In order to design one manual brewing method, flexibility is key. Each consumer wants slightly different things from their coffee, so the final product must be configurable.

Some examples of contradicting requirements is the material. Some consumers try to limit their contact with plastic. Others prefer plastic for its durability. Some consumers like the sludge at the bottom of a French press cup, claiming the fine particles gives the coffee more "body." Others are more concerned with paper filters ending up in the landfill. And other consumers care primarily about having a clear cup of coffee.

Based on our user personas and experiances with the various coffee tools, we have selected the following design requirements:

• Cost around $25
• Dishwasher safe
• Durable, food safe
• Reuseable filters
• No particulates
• Easy to clean: minimize touching grounds
• Measuring coffee grounds is ok since most people have a coffee scoop with their beans. However, it should be very obvious how much water to pour in.
• Self explanitory design: new users shouldn't have to research how to use it.

Smart Cup Attributes

• Made of BPA free plastic. Filters are made of a dishwasher safe Nylon mesh
• Costs around $20. For initial low volume manufacturing, the majority of the cost is for tooling. It will be cheaper than the Aeropress because no useless components included.
• Innovative dual stage filtration process allows fine particles to be removed without clogging with large particles
• A coarse mesh filter is twisted on. This will contain the majority of the grounds.
• A fine mesh filter is twisted on the bottom of that to catch small particles.
• The translucent plastic has clear marking on the side. 2 Tbsp of coffee is poured in, and then it is filled to the top with water.
• A lid with a gasket is placed on top of the container to cause a hydraulic lock and keep the water in contact with the grounds. Although this piece is also dishwasher safe, gaskets do degrade at high temperature. As this part is never in contact with the coffee, it doesn't need to be washed often.
• To clean, just unscrew the dual filter assembly and tap grounds into a trash can. Rinse all components.

Smart Cup Benefits

• Swappable filters allows customization and grind size flexibility
• Simple, intuitive design
• Durable, food safe plastic
• Dishwasher safe
• Gasket lid allows control of brew strength
• No paper filters in landfill
• Translucent plastic and engineered size means no guesswork for water volume