Part of a prototype experiment @ Spinelli’s

It’s funny how after researching so much about design thinking, interaction with end user to understand needs and rapid prototyping to obtain feedback.. I was finally part of an experiment last week. I was at Spinelli’s Wheelock branch and they were attempting to transform the customer coffee buying experience. The great part was that we got $1 coffee, while several members of the design team went around interviewing customers about their thoughts on some of the proposed improvements. 

The experiment – you fill up a form with paper and pencil of your coffee/tea/hot chocolate choice at the entrance, bring it to the cashier, then collect your coffee. If you are puzzled, don’t worry, I didn’t know what they were trying to do initially either, I figured it was just a gimmick – cheap coffee to attract coffee drinkers for focus groups.

Well, turns out there were a few things they were trying to find out: 1) what if you had a separate ordering machine at the entrance where you can tap your loyalty card to order (loyalty card can record your usual preferences) so you need not wait at the counter for indecisive people to make up their minds about what they want to drink 2) was it useful to have information abt coffee eg where the beans were roasted, what was the difference between a flat white and a latte at the pick up counter to entertain customers while they wait for their coffee 3) will a smartphone app be useful to preorder coffee that you can just come by and collect quickly 4) will customers prefer the use of name or serial number to know when to collect drinks?

I thought (3) was the most useful, my friend says it’s very prevalent in Sydney, I haven seen it around in Spore yet. I can imagine how it will be very suited to the impatient professional who just want their coffee quite literally on-the-go! But it’s crucial to ensure that the branch has the resources to handle the inflow of orders on top of those coming from in-store customers, otherwise it pretty much defeats the purpose of pre-ordering right?

In any case, this was an interesting experience and I look forward to more such prototype experiments!

TOMS new ventures

Some background: TOMS, short for “better tomorrows”, was started by Blake Mycoskie, where a pair of shoes is donated for every pair you buy. This 1-for-1 concept has since been extended to eyewear (pair of sunglasses = sight for someone in need) and other apparel. But Blake has recently announced his grands plans to launch into the coffee business, where every cup of coffee you buy will translate into a day’s worth of water to someone in need. What’s more, he plans to launch one new TOMS initiative every year. He figures that with so many new products, some are bound to fail but if you push one out each year, people are not going to notice the failures as much with so many new products.

I love this guy, he’s such an inspiration, such great foresight too! He had so skillfully combine philanthropy and business to build this hugely successful business model.

I was reminded of my client who was also providing free cataract surgery to the needy in Cambodia. What my client did, was really to try and help as many people with as low a cost as possible. Anyone who came up needing a cataract op will be attended to; there was no screening of wealth level to cut admin costs, he hired doctors through connections to lower their charges, even buying sunglasses in bulk at rates fiercely negotiated down for patients after ops. He received an award of appreciation from the government of Cambodia for the work he has done. In comparison, TOMS 1-for-1 model must require a fair bit of auditing and coordination with the third party handling the donation.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that TOMS has great intentions which translated into awesome marketing which definitely allowed Blake to help more people that he could have without the business. But let’s continue to be creative about how we do charity because there’s so many ways we can be more efficient and effective and have fun along the way!

http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2014/03/11/blake-mycoskie-toms-coffee-roasting-co/

http://money.cnn.com/video/magazines/fortune/2014/03/11/ftomscoffee.fortune