How Philz Coffee Translated In-Store Magic into a Digital Ordering System
Industry
Food & Beverage
Client Type
Foundational Experience
Focus Area
UX Research & Digital Experience Design
CHALLENGE
Philz Coffee built its brand on hand-crafted drinks and personal barista connections. As they expanded across California, D.C., and Chicago, they needed a digital ordering system that could scale without losing the warmth and personalization customers loved.
SOLUTIONS
Partnered with Work & Co to design a research-driven mobile experience that:
Absorbed Customer & Barista Data
Studied mountains of behavioral data to understand how customers and baristas interacted, then identified patterns to translate into digital flows.
Preserved Human Connection
Designed features like showing the barista's photo making your drink turning a simple transaction into something more personal.
Built Smart Ordering Logic
Created a system that optimizes pickup times based on each shop's queue, distance, and travel time — ensuring drinks are ready exactly when customers arrive.
Governance & Oversight
Defined escalation rules and human review checkpoints so the AI assistant stayed accountable and accurate over time.
IMPACT
What Changed After Implementation
98%
customer satisfaction rating
90%+
positive in-app feedback
WWDC
featured at Apple's developer conference
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