Transforming individual coffee preferences into a shared product created by Switzerland.
Migros needed to discover Switzerland's favourite coffee while turning product development into a meaningful customer experience.
Rather than relying on traditional market research or asking people to vote for predefined products, the challenge was to create a digital experience that allowed customers to actively shape the final recipe.
The platform needed to make complex coffee characteristics easy to understand while encouraging curiosity, participation, and a sense of shared ownership.
My Contribution
I helped develop the original idea behind Le Café National, transforming customer participation into an interactive product creation experience.
As Lead UX Architect, I defined the experience strategy, information architecture, and user journey that guided people from their personal coffee preferences towards a shared national recipe.
I also led the art direction, shaping the visual concept and creative language of the experience. Inspired by Swiss visual culture and vintage travel posters, the design combined a strong sense of national identity with a contemporary digital expression.
Working closely with strategy, copy, design, and technology, I connected the campaign idea, user experience, and visual direction across digital and physical touchpoints.
Design Principles
Create participation through personal choice
Simplify complex product characteristics
Guide without influencing the decision
Encourage curiosity and exploration
Build ownership through contribution
Connect digital participation with a physical product
Key Design Decisions
Rather than presenting predefined coffee varieties, the experience invited people to describe and create their ideal coffee.
Through a guided journey, participants selected preparation methods, roast preferences, strength, and flavour characteristics. Complex coffee terminology was translated into accessible and engaging choices, allowing people with different levels of knowledge to participate confidently.
The visual language turned the experience into a journey through Swiss coffee culture, while playful interactions made each contribution feel personal and meaningful.
Outcome
The experience connected thousands of individual preferences with the development of a real Migros product.
Phase one invited people across Switzerland to create their ideal coffee through an intuitive digital journey. Every decision contributed to a growing collective picture of the nation's coffee preferences.
Phase two translated these preferences into a shared recipe. The resulting Le Café National was produced and brought into Migros stores, turning digital participation into a physical product created by the community.
Key Outcome
30,500+
Coffee creations in three weeks.
Bronze
Best of Swiss Web in Marketing.
Le Café National demonstrated how digital participation can shape real product innovation. By transforming more than 30,500 individual coffee creations into one collective recipe, the experience strengthened customer participation and reinforced Migros' commitment to co creation. The winning recipe was produced and launched as a real Migros product, connecting digital engagement with a tangible customer experience. The project received a Bronze Award at Best of Swiss Web in the Marketing category 2021.
