Stacks espresso bar
Our team was privileged with the opportunity to work with Stacks Espresso Bar, a 4-shop coffee boutique in the New York capital region that serves both coffee and food. In our research, we were able to meet with the CEO and discuss the brand identity, goals, and creation of the spaces physical and conceptual layouts in order to help create a steppingstone to their next stage of business -- 5th Wave coffee.
The front space of Stacks.
The back space of Stacks.
THE PROBLEM
In our conversation with the CEO Susan Dunckel, she expressed that Stacks was beginning to move into 5th Wave Coffee, which is marked by a renewed commitment to customer experience and centricity, a refined commercial environment, investment in technology, and shop excellence. Something Susan also desired was for people to become the space – essentially staying longer and interacting with it more. With these pillars in mind, we focused on what Susan wanted to make this direction happen, as well as what customers wanted in order to merge these needs together. In this, we came up with the problem statement
"How might we create an environment that makes people stay longer than for a cup of coffee?"
Equipped with fully working electrical systems, interchangeable flowers, and an easy-to-use clamp system.
THE SOLUTION
Factoring in Susan's request for influencing people to stay longer and making the space more inviting, we created a fake plant "flower box" that serves as an outlet. The box fits into the 5th Wave movement the company aims for, as it merges enhanced customer experience and technological innovation, especially since both Susan and customers of the shop expressed a desire for better utilization of the space in the back. Our planter boxes were designed to invite people to enjoy the space more effectively and for longer as well as have a functional purpose that provided a better experience within Stacks.
Final concept model with a revamped clamp system and a more refined look.
THE DESIGN PROCESS
RESEARCH
Challenged with an open design prompt, our team chose to work with Stacks Espresso Bar, a coffee shop in downtown Troy. Our decision to go this direction was influenced by the amount of “non-mainstream” (which we define as non-commercialized chains such as Dunkin or Starbucks) that are popular in the Troy area. In order to formulate our problem statement for these shops, we focused on balancing both the consumer's desire and the shop's needs/wants. In order to do so, we had to bridge the gap between the shop's perception of itself, and the consumer's perception of the shop. First, we had an interview with the CEO Susan Dunckel about the shop's formation, target market, goals, and business metrics. Next, we analyzed the user base demographics through empirical observation in order to watch the type of consumer the shop attracts over the course of a week. In these findings, we have formed our base user demographics.
The overarching problem we identified with Susan was that the space could be utilized more effectively to be able to shift into the 5th Wave Coffee. To start, we created a moodboard from our observations as a general guideline for the aesthetic of the location, and to keep our ideas closely tied to Stacks, not just coffee shops in general. From this and our research we had two directions for two differing products in different Stacks problem spaces.
Mood board for project visualization.
Sketches of the communal board.
CONCEPT IDEATION - COMMUNAL BOARD
The first product aimed to focus more on the community aspect of Stacks. This led to the creation of a community board that would double as a coffee bean bag stand. We observed a makeshift community board on a door tucked into the corner of Stacks, so we wanted to bring this out into the light more for people to interact with. Building upon the idea of placing flyers up, we had the idea to make part of the board a cork board to pin up flyers, and the other parts be a chalkboard that customers or local artists could draw on. In our thumbnails we showed ways to potentially integrate the board into the space, such as around the pillars lined up within the shop, or as a physical stand next to the cashier. This idea of the board was aimed to form a communal feeling, as customers could go up and look at flyers for community events in Troy, as well as add their own personal flair or notes to the board. We chose to include this idea as it fit into Susan and the 5th wave's idea of customer centricity and experience, where users could feel a part of the community by being able to interact with an object in the key areas of the space with freedom and we believed that highlighting this aspect of Stacks would help create a more close knit customer base that shared in their love for the location, as well as influence them to come to Stacks more.
CONCEPT IDEATION - FLOWERBED CHARGING PORT
The second product was a fake planter box that served as an outlet. In our empirical observation and exploration of the space, we learned that there were barely any plugs in the very back, and customers of the shop expressed some frustration with working back there if there were no seats in the front. Factoring in Susan's request for influencing people to stay longer, more plants, and making the space more inviting, we created this product with customer experience in mind especially since the placement of them would not get in the way of customer foot traffic. We chose to present the plant box plug because it was able to fit into the 5th wave movement the company aims for, as it not only embraces the customer experience, but fits the new technological innovation that comes with moving into the 5th wave. Especially since both Susan and customers of the shop expressed a desire for better utilization of the space in the back, our planter boxes were designed to invite people to enjoy the space more effectively and for longer as well as have a functional purpose that provided a better working experience within Stacks.
Sketches of the flowerbed charging port.
CONCEPT FEEDBACK
In our critiques, the planter box was more liked due to its usefulness alongside fitting the aesthetic of the space. A major critique was that the wiring could potentially be “ugly” and a tripping hazard, and we were suggested to either hang the cords from the ceiling like vines or just place rubber mats down. The board on the other hand was thought to not provide the intended experience we had in mind. Our users were concerned that the board would draw people away from the communal spaces and instead cause crowding in some areas due to its size. Another concern was that since customers would interact with the board, they would be unable to interact with each other, which in turn would not cultivate a communal environment. Since the coffee beans they sell would be placed upon the board's stand, users were concerned that less people would pay attention to the coffee due to all that is already happening on the board's surface, distancing coffee as a part of the Stacks experience which is counterintuitive to the business. Receiving this feedback, the planter box was considered to fit Stacks’ aesthetic, functional, and communal needs, so we chose to continue this direction. With Susans approval, we got started on our rough prototype.
Image of rough prototype.
ROUGH PROTOTYPE
As we began our rough prototype, we focused on the form of the box to visualize its sizing and look within the Stacks space. With a high visual fidelity, we emphasized the book and feel of the box. Aesthetically, we identified the space held a calm confidence, and strong, clean lines, plus a minimalist decoration layout, so we focused on bringing this into our design. We used a wooden box for our base which we figured would be a good sizing for the table it would be placed on. Since the box was an open wooden crate, white and brown felt was used to cover these holes and prepare it to be wrapped in the cream fabric as seen on the outside. We used this color fabric because it matched the lighter creams used within Stacks color scheme, as well as aimed to brighten the back area up a bit, as it had the least amount of both natural and artificial lighting. Within the box, we used a foam block wrapped in brown felt to make the fake “dirt” that would hold the plants. Three holes were poked in the block to place the fake plants so they could be interchangeable depending on the business's preferences. To hold the box to the table, we used industrial c-clamps to simulate how the box's holding mechanism would work. While the industrial c-clamps would not fit the aesthetic, their function is how we wanted to hold the product to the table. We wanted to avoid having to drill or change the tables in any way to make the box easier to put away, as the back area is also used for shows late at night. Finally, to simulate where the plug would be, we placed an outlet sized piece of felt on where we wanted the plug to go.
ROUGH PROTOTYPING TESTING AND FEEDBACK
The product was considered useful and balanced the aesthetic of the shop well. Some aesthetic changes the first user group would like to see was adding more plants to the plant section, as they felt it was kind of bare and could use more to fill in the empty space that only having three plants caused. We found that users would prefer a “fuller” looking box, because they appreciated the use of plants to enhance the space in the back. Users also requested that the location of the plug be changed from facing outward to being on the shorter sides of the box. They tested plugging in their devices and noticed that the wire went over and through the plants, causing a disruption in the plant's placement. Users suggested that placing the plugs on the side would make the product more intuitive to use, and that the users in Stacks would notice the box is an outlet more easily by having the outlets be facing towards the user. The last main critique was the clamps being visible. Users felt that this upset the box's aesthetic, and that the clamps, while a good form of clamp, were too industrial looking. They suggested including an overhanging lip to hide the clamps or including them as a part of the box. The final request was having a way to include USB plugs into the outlet, as many of them use USB cords without a physical plug. They said that having this would be beneficial for their workflow, and that while they would use it, they would have a higher incentive to use it if it was slightly more versatile. Across the board though, users were confident that they would use it, and expressed excitement that such a product would be available in Stacks.
User testing the product. Here, we were suggested to avoid disturbing the plants with the wire.
Using the plug and testing the power. Electricity works efficiently and safely.
DETAILED PROTOTYPE
To build the polished box, we used ½in pinewood and built a 12x6x4 box in the woodshop. We built a simple box and sanded it down to create a smooth texture to prime it for staining and painting. We included the c-clamps again for functionality but added an overhang on top of them in order to hide them, and make the box have a more natural looking placement with the table. We used darker paints to match the darker wood aesthetic of the back, and to seamlessly integrate it into the space. Taking into account our user testing suggestions, we included two outlets, one on each short side. In order to create a working outlet system, we had to utilize a system similar to extension cords. What we did was cut the two holes into the side of the box and then installed single gang boxes. Then, to include wires we stripped the wire and crimp spade terminations to create a secure connection. We then spliced wire into pigtails with wire nuts to be able to have the two plugs be connected through a singular wire. After this was done, we wired the outlets and taped them in to finish the system. After including and securing the electric system, we tested the outlets to make sure they were safe, and they passed the test. We also made sure to protect the wires and the outlets to avoid any damage that could come from potential spillage of drinks. On top of this, we included the foam block again, with more plant placement holes in order to increase the foliage that our users requested. Using higher quality materials, as well as including a working system gave us the perfect polished base to fully test the working potential of our product.
DETAILED PROTOTYPE TESTING AND FEEDBACK
In our user testing, we focused on how Stacks customers would use it in the space. In our critique, we found that USB and a fuller plant design were the main desires. This is because users wanted more plug versatility, and again, more plants were desired to make the box look fuller. Users also expressed a bit of concern with the extension wire for the box, and suggested rubber mats being placed down over them, so customers do not trip or have the thick black cord be obviously present in the space. The c-clamp clips we used were not liked because they were not secure to the box and the table. The gap between the table and suggested making the overhang flush to the table was also disliked and creating a c-clamp within the box rather than external connection points for extra security. With our users in Stacks, we placed the box on the table and let our user use it as they saw fit. We made our testing this way in order to get feedback in a context where the user would have no prior knowledge of the product, and would use it how they believe it should be used, not with our direction. After letting the user try it, we asked questions about the experience. Our users said they believed the product would be beneficial, as they experienced many problems with not having enough accessible plugs, which made them have to move or leave the space, opposite of what Susan wanted for her customers. Again, a common desire was a form of USB, but outside of this, Stacks customers loved the product and hoped to see it as a permanent addition in the shop.
User tester in the Stacks.
User testing the feel of plugging cords in,
Analyzing how the cord can get caught under overhang.
CONCLUSION
In our final concept, we changed the c-clamp to be built into the box and tightened by one focal point screw at the bottom. Rather than having two individual clamps, we created one flat board with rubber grip to have more surface area and grip to the table. This also made it easier to tighten the clamp in one move, rather than having to separately tighten both. We also added more plants into the box, creating the well-loved flower bed look our users consistently requested. In the outlet, we added the highly requested USB ports, as it was the most requested change, and would allow greater use of the product.