CASE STUDY

04

Coffeehouse experience

Keurig K-Cafe coffee machine with milk frother.

KEURIG TAKES ON THE COFFEEHOUSE

Can the pioneer of single-serve convenience master specialty drinks?

Can Keurig become a true coffeehouse? It did.

For years, espresso-style drinks were seen as too complex, messy, or intimidating for home use—keeping many consumers out of the café-style experience. Keurig K-Café shattered that barrier.

I led product design and UX strategy, transforming Keurig’s one-touch convenience into an intuitive, button-based system for effortless lattes and cappuccinos. This new-to-category launch redefined Keurig’s role from pod machine to specialty coffee brand—meeting growing demand for café-style drinks at home and driving increased consumer spend and market growth.

THE IMPACT

+7%

Household growth in 2018—as Keurig entered specialty with K-Café

#1

Top-selling specialty brewer (2019–2021) across major U.S. retailers

10

Months ahead of schedule—launched early to meet soaring demand

Keurig K-Cafe coffee machine with milk frother and UI button layout demonstrating easy to use and navigate UI

Keurig K-Café’s control panel with options for adjusting settings, including buttons for coffee or latte/cappuccino, a strong coffee button, an ON/OFF switch, and water level controls, with a dial to select coffee size between 6, 8, 10, and 12 ounces

Keurig K-Cafe rear view of industrial design

Close-up of easy to handle and access cold water tank

Close-up of a Keurig K-Cafe's frother and milk carafe

Delivering true delight with Keurig's K-Cafe at-home specialty coffee brewer, making it easy to craft a latte

MY ROLE

As Creative Director, I led product design and set the brewer UI and UX strategy through commercialization for a new-to-category offering.

Defined MVP and product roadmap by translating insights into actionable product requirements and tested feature sets
Drove rapid C-level alignment by replacing slide decks with user-tested prototypes and live feedback sessions
Directed a 9-person cross-functional team to deliver design, UX, and engineering integration in under 3 months
Led on-site collaboration in China with Keurig’s contract manufacturer to protect design intent and deliver CM-ready CAD within 4 days

red dot design award for the Keurig K-Cafe coffee brewer

Multiple images of robotic coffee makers and their components, including remote controls, internal mechanisms, and brewing units.

Prototypes over presentations. Always.

By leading with tangible prototypes, co-locating with the client, and iterating shoulder-to-shoulder—from mapping UI flows with the CTO to overnight redesigns for next-day user testing—I built momentum that positioned my design team as the first among competing studios to get to market and played a key role in Keurig’s shift toward becoming the coffeehouse company they set out to be.

DEEP DIVE:

See the full end-to-end process

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