Kitchen Aid
Fully Automatic Espresso
KitchenAid entered the premium fully automatic espresso category with the goal of delivering a product that combined exceptional coffee-making performance with the brand's signature simplicity and timeless design.
Industry
Consumer Appliances / Home Appliances
Timeline
2021-2024 · Launched April 2024
Services
User Research · Product UX · Embedded UI Design · Interaction Design
Our team partnered with KitchenAid to create the end-to-end user experience for its new espresso platform, designing a seamless interaction between the physical product and its embedded digital interface. Working alongside industrial design, engineering, CMF, marketing, and manufacturing teams, the experience was crafted to feel intuitive from the very first use while supporting a sophisticated feature set.
“Launching an entirely new product category meant designing an experience from the ground up.”
The interface needed to balance advanced functionality with everyday usability while working within evolving hardware capabilities, supplier limitations, and engineering constraints. Every interaction—from selecting a beverage to maintenance and cleaning—had to feel effortless while remaining consistent with KitchenAid's premium design language. The challenge wasn't simply designing a touchscreen; it was creating a unified product experience where hardware and software worked together naturally.
The project combined user-centered design with close cross-functional collaboration throughout development. Rather than treating the interface as a standalone screen, every touchpoint—from physical controls to on-screen guidance—was designed as part of one connected experience.
Understanding user expectations for premium home espresso machines
Simplifying complex brewing workflows into intuitive interactions
Designing a cohesive physical and digital experience
Developing scalable interaction patterns across the product family
Iterating closely with engineering and manufacturing teams to ensure every solution was both usable and feasible
The resulting experience delivers a clean, approachable interface that makes creating café-quality beverages feel simple and enjoyable.
Intuitive navigation requiring minimal learning
Clear visual hierarchy and guided workflows
Seamless integration between touchscreen interactions and physical controls
Elegant UI aligned with KitchenAid's modern design language
Consistent interaction patterns across beverage selection, customization, maintenance, and cleaning
“The experience was designed to reduce cognitive load while providing users with the flexibility expected from a premium espresso machine.”
Creating a premium connected product required close collaboration across multiple disciplines.
This collaborative process ensured that every design decision balanced user needs, technical feasibility, manufacturing requirements, and the KitchenAid brand experience.
The fully automatic espresso line launched globally in April 2024, marking KitchenAid's entry into the premium automatic espresso market. Despite significant technical and manufacturing constraints, the project delivered an experience that successfully combined intuitive usability with refined industrial design.
Results
Successfully launched KitchenAid's first fully automatic espresso platform
Delivered a seamless digital and physical user experience
Established a premium interaction framework aligned with the KitchenAid brand
Recognised with the Red Dot Award for Industrial Design
Reinforced KitchenAid's reputation for thoughtful, user-centered product design
Recognised with the Red Dot & iF Award for Industrial Design
Impact
The project demonstrates how thoughtful UX can elevate a connected appliance beyond functionality. By integrating research, interaction design, and cross-disciplinary collaboration, the final product delivers an experience that feels intuitive, elegant, and distinctly KitchenAid—helping users focus less on operating the machine and more on enjoying exceptional coffee.