Intelligencia product design critique

##Product Description

An Intelligencia coffee bag is an individual work of art. From its bright red color to the quality of the bag itself, every detail has been architected towards the founder’s vision, “Illuminating Coffee.”

The structure of the bag is strong. The seals hold, and the bag’s opening is a Ziploc hidden behind a pull tab rather than the traditional twist-tie. Because of the quality, it begs to be recycled rather than trashed.

The writing on the bag is “illuminating.” Tips for coffee brewing are on the side, a sticker announces this bag is in season, and details about the source, the complexity of flavors, the name of the harvester and the roast date decorate the outside. Together they tell a story of the coffee’s origin, it’s unique flavor, and how to best enjoy it. This is not merely a caffeine boost, it is an experience worth slowing down to enjoy.

##Design Thinking Perspective

I’ll explore this product from the customer experience perspective.

Before the coffee bag makes it to my apartment, buy it at an Intelligencia coffee shop near my work. Every Tuesday I get a bag for $2 off and a coffee for $3 off if I purchase both, so the purchase of a bag coincides with a deliciously brewed cup of coffee (and sometimes an almond croissant). The coffee bags are arrayed in perfect rows on two shelves to the right of the usual morning coffee line. A plaque lists all the coffees on the shelf with their source and their price. When I see a new coffee at a reasonable price, especially if it’s sourced from South America, I’ll read about it while waiting in line. After purchase, I place the bag in my satchel which causes it to smell of delicious coffee all day long.

The next morning I open the coffee bag at the pull tab, open the Ziploc, and smell the coffee. I eyeball an amount from the bag into my grinder, grind it up, and often smell it again because the fragrance is even stronger when ground.

##Product Critique

The Intelligencia coffee bag has many strengths. First, the message of quality, responsibly sourced coffee is complimented by the bag’s design and information. Because the bag shares information about the coffee bean grower a relationship is created between the buyer and the grower that would normally be impossible. I didn’t take much care about which part of the world I purchased my coffee from before, but now I’m likely to buy the same coffee because that farm’s become my preferred source of coffee beans and I want their business to do well.

The price of the coffee would be a weakness, except that they’ve created opportunities for people to acquire good coffee at a cheaper price through the use of blends and the Tuesday discount. Coffee bags range from over $40 for twelve ounces to less than $15. On a Tuesday I can purchase a bag of coffee and a cup of coffee for about $12.

##Product Improvements

The differentiation between bags could be improved. Every bag, except for the text on its cover, looks the same. This requires the buyer to read carefully to determine which continent the bag is from, if it’s a blend or single source, etc. Therefore a way of making a visual differentiation, such as a sticker that indicates which country, could simplify the decision process for newcomers.