Interview about Lavazza MilkUp Milk Frother, winner of the A' Home Appliances Design Award 2021
MilkUp lets you enjoy authentic Italian cappuccino at home. Quietly and efficiently preparing different recipes using magnetic induction. The elegant design is composed of bold, colourful, and simple elements with high-quality surfacing and materials. The backlit "stop and go" button is emphasized visually by a coloured ring. The jug is made from brushed Inox and has no internal moving parts. This makes it easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher. It has clear marks for minimum and maximum levels on the inside and an ergonomic handle. The whisk has a dedicated storage area on top of the lid.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsOne of the great advantages of this technical solution is the separate milk jug made from stainless steel or INOX. It can be cleaned super easily in the kitchen sink or by simply putting it into the dishwasher. This is really convenient. Also, having the milk foam prepared in this vessel allows for a real barista experience and latte art. Which really is a nice additional feature, don't you think?
While the main colour and material split has an immediate impact on the aesthetic of the product it is mainly driven by the functional necessities - the technical package and the stainless steel jug. The secondary colour splits on the front and rear are used to visually structure the object. Their execution follows the formal language of other Lavazza products.
As you know, the complete design development process is very often quite tight. But in this case we were comparatively quick. We were able to develop this product within a very short timeframe mainly thanks to a great working relationship with all the great colleagues form the technical development. Thanks guys!
Initially we didn't have this feature. But we realized rather quickly that the users will need to have a dedicated place to put the removable whisk. We analysed several different solutions, and finally focused on a rather clever integration into the lid. This way the whisk is visible and always easily accessible.
The material choice in this case is very much based on the technical constraints and requirements. You might have come across this one before. You know, form - or rather material in this case - follows function...
It is always challenging to guarantee an intuitive user experience when the user interface is also very reduced and minimal. In this case we made sure that the backlit stop-and-go button would be visually in line with other objects in our product range. The coloured ring plays an important part. It underlines the main touchpoint and also recalls other products form our range.
When we set up the design operations in Lavazza I brought all my previous experience from the automotive field with me. And now we make sure that all our products - not only the MilkUp frother - are designed to a very high standard. This includes the sculptural aspects as well as all the detailing, colours and materials.
This is actually rather simple. For several reasons we decided rather early on, that we' want to have a horizontal theme as part of the Lavazza form language. We then kept applying this theme across our product range. In doing so consistently we made sure that it became a brand identifier. Really a minor detail, but still something that helps us to create a visual identity.
The MilkUp Frother is part of a larger product range and plays an important part in this line up. As such the product will most definitely also inspire and influence all our future product development.
As mentioned before, it is really not that easy to achieve a solid and intuitive user experience with a reduced and minimal user interface. In these cases we always follow some important mantras, like: "Keep it simple" and "Less is more".
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