Designers
Svenja Dittrich, Jonas Nerlich, Hannes Haefner, Veronika Thalhammer, Stefan Thalhammer, Alexander Wiethoff
Year
2026
Category
Product
Country
Switzerland
Design Studio / Department
Imago Design GmbH
Three questions to the project team
What was the particular challenge of the project from a UX point of view?
User behavior is far from homogeneous, especially when it comes to maintenance and cleaning tasks. The most challenging was to bring all these needs together in a single, consistent interface. We focused on the primary user personas without losing sight of secondary users, while ensuring the experience works equally well across different countries, languages, and cultures. A good example is the cleaning workflow. We had to understand which sequence of steps best matches users’ mental models, how to create a seamless guidance experience when the machine cannot detect every action, and how to integrate hygiene requirements in a way that users are willing to follow and accept.
What was your personal highlight in the development process? Was there an aha!-moment, was there a low point?
There were many aha!-moments, but one stands out: when design discussions become too long or too theoretical, talk to users. It is always surprising how quickly real user feedback can challenge assumptions and redirect the conversation. It’s easy to over-engineer solutions, so I learned the importance of continuously coming back to the original problem and questioning whether we are really solving it. The low point was often the transition from UX concept to implementation. Besides time and budget constraints, there are technical limitations that influence the final solution. The challenge is finding the right balance between the ideal user experience and what is realistically achievable.
Where do you see yourself and the project in the next five years?
My vision is that our machines become known not only for excellent coffee but also for an outstanding user experience that people enjoy every day. I see our team creating coffee machine interfaces using the latest technologies, modern visual design principles, and emerging interaction patterns. I see great potential in accessibility, making our products easier and more inclusive for everyone. I also see us expanding and refining the key user journeys around ordering coffee on the machine. At the same time, I expect personalization to play a much bigger role, allowing customers to tailor the experience to their specific needs and preferences.
