5 different users were interviewed using the discussion guide below. Questions focused on K-Cup and Keurig use as well as recycling habits. All interviews can be found under the Interviews tab.
Discussion Guide
Demographics
- Interviewer
- Name
- Age
- Job
- Location
- Coffee drinker?
K-Cup Use
- Do you use K-cups? Why or why not?
- If yes, please explain the process of using the product.
- How often do you buy k-cups?
- How often do you use k-cups?
- Have you explored other methods for brewing coffee? Talk to me about your experiences. If not, why haven’t you? Would you be interested in exploring other options?
- Please talk to me about your perspective of the environmental impact of k-cups.
- What is most appealing about k-cups? Least?
- How do you dispose of your used k-cups? Why?
Recycling Habits
- Do you recycle? Why or why not?
- Are you familiar with what can and can’t be recycled?
- Have you taken steps to learn about what can and can’t be recycled? Why or why not?
- Do you clean your recycles before placing them in the bin? Why or why not?
- Do you separate your recycles? Why or why not?
- In your opinion, are k-cups recyclable?
Additional Comments:
Main Takeaways
After interviewing different users of K-Cups and the Keurig machine, there were a few main takeaways and similarities among each user. It was found that everyone uses the K-Cups because of the convenience and ease of use. Most people these days are always on-the-go and prefer their morning routine to be quick and easy. Many users understand the negative impact of the K-Cup on the environment, but still throw them away in the garbage because they believe it cannot be recycled. Two users actually use re-usable K-Cups which is interesting, but they both state that it is a longer and messier process to use these. Another user likes to make her pods last twice as long by moving them around in the compartment after the first use and then making a smaller cup of coffee with the already used pod. This piece of information will benefit the team as we move forward in the design process.
Of the users interviewed, 4 are college students at OSU. These college students typically do not recycle at school because there is only one bin and recycling would require the user to travel to a plant. They do recycle back in their home states, though. Most users understand what can and cannot be recycled and feel that they have a good enough understanding of this. The 1 user who is a 57 year old female from New York does recycle at home and separates the recycles between paper in one bin and glass, aluminum and plastic in another. All users typically rinse their recyclables if it extremely dirty.
As for other coffee methods, some users have tried the drip coffee method, or a traditional coffee maker, but have all resorted to using a Keurig because it is easy to make one single cup rather than an entire pot. It is also easy to use when in college and the user does not have much time to turn on a regular pot of coffee. Some users try to purchase their K-Cups in bulk if they can make it to a store such as Costco, but others buy in packs of 24. One user stated that her company did use a Keurig machine with K-Cups before Covid-19, and they would simply throw away the K-Cups after each user.
Overall, most users believe the least appealing thing about using K-Cups is their negative impact on the environment, but all users still use them because they value timeliness, consistency and easy of use. This is valuable to the team because as we search for a way to reduce the waste of the current coffee making process, we will keep this in mind.