I Deal Coffee – Service Design Project
Client: Service Design Course – Yvonne Shek / Yves Rannou
Type: Team Project – Humber Polytechnic
Role: Service Designer
Location: Toronto, Canada
Duration: June–July 2025
Project Overview
Ideal Coffee is a local coffee brand focused on offering a high-quality and meaningful customer experience. In this project, our team designed a complete service experience to improve how customers interact with the brand — from the first contact to the end of their journey.
We worked through the full service design process, using tools that helped us understand user needs, map their experience, and design a more efficient and enjoyable service.
Outcomes
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The final project delivered:
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A Service Audit identifying strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities.
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A Stakeholder Map showing key actors and their relationships.
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A Journey Map based on user personas to visualize the customer experience.
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A Service Blueprint detailing frontstage and backstage processes.
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A Prototype representing the improved service experience.
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These elements provided a clear vision of how Ideal Coffee can improve customer satisfaction and streamline operations.
Lessons Learned
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Mapping the entire customer journey helped uncover hidden pain points.
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The Service Blueprint revealed gaps between frontstage and backstage actions.
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Building a prototype allowed us to visualize and test the proposed solution.
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Collaboration and feedback were essential to refine our design.
Tools Used
Sketching · 3D Prototyping · Service Blueprints · Journey Maps · Stakeholder Maps · On-Site Observation
Background & Problem
Ideal Coffee wanted to enhance the overall customer experience. The existing service had inconsistencies across touchpoints, making it difficult to deliver a seamless and satisfying journey.
Our goal was to create a cohesive, user-centered service that aligned with customer expectations and brand values.
Project Goals
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Understand the current service experience through research and audit.
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Identify key pain points and opportunities for improvement.
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Design a consistent, enjoyable experience for all users.
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Align service operations with customer needs and expectations.
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Visualize improvements through a prototype for validation.
Process
Research & Service Audit
We began by analyzing the existing service, identifying pain points and opportunities across all customer touchpoints.
Stakeholder Mapping
We mapped key actors: customers, baristas, suppliers, and management — to understand their roles and relationships.
Journey Mapping
Using user personas, we visualized the customer journey from discovery to purchase and post-service, highlighting key moments and emotions.
Service Blueprint
We developed a blueprint connecting frontstage actions (customer-facing) with backstage processes (internal operations), to improve consistency and efficiency.
Prototyping
We sketched ideas, built digital 3D layouts, and created cardboard prototypes to test movement in the café. This low-cost approach helped us see how space and flow could improve.
Solutions
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Digital POS System – Connected the counter to the kitchen with a digital screen, reducing errors and speeding up service.
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Redesigned Layout – Clear zones for ordering and waiting, reducing congestion.
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Clearer Staff Roles – Each team member had defined tasks, lowering multitasking stress.
Testing & Iteration
We tested the new flow with prototypes and gathered feedback from staff. The digital POS reduced interruptions, the new layout made movement more intuitive, and clearer roles improved coordination. Adjustments were made based on staff input to ensure the solutions were realistic and low-cost.
Conclusion
This project showed how service design can improve small businesses. By focusing on flow, communication, and staff experience, we created solutions that transformed both customer and staff journeys while keeping the café’s cozy, local feel.