THE CHALLENGE
In the early 2000s, Douwe Egberts and Philips wanted to do more than launch another coffee maker. They wanted to create a new coffee system that would refresh the consumer market and change how people brew coffee at home. They asked WAACS to design the machine: one that worked flawlessly, was cost-efficient to produce and felt like something you would actually want on your kitchen counter.
OUR APPROACH
“Everyone secretly yearns for a butler.” That insight helped shape the design. WAACS gave the Senseo its signature bowed form, a machine that seems to bow in service. From early sketches and physical models, the bowed silhouette became the product’s distinctive identity and shaped the interaction between user, machine and cup. Design and engineering moved together from the start, balancing user experience and visual character with functionality and production requirements.
DESIGN & ENGINEERING
WAACS worked closely with Douwe Egberts and Philips to turn the concept into a feasible consumer appliance. Product architecture, usability, functionality and cost-efficient manufacturing were considered from the start. Sketches, physical models and engineering development helped refine the concept while protecting the distinctive character of the bowed form. The result was a recognizable coffee system in which product design, engineering, manufacturing and brand experience came together.
THE RESULT
Launched in 2002, Senseo became a major consumer success in Europe before expanding to the United States and other international markets. “When a noun becomes a verb, an idea becomes a legend.” Consumers began using the product name conversationally: “Can I make you a Senseo?” The name had become associated not only with the machine, but with the coffee experience itself. For WAACS, Senseo demonstrates how we develop consumer appliances from concept and product identity through product design, engineering and production, working closely with major international brands.
Client: Douwe Egberts / Sara Lee · Philips
Industry: Home Appliances · Coffee Systems
Markets: Europe · United States · International
WAACS expertise: Product Strategy · Concept Development · Industrial Design · Product Design · Design Engineering · Prototyping · Design for Manufacturing · Cost-Conscious Design
