Silver Home Appliances Design · 2021
Lavazza MilkUp Milk Frother
- A' Design Award 2021 Silver Winner in Home Appliances Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: Lavazza
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 39,881
- Verification code 0A27A1F1AD · Verify this award
About Lavazza MilkUp Milk Frother
MilkUp lets you enjoy authentic Italian cappuccino at home. Quietly and efficiently preparing different recipes using magnetic induction. The elegant design is composed of bold, colourful, and simple elements with high-quality surfacing and materials. The backlit "stop and go" button is emphasized visually by a coloured ring. The jug is made from brushed Inox and has no internal moving parts. This makes it easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher. It has clear marks for minimum and maximum levels on the inside and an ergonomic handle. The whisk has a dedicated storage area on top of the lid.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- MilkUp lets you enjoy authentic Italian cappuccino at home. Quietly and efficiently preparing different recipes using magnetic induction.
The backlit stop&go button is emphasized visually by a coloured ring. The jug is made from brushed INOX and has no internal moving parts. This makes it easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher. It has clear marks for minimum and maximum levels on the inside and an ergonomic handle. The whisk has a dedicated storage area on top of the lid. - Dimensions & Packaging
- Dimensions: 205mm / 130mm / 230mm
Weight: 0,9kg
Minimum milk capacity 60 ml
Maximum capacity for milk frothing 120 ml
Maximum capacity for milk heating 180 ml
Removable parts are dishwasher safe
Power 500 W
Voltage 220-240
Frequency 50-60 Hz
It comes nicely boxed along with a Quick Start Guide and a more detailed instruction booklet. - Tags
- Lavazza, Coffee, Espresso, Cappuccino, Latte, milk frother
- Production Technology
- main shell: plastic (ABS), textured and glossy finishing.
logo: pad printed
jug: brushed stainless steel
silicone rubber feet - Design Challenge
- Extremely short development time.
- Project Duration
- The project was designed in Turin, Italy. The complete product development process took about 10 months.
- Operation Flow
- MilkUp is designed for a simple and intuitive user interaction. To use the frother simply insert the whisk in the center of the jug. Then add the milk so that it at least covers the minimum mark. Place the jug in the base unit and close the lid to avoid any splashes. Now press the button on the front of the base to start frothing. If you want to froth milk without heating it then you can press and hold the button for three seconds. The frothing cycle takes about a minute and a half after which it will stop automatically and sound two beeps. After that simply pour the frothed milk for a truly delicious cappuccino or latte.
- Research
- Development process through conceptual and formal research, 3D modelling, physical mock-ups, prototyping.
- Inspiration
- The product was designed in-house as an integral part of the Lavazza A MODO MIO product line. The elegant design is composed of bold, colourful, and simple elements with high-quality surfacing and materials. The external shell has a prominent colour split that lowers the perceived height of the product. Rear ventilation slots integrate a horizontal theme that can be found on many Lavazza products. The modern look and adds a special touch to any kitchen.
- Image Credits
- Lavazza
Colors of Lavazza MilkUp Milk Frother
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Product Design Strategy and Innovation Consulting
We offer strategic design consultation drawing from experience at Lavazza and Fiat. Our expertise includes product innovation, brand identity through design, and user-centered development. We help companies elevate their design capabilities through advisory services and workshops.
G0E1 ShopDesign Interview about Lavazza MilkUp Milk Frother
MilkUp has an elegant and solid design. Composed of bold, colourful, and simple elements with high-quality surfacing and materials. The external shell has a prominent colour split that lowers the perceived height of the product.
We set out to apply the new design direction we had developed for Lavazza on a new product category.
The product had a very successful production run.
The design and development process for this project was very fast and took about ten months.
Lavazza needed to complement the existing product range with high quality milk frothers.
The appliance has been developed by Lavazza in Turin, Italy.
As mentioned before, Lavazza wanted to expand its product range by also offering well designed milk frothers.
The design was developed internally based on an existing technical package as a starting point.
Basically anyone who likes milk foam.
Milkup is a solid design with easy to clean milk vessel. It also has a special area to store the whisk integrated in the lid's design.
The name was developed by colleagues from the marketing department.
The design process involved everything from analog and digital sketching to 3D modeling, mock-ups and prototypes.
MilkUp extends the design philosophy and form language of Lavazza to the category of milk frothers.
The design was developed by our small in-house team in close collaboration with colleagues from the technical department.
The appliance is rather simple and the technology is quietly in the background for a pleasant user experience.
The design was developed based on market analysis, the target group and relevant trends.
Timing was essential and the whole design process had to be extremely streamlined.
With every new product you gain experience and learn. In this specific case we learned a lot about the use of post consumer recycled plastics. All the challenges and opportunities they represent.
Making design decisions quickly and refine everything along the way.
That's all.
Grand Interview about Lavazza MilkUp Milk Frother
One of the great advantages of this technical solution is the separate milk jug made from stainless steel or INOX. It can be cleaned super easily in the kitchen sink or by simply putting it into the dishwasher. This is really convenient. Also, having the milk foam prepared in this vessel allows for a real barista experience and latte art. Which really is a nice additional feature, don't you think?
While the main colour and material split has an immediate impact on the aesthetic of the product it is mainly driven by the functional necessities - the technical package and the stainless steel jug. The secondary colour splits on the front and rear are used to visually structure the object. Their execution follows the formal language of other Lavazza products.
As you know, the complete design development process is very often quite tight. But in this case we were comparatively quick. We were able to develop this product within a very short timeframe mainly thanks to a great working relationship with all the great colleagues form the technical development. Thanks guys!
Initially we didn't have this feature. But we realized rather quickly that the users will need to have a dedicated place to put the removable whisk. We analysed several different solutions, and finally focused on a rather clever integration into the lid. This way the whisk is visible and always easily accessible.
The material choice in this case is very much based on the technical constraints and requirements. You might have come across this one before. You know, form - or rather material in this case - follows function...
It is always challenging to guarantee an intuitive user experience when the user interface is also very reduced and minimal. In this case we made sure that the backlit stop-and-go button would be visually in line with other objects in our product range. The coloured ring plays an important part. It underlines the main touchpoint and also recalls other products form our range.
When we set up the design operations in Lavazza I brought all my previous experience from the automotive field with me. And now we make sure that all our products - not only the MilkUp frother - are designed to a very high standard. This includes the sculptural aspects as well as all the detailing, colours and materials.
This is actually rather simple. For several reasons we decided rather early on, that we' want to have a horizontal theme as part of the Lavazza form language. We then kept applying this theme across our product range. In doing so consistently we made sure that it became a brand identifier. Really a minor detail, but still something that helps us to create a visual identity.
The MilkUp Frother is part of a larger product range and plays an important part in this line up. As such the product will most definitely also inspire and influence all our future product development.
As mentioned before, it is really not that easy to achieve a solid and intuitive user experience with a reduced and minimal user interface. In these cases we always follow some important mantras, like: "Keep it simple" and "Less is more".