Relationships and networking have undergone a massive evolution over the last decade of social networks and personal publicization on the internet.
In 2013, The Singapore Economic Development Board, with The Secret Little Agency, reached out to Tellart to conceptualize, design, and build a "connector" that both used and transcended the digital media that so often replaces a human connection today. As a group dedicated to facilitating productive connections between Singapore's businesses and the world, the EDB wanted to create a statement piece that could travel to high-end conferences and spread their message.
The result of this request, The Coffee Connector, is a delightful, thought-provoking human experience. It is a beautiful object, a seamless digital interaction, and a social experiment all in one.
The Coffee Connector only brews a cup of coffee when two attendees work together to request one. Once you've found a partner, the machine's exposed kinetic brewing process engages viewers and uses interactive touchpoints to guide you through the brewing process, and through a meaningful conversation with your partner. The whole experience supports the messaging of the EDB, highlighting Singapore's ability to connect with global companies doing business in Asia.
After users approach the machine–drawn by its attention-grabbing appearance and the promise of coffee–and find a partner, both attendees are asked questions about their home location and interests, creating an easy entry into conversation. They leave the machine with a custom-printed paper cup sleeve that includes reminders of their connection, and acts as a prop for further conversation with other conference attendees.
Referred to as the "LinkedIn of Coffee Machines" by PSFK (and in more ironic terms by other press - such as PopSci's "Introvert Torture Device" headline), the Coffee Connector created a larger conversation about the role of technology in socialization. With a carefully and beautifully designed experience, it succeeded in facilitating new and meaningful connections between people in a world where face-to-face interactions have become rarer than digital ones.
As Design Lead on the project, I designed the physical machine (Solidworks, Rhino, Keyshot), the UX / UI (Figma, Adobe XD, PSD, AI, AE), on screen coffee pouring liquid simulation (Blender, Realflow) + UX animations and physical takeaways, as well as managing our production vendor Octo to create a physical / digital experience that playfully encourages networking by offering people an exquisitely brewed cup of coffee—but only when they pair up with a stranger and start a conversation.
The Coffee Connector won a Notable Interaction Award from Core77 in 2015.
https://designawards.core77.com/Interaction/33103/The-Coffee-Connector
https://designawards.core77.com/Interaction/33103/The-Coffee-Connector
Utilizing hand sketching, I rapidly conceptualized the key elements of the experience, developing a few rounds of concepts until we found the right physical / digital experience. The client was drawn to minimalist, Scandinavian design, so we pushed further in that direction, utilizing as many natural / raw materials as possible to create the experience.
After honing in on a design direction, and working with our vendor to identify constraints and material selection, I quickly moved to modeling and rendering out the latest concept using the off the shelf tech stack & material selection we finalized with our production vendor. This process used Solidworks, Rhino & Keyshot to visualize the experience.
From there, we moved quickly to build out the unit. We were on an extremely crunched time scale of about 4 months from concept to install, so many details needed to be worked out physically in real time.
The Secret Little Agency approached Tellart for the Singapore Economic Development Board, looking to create a "connector" for high-end conferences that would engage attendees and communicate the messages of the Singapore EDB. We needed to use interactive technologies to create an experience that would capture the attention and engagement of busy attendees, while providing them with some worthwhile benefits.
We focused on messages (the desire to connect), audience (sophisticated professionals), and context (executive level conference) to develop a concept. The Singapore EDB wanted to highlight their ability to connect global professionals and provide a high-technology environment for success; the audiences they were reaching out to would be sophisticated professionals at high-end conferences, interested in making meaningful connections–but even the most experienced conference goers can struggle to find a way to begin conversations with strangers.
Working together to iterate the concept and form, the project team developed the final Coffee Connector concept: a coffee machine that would happily provide you with a delicious, hot cup of coffee, but only when you request one with another conference attendee. Its beautifully articulated coffee brewing elements distinguish it beyond the typical conference coffee maker, and draw attendees in to begin their interaction, where they immediately realize that they'll need to recruit a partner to receive their coffee.
The project team iterated the user experience journey in tandem with the design of the installation, creating a seamless experience from start to finish. As they approach the machine, silhouetted footprints on a custom floormat guide conference attendees to the correct spot in front of the machine. The touchscreen, after prompting a single user to find a partner if they don't already have one, walks users through an introductory conversation about their home location and interests, focusing on the conference content and the messaging of the Singapore Economic Development Board.
As the brewing process begins, they are directed to the other end of the machine where their coffee is dispensed, and around to a side station where they receive a custom-printed cup sleeve with their name and their new connection's name, alongside the EDB logo.
The industrial design of the Coffee Connector was inspired by the beauty and function of a high-powered jet engine, and paid homage to coffee makers everywhere by showcasing the acts of grinding, boiling, steeping and extracting. The appealing design and exposed coffee brewing processes of the machine are an attention grabbing focal point in a room. Tellart worked with product design firm Octo to design and fabricate the machine, using high-end materials and craft to build a remarkable and highly functional object.
Beyond looking elegant, the machine had to make an incredible cup of coffee: details such as the right coffee beans and brewing process were paramount considerations. In order to do its job, the Coffee Connector had to be made robust and capable of existing as a standalone feature at many conferences. It is capable of brewing hundreds of cups of coffee without maintenance or intervention, and operates using a local network inside the machine that allows a central server to receive and send data between displays, sensors, liquid pumps, motors, the printhead, and more.
The Coffee Connector successfully attracts the attention of busy conference-goers, both creating value for users and emphasizing the messages of the Singapore EDB.
It made its debut appearance at The Economist Big Rethink Conference on March 13, 2014 in New York City. Featured in headlines ranging from the insightful ("The LinkedIn Of Coffee Machines," PSFK) to the ironic ("Machine That Makes You Mingle Before Coffee Is An Introvert Torture Device," PopSci), the Coffee Connector's reach extended far beyond the event itself and drew wide attention towards the Singapore EDB's mission and messages.
