Context
Two systems. One brand. Zero compatibility.
Nespresso sells coffee across two incompatible systems. Different capsules, different extraction, zero cross-compatibility. The customer is never told which system they’re buying for.
Both systems sell a 40 ml drink. Both call it an Espresso. The capsules will not physically work in each other's machines. Several machine families exist on both sides (e.g. Creatista, Lattissima), so "I've got a Lattissima" tells nothing about what that customer can actually buy.
The customer was often being asked to understand the architecture of our business before they could make a simple purchase.
Original
Creatista Plus · Lattissima One · Gran Lattissima
Open capsule market. Third-party pods widely available.
Vertuo
Vertuo Creatista · Vertuo Lattissima
Barcode-read extraction. Closed capsule ecosystem.
The Collision
Same sub-brand names. Opposite systems. The name a customer knows is the one piece of information that can't resolve their question.
Original
3 sizes
A capsule system focused primarily on espresso and smaller coffee formats.
25 ml · Ristretto
40 ml · Espresso
110 ml · Lungo
Vertuo
6 sizes
A separate system supporting a wider range of coffee sizes.
40 ml · Espresso
80 ml · Double
150 ml · Gran lungo
230 ml · Mug
355 ml · XL
535 ml · Carafe
What was the challenge?
Four datasets. One underlying problem.
Compatibility had never been anyone's remit, so nobody had joined the signals up. In discovery we did.
Why this mattered
Markets had been layering their own terminology on top of the confusion for years. Everyone was solving the symptom locally. Nobody owned the cause.
Contact centre
Signal 01
Enquiry volume tagged to compatibility. Confusion already had a very real cost line, it just sat in someone else's budget.
Returns
Signal 02
Return rate on first coffee orders. The purchase that should build customer confidence and habit was the one most likely to fail.
PDP behaviour
Signal 03
Drop-off where customers entered a product page from the wrong system. Arriving in the wrong half of the catalogue, silently.
New machine owners
Signal 04
Percentage of customers whose first coffee order was for a system they didn’t own. The clearest sign the experience was failing.
The reframe
The brief said revamp. The evidence said something else.
Compatibility should be treated as a customer problem to solve across the whole journey, not simply a product constraint to explain.
That wasn't in the brief. It changed what we designed, what we tested, and eventually what 40+ markets agreed to ship.
The brief
Revamp the coffee shopping experience.
What discovery showed
Customers weren't confident which coffee worked with their machine.
The reframe I argued for
How might we help every customer confidently buy coffee they can actually use?
Exploration
Homepage
1
Simplified system choice
We removed system complexity from the Homepage, helping users quickly start their purchase journey and move into the relevant PLP.
2
Introducing compatibility at the right moment
A single “Shop all” entry takes users to an intermediary PLP, where they first choose the coffee or machine system they’re shopping for.
Intermediary page
3
Guided choice before products
Users can explore all coffee types and choose what suits them before entering the product listing.
4
Built to scale
A scalable category structure supports future products without adding complexity or overloaded PLP filters.
5
Simplifying system comparison
The banner helps users understand the differences between systems through a simple side-by-side comparison.
PLP
6
Dedicated system PLP
Each PLP shows one coffee system only, with an easy route back to explore other types.
7
Clear filter visibility
The filter bar shows the number of products available and clearly indicates when filters are applied.
8
Mug size at a glance
Adding ml sizes to Vertuo capsules helps users quickly identify the right coffee size before using filters.
PDP
9
Clear compatibility on PDPs
A prominent compatibility message on Coffee and Machine PDPs removes system confusion, with a drawer explaining compatible machines or capsules.
10
Cup sizes at a glance
Cup sizes stay prominent on the PDP, helping users quickly see how many sizes each coffee can brew.
Comparison
11
Side-by-side comparison
The comparison panel helps users compare products and confidently choose the right one.
12
Guiding the next step
User testing validated quick links to compatible coffees or similar machines, helping users continue their journey.
Ideas That Didn’t Make the Cut
Other ideas didn’t make the cut, including a mini-basket compatibility alert due to tech constraints, while ‘Notify Me’ and ‘Recipes’ were out of scope.
Selected examples
Reflections
