Challenge to strict design requirements.

Mr. Coffee was asked their new low-end 12 cups drip coffee maker design with highly strict design requirements.

They were:

1. Design development should proceed based on already developed internal components

2. It should be designed with no more than four parts of main body

3. It should avoid any complicated mold actions that could cause to increase production cost.

4. It should not have additional cost required surface finishes.

6. It should be producible with 3 different SKUs per different price points.

Design challenge was that how to make this new low-end coffee maker with attractive aesthetic that can appeal to customers effectively than competitors under these strict design requirements. Design development was proceed based on this challenge and team explored variety aesthetics considering it.

Fabricating foam core models to evaluate overall form and size.

Team explored variety possible aesthetics considering design requirements and Mr. Coffee down selected leading concepts based on their own decision making criteria focusing on design requirements. Team was fabricated foam core models of down selected leading concepts to evaluate overall form and size.

Team was proceed design refinement based on Mr. Coffee’s internal evaluation group’s feedbacks.

Simple and modern ways to enjoy drip coffee with low cost.

The Flow was designed with simple and less parts count as possible per Mr. Coffee’s request. The Flow’s overall simple and minimal shape helped to realize it. This could’ve been a boring design, but The Flow’s arched front surface detail creates its own character. This surface detail was inspired from natural liquid flow direction from top to bottom to communicate coffee dripping direction.

Thin stamped metal cosmetic parts on the front surface is providing different SKU options with different color and material finishes on it that were also based on Mr. Coffee’s request.

Simple and concise U.I area was designed based on one of the Mr. Coffee’s already developed PCB which is giving even more cost reduction opportunity with intuitive usability.

The Flow was developed under very strict design limitations, but it is delivering simple and modern ways to enjoy drip coffee with low cost.

Recognized its reasonability via consumer report.

In 2011, consumer report magazine was recommended The Flow as one of the best valuable product to purchase in the low cost drip coffee maker category. This is showing how The Flow’s overall design approach was successfully appealed to consumers although it is low cost product.