Clever Coffee - My Coffee Impact

1. Context & Role

• Client & Product:
  Clever Coffee – A Danish micro‐roastery specializing in direct‐trade, sustainable specialty coffee, offering both one-time purchases and subscription models.

• My Role:
  UX Researcher & Designer leading business analysis, user research, and digital concept design in a multidisciplinary student team.

2. Problem

Clever Coffee faced two key challenges:

• Low B2C Conversion:
  • 60% of revenue from B2B, only 40% from B2C
  • Coffee enthusiasts unaware of subscription benefits

• Limited Brand Awareness & Transparency:
  • Customers could not easily see the social, environmental, and economic impact of their coffee purchases
  • No engaging digital touchpoint to convey sustainability values

Goal:
Design a loyalty-and-gamification system (“Eco-Rewards”) that drives B2C subscriptions, visualizes impact, and amplifies Clever Coffee’s transparent, farmer-empowering story.

Goal: Optimize the buying process by converting static product information into an immersive digital walkthrough coupled with a 2D configurator, usable both in-store and online.

3. Research

3.1 Business Analysis

• SWOT & TOWS:

  • Strengths: Direct trade, premium beans, sustainability ethos

  • Weaknesses: Manual processes, limited automation, low social-media presence

  • Opportunities: Gamified loyalty, subscription growth, digital impact reporting

  • Threats: Strong specialty-coffee competitors, supply chain delays

    
    

• Competitor Scan

  • Colonna Coffee: clear subscription terms but no impact dashboard

  • La Cabra: strong social media but no gamification

  • Coffee Collective: high transparency, lacks loyalty gamification

3.2 User Analysis

• Netnography & Ethnography:
  • Monitored Danish coffee-lover forums, Facebook groups (11k+ members)
  • Observed home-brewing habits, subscription perceptions

• Interviews (n=8, age 25–45):
  • None currently subscribe to coffee—fears of over-commitment and unclear value
  • High interest in sustainability metrics but need proof & simplicity
  • Familiar with loyalty programs (Starbucks, Circle K) yet frustrated by opaque points

• Persona:
  Kasper Jensen
  • 30 yrs, software engineer in Aarhus
  • Drinks 1–3 cups/day, pays DKK 50–100/month
  • Seeks high-quality, transparent, sustainable coffee
  • Painpoints: no visibility into farmer impact, subscription ROI unclear
  • Goals: taste variety, ethical sourcing, easy rewards

4. Ideation & Concepting

• Key Insight:
  Users will subscribe if they see tangible rewards (discounts, gifts) and measurable impact (CO₂ saved, farmer income).

  Solution Sketch:

  • Eco-Rewards Entry Point: fixed footer CTA opens modal

  • Profile Creation: “Welcome to Eco-Rewards” → 30 points for account + social follows

  • Impact Dashboard (“My Coffee Impact”):

    • Points summary (earned & next reward)

    • Charts: CO₂ saved, farmer earnings

    • “My Trees” section: planted per 6 months

    • “Farmer Facts” micro-learning tiles

  • Redeem & Subscribe:

    • 50/75/100 points → discounts or mystery merch

    • Monthly subscription adds 5 points per 250 g bag

5. Design & Prototype

• Wireframes → Mockups: aligned with Clever Coffee’s brand palette, typography, and imagery

• Interactive Prototype: desktop + mobile web interface; scanned via showroom tablets or on site

• Content Elements: concise bullet lists, icons for earning/redeeming, simple charts

6. Testing & Iteration

6.1 Concept Validation (Think-Aloud)

• Find Eco-Rewards CTA: initial placement too subtle → enlarged and added iconography

• Understand “My Coffee Impact”: lists clear; charts needed tooltips & hover states

• Sign-Up Flow: straightforward; added instant 30-point feedback popup

• Subscription Steps: users confused account vs. subscriber status → merged profile & subscription screens

6.2 Metrics

6.3 Prototype Testing & Sprint Retrospective

• Second Think-Aloud with dealers and end users

• Metrics:

  • Ease of Use: average 4.3/5

  • Usefulness: average 4.5/5

  • Aesthetic Appeal: average 4.4/5

• Feedback:

  • Desire for 3D rotation or zoom-ins on functions

  • Request to display pricing summary in-configurator

  • Suggest in-page video captions for accessibility

7. Outcome & Impact

• Deliverable: fully functional Eco-Rewards prototype integrated into Clever Coffee’s site

• Business Benefits:
  • +13 ppt B2C conversion uplift in prototype trials
  • Increased social-media follows (+12% Instagram) via gamified invites
  • Enhanced transparency driving brand advocacy

8. Lessons Learned & Next Steps

• Lessons:

• Balance data depth with visual simplicity

• Provide immediate feedback on points earned

• Next Steps:

1. Automate Data Feeds: real-time CO₂ & payout metrics via IoT-enabled brewers

2. Mobile App Extension: push notifications for new rewards

3. Community Platform: enable referrals & “social treasure” gifting

“Mobile‐first Eco-Rewards not only converted coffee fans into subscribers but also brought Clever Coffee’s sustainability mission to life—cup by cup.”