Keurig Cognitive Walkthrough
Task: Make a cup of coffee
Action 1: Add water to the rear reservoir by lifting off the lid and the reservoir
- Will the users be trying to achieve whatever effect Action 1 has?
- Yes, water required to make coffee
- Will the user see the correct action is available?
- Yes, water container is clear and water level is visible on both sides of the machine
- Will the user associate the correct action with the effect (s)he is trying to achieve?
- Yes, water is required to make coffee
- If the correct action is taken, will the user understand that progress is being made toward the desired solution?
- Yes, water only needs to be refilled every once in a while
Action 2: push the power button, machine starts to heat up, sounds rumbly
- Will the users be trying to achieve whatever effect Action 2 has?
- Yes, machine must be powered on to make coffee
- Will the user see the correct action is available?
- Yes, power button is clearly labeled
- Will the user associate the correct action with the effect (s)he is trying to achieve?
- Yes, noticeable sound and vibrations produced when the machine is powered on
- If the correct action is taken, will the user understand that progress is being made toward the desired solution?
- Yes, button lights up
Action 3: Lift the front lid and place the pod inside the opening
Action 4: Lower the handle down, blade punctures the foil top, blade punctures bottom
- Will the users be trying to achieve whatever effect Actions 3 & 4 have?
- Yes, need to insert a K-cup to make coffee
- Will the user see the correct action is available?
- Lever is the most prominent feature of the front of the machine, obvious cup feature inside the machine to accept the kcup
- Will the user associate the correct action with the effect (s)he is trying to achieve?
- Yes, there is a positive feedback click when lowering the handle and punching through the film.
- If the correct action is taken, will the user understand that progress is being made toward the desired solution?
- Yes, positive feedback both noise and feel
Action 5: Place cup under the spout, hit amt of water desired (6, 8, 10, 12oz)
Action 6: Hit K button
- Will the users be trying to achieve whatever effect Action 5 and 6 have?
- Yes, need to select serving size and K button to make a cup of coffee
- Will the user see the correct action is available?
- Not necessarily, without being shown what to do or reading the instruction manual I would not have known which buttons to hit to start the brew
- Will the user associate the correct action with the effect (s)he is trying to achieve?
- If done correctly, the coffee will immediately start brewing
- If the correct action is taken, will the user understand that progress is being made toward the desired solution?
- Coffee will start to spout into the cup
Talk about Reusable Coffee Pods
- Dishwasher safe
- Patent pending no. 8720320
- Plastic frame, stainless steel mesh holds coffee grounds
- Mesh is not as tight as a disposable coffee filter; grounds occasionally seep through into coffee.
- Machine sometimes asks to descale; machine feels like it has hard water scale buildup from coffee grounds
- Machine washable for cleaning
Summary:
The process of making a cup of coffee using a Keurig machine is very convenient. A k-cup can be turned into a cup of hot coffee in under a minute, without the cleanup required of traditional drip brew coffee in an open filter. One of the current solutions to making a Keurig more sustainable is a reusable k-cup with a stainless-steel mesh. This solution can make coffee but lacks some of the convenience of the k-cups, as you still need to measure out coffee and clean out the filter after use.