Problem
Increased stress and decision fatigue for commuters
Commuters waste time and skip coffee due to long queues and poor café discovery.
Limited time to discover quality cafes
Solution
A mobile app that lets users discover cafés along their route, pre-order in advance, and even ask friends to pick up for them all with built-in navigation and smart modes for different daily routines.
Design Goals
Simplify the coffee-ordering experience for commuters
Help users save time and reduce stress
Support both routine and exploration
Encourage spontaneous, social café moments
Key Features
Smart routines
& suggestions
Ordering
made easy
Integrated
navigation
In app
messaging
Research
Coffee is a commuting decision, not a lifestyle choice
Interactions must be fast and low effort during morning routines.
Uncertainty breaks trust faster than delay
Users avoid cafes when wait times feel unpredictable.
Cognitive load is highest in the morning
Proximity and timing matter more than cafe preference on weekdays
Small social coordination increases follow-through
Shared pickup and visibility reinforce commitment.
Target users
Daily
commuters
Busy
Workloads
Coffee
Lovers
Key needs
Speed & Low Effort
Predictability & Trust
Routine Compatibility
Light Social Accountability
Primary persona
Patcha Wongchai
Time-pressed commuter |
Routine-driven
• Relies on public transport daily
• Balances full-time study & part-time work
• Values speed, reliability & low friction
• Fits coffee into an already structured routine
End-to-end UX flows & prototyping
Created personas, journey mapping
& user scenarios
User research & synthesis
Usability testing & iteration
My contributions
One-tap ordering
Supports fast, low-effort morning interactions
Route-based cafe discovery
Reduces search time and matches commuter behaviour
Social pickup coordination
Enables spontaneous coffee moments without friction
Key design decisions
Mobile Interface
Conclusion
Small structural changes reduce daily friction over time
01.
Designing for routine meant removing decisions, not adding features
02.
Commuters don’t want more options — they want certainty
03.
Speed is perceived through clarity, not animation
04.
But first, Coffee?
A commuter-focused iOS app that streamlines coffee ordering along daily travel routes.
Role:
UX/UI Designer
Context:
Masters of Interaction Design
Duration
10 Weeks
Tools:
Figma, FigJam, Illustrator, Miro
Background
Morning commuting and coffee are tightly connected, but congestion, long queues, and time pressure often turn this routine into a stressful or skipped experience.
This project explores how integrating discovery, ordering, and social coordination into commute routes can reduce friction and improve the start of the day.
Scroll to explore
But first, Coffee
UX case study