked safety precautions lead to accident prone design elements that decreased the product value.
Unintelligent
Users had a hard time handling and using this device, making it an annoying product to use.
Poor Affordance
In use, the minipresso hurt the users hands, leaving small indents in their skin.
Design Goals
User Centered
The design of Press should be intuitive and easy to use.
Compact
Design should revolve around needs of outdoor enthusiasts by taking space and weight into heavy consideration.
Simple
I want to address the problems that my research revealed, and create a product that has a more comprehensive user experience
Mood
Sketches
Sketch Render
Prototyping
To further understand the exact dimensions and ergonomics of my designs, I started to create simple rehn foam models for people to test. I used the pump mechanism from the Minipresso to get a realistic understanding of my design.
Final Design Direction
Press was designed to bring a better tasting coffee to the outdoors.
Step 1
Pour hot water into designated cup.
Step 2
Unscrew middle compartment and fill espresso cup with grounds..
Step 3
The Press espresso maker uses only human generated power to brew a cup of espresso.
Exploded View
Press
People shouldn’t have to compromise on the quality of their coffee just because they are outside.
