Kayna Sondakh (she/her) is a Creative / Book Designer / Daydreamer with an appetite for all things beautiful.

Materialising dreams and mindscapes through printed matters, communication design, creative direction, and whatever she feels like doing.

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Service Design
2023


Little Alchemy by T2


Role    Researcher, Brand Designer, Video Editor
Team    Claire A, Harshithaa, Jiahuan H


BA (Hons) in Design Practice








The Project


Brief: Choose a brand and elevate it.

  T2 Tea is a novelty-based tea store best known for its colourful tea wares and unique tea blends. The brand aims to connect and unite people over a cup of tea; however, T2 seems to struggle with several areas: community engagement, in-store sensory experience, and effective returns.

  Little Alchemy by T2 Tea is a proposal to address these concerns and elevate the brand by expanding its customer base towards young families. By making tea time with T2 a shared family ritual—using a newly designed social space, tea-blending kit, and app—Little Alchemy aims to unite millennial parents and kids through tea experiences.




The Research


  Our methodology mostly involved field research and one-on-one interviews, as it was nearly impossible to land a call with a T2 employee given the short timeframe. Despite that, we were able to collect enough insights to identify pain points. Afterwards, we set up a diverse set of interviews, not necessarily with tea drinkers.

  When we learned that drinking tea is often a household ritual, we decided to use that as the foundation of how we could elevate T2. The idea of a tea ritual would appeal to millennial families trying to build a healthy routine. This would be accompanied by children’s activities involving tea brewing, both in-store and at home.








The Outcome


  Little Alchemy by T2 proposes a service system with three new touchpoints:





(1) Alchemy Cafe, an interactive space for families to bond.

  The cafe would take place at the 313 Somerset branch because there is ample space in front of the store, normally used for pop-ups.


Alchemy Station
A fun and interactive experience for families. They can enjoy tea tastings of the most unique blends, conducted by professional “alchemists” themselves.



Activity Corner
A space for Little Alchemists to engage in fun activities, like tea-time stories and DIYs.



Trail
Floor decals that connect the cafe space and retail store, leading users through the entire T2 area.

(2) Alchemy Kit, to bring the cafe experience home.

  At the store, users can bring home a tea kit that replicates the in-store experience, providing a tea infuser, an activity booklet, and samples of various tea blends.


A customisable Alchemy Kit that provides all the elements for a tea time session in the comfort of one’s own home.




An activity booklet filled with inspiration for family bonding activities, tea recipes, and secret magical blends.


Samples of decaf teas with unique flavours. The kit also comes with an empty tea can, encouraging users to craft their own tea blends.
(3) T2 App, to aid convenience for both in-store and at-home experiences.

  To address the lack of community building and customer retention, the system proposes an app with features to help with these pain points and keep things circular.



Users new to drinking tea can take personality tests that recommend bespoke tea blends. This is also helpful for those who are curious about new releases or want to try new blends.


An interactive digital channel between T2 and the tea community. This section of the app offers helpful features: home delivery, promotions, community forums, and more.






Exhibition Views


Probable, Plausible, Possibilities.

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) Student Showcase