Carouspresso

Discoveer the product development journey for my very own Nespresso capsule storage solutions. From problem definition to prototype designs and incremental improvements.

Understanding
The Problem

If you've ever had a Nespresso machine at home or in the office, you've experienced the struggle of storing, sorting, and taking the capsules. Sure, there are some available solutions, but none of them made the cut for my premium standards.

My solutions:

Mk. 1:
Standspresso

This solution was definitely cheap to make. I made it out of wood and glue. All I had to do was drill 9 holes in a plank and stick equally tall cylindrical wood pieces into them. It hed up pretty nicely.

01

It was not too practical in terms of use. I had to stock it up one by one, and taking out capsules was even worse - the fewer capsules that were left, the more difficult it became.

02

Since the capsules were exposed I could clearly see where the capsules that I wanted were, but it took up much space, and wasn't too visually appealing. It occurred to me that there already was a factory-storing system: The sleeve. The only thing I had to do was to hold it at a straight angle and allow gravity to sort the capsules.

03

Mk. 1: Lessons Learned

Mk. 2:
Wallspresso

While designing this model I tried to keep it as simple as I could in terms of sourcing and assembly. I purchased a thin plank for the body, a door frame for the footer on which the sleeve would rest, sanding paper and paint. Easy peasy.

I made a 4 sleeve and a 6 sleeve version for this model.

01

It was very easy to use. I mounted it on the wall right next to where I set up my Nespresso machine, and both restocking and taking out capsules was an absolute delight. The only drawback was that I realized that not everybody will have the wall space to hang this model, and placing it on the countertop would not be stable and will require additional components, so I went back to the drawing board.

02

Visually, this design was a lot more pleasing. I painted it black with a glossy finish. It blended in nicely with the sleeves, and seemed very sleek in general.

03

Mk. 2: Lessons Learned

Mk. 3:
Carouspresso

Here is when things got complicated: I wanted to have as many sleeves as I could on as little of a footprint as I could, so I decided on a turnable solution. I managed to fit 5 sleeves on this design due to physical constraints (wood thickness), and the pieces had to be made very accurately, or else they wouldn't fit together. It took some tries, but I got it to fit.

01

This was my best design yet. It was very ergonomic, easy to refill and choose which capsules to take while being able to read their descriptions off the sleeves. It was a bit bulky because of the wood's natural properties, but that gave this design a quality on its own.

02

I also painted this model black and gave it a metal ring around the mid-section. It was both functional and aesthetic. I managed to sell a few of these, and got plenty of positive feedback, but also some comments about the bulkyness. There wasn't much I could do about it up until the moment 3D printing became a thing.

03

Mk. 3: Lessons Learned

Mk. 04:
Carouspresso 3DP

Enter: 3D Printing

Goodbye physical constraints of working with wood -
hello 3D printing

Mk. 4 Conclusions

3D printing gave me full control over the wall-thickness, which allowed for more sleeves to be stored on a far smaller surface area. It was an absolute game-changer, and although I had new things to consider (e.g. printing limitations with angles), but I managed ot incorporate thesse into my designs, and I was able to make the design far more sleek and easy to use.

If you enjoyed discovering my capsule storage solution development journey, or want me to make you one, feel free to reach out!

Existing Solutions

The "Bucket"

Just drop all your capsules into a container and fish them out while trying to find the right capsule. It is easy to refill and grab a random capsule, but it definitely isn't practical if you want to know your inventory, or if you have a particular type of capsule you prefer.

The "Box"

Ah yes, the expensive and exclusive Nespresso capsule box. It makes you feel like a lord, opening up a case of expensive cigars, but then you remember you also need to refill it and getting your fingers to grab a capsule inside it is just a bother.

The Metal Rig

This might just be the most ergonomic design I've seen. It allows for multiple types of capsules to be stored separately, while allowing the user to grab them relatively easily, and one at a time. It was also pretty expensive, so as a student I figured I could design and build something cheaper and simpler.