The Thermochromatic Cup was conceived by Karissa Cook, Eric Whitaker, and myself in Winter 2012 for the industrial design class ME 115B. Our task was to create a refined looks-like model of a coffee maker for a targeted user group of our choice. In a few weeks, we developed a marketing strategy and several prototypes of the Thermochromatic Cup for coffee enthusiasts living in small spaces. My roll within the team was critical to connecting insights to specific features of our product as well as visualizing and creating those features physically.
Drip coffee enthusiasts know a perfect coffee is driven largely by temperature. Between 195F and 200F is perfect brewing temperature for a non-bitter cup, but this water is too hot to drink. Once cool, there is a short window before the coffee is too cold and flat. Using a standard French Press as our coffee maker, the keystone of our project was a cup that visually shows the coffee enthusiast when the water hits the key temperatures. Made of a thermochromatic paint, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,118, the cup was designed to be red when too hot, orange when ready to brew, and yellow when within the drinkable range. The cup was encased in a wooden body with a magnetic coaster on its base. The water could be heated in the cup, poured into the French Press, and returned to the cup. The perfect space-saver for the coffee obsessed.
Drip coffee enthusiasts know a perfect coffee is driven largely by temperature. Between 195F and 200F is perfect brewing temperature for a non-bitter cup, but this water is too hot to drink. Once cool, there is a short window before the coffee is too cold and flat. Using a standard French Press as our coffee maker, the keystone of our project was a cup that visually shows the coffee enthusiast when the water hits the key temperatures. Made of a thermochromatic paint, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,118, the cup was designed to be red when too hot, orange when ready to brew, and yellow when within the drinkable range. The cup was encased in a wooden body with a magnetic coaster on its base. The water could be heated in the cup, poured into the French Press, and returned to the cup. The perfect space-saver for the coffee obsessed.
The completed Thermochromatic Coffee Cup
Early prototypes