1275 FINE WINE COLLECTIONS
Wine collecting and investment reinvented
Brand Strategy, App design, UI, UX
I collaborated with 1275, an innovative fine wine startup that is making a typically esoteric industry more accessible. For the first time, wine collectors can scan a chip on a bottle with their phone and discover the full history of their wine, from the vineyard to the table. Users have access to every relevant detail such as location, temperature, humidity and value.
We kicked off with discovery workshops, leading into clickable prototypes to test ideas. This helped us clarify how to solve some of the biggest challenges, specifically around the process of how to digitise large collections of wine.
Using NFC technology, simply tapping a bottle of 1275 wine with a smartphone opens the wine in the 1275 app, verifies that the bottle exists and reassures the user that the wine is exactly what it’s labelled as. With another click, collectors can view historic location, temperature and humidity data, accounting for conditions since the bottle left the estate.
Wine is an analog product with a lot of character. One of the main dangers of digitising a product like wine is that you lose the spirit of the real thing. In lieu of wine collectors rummaging around in their dusty wine cellars, we needed to create an app which would preserve the character of the wine whilst providing an unrivalled experience by pulling in live market price, sensor and rating data.
Whilst data is essential to prove the provenance, conditions and value of the wine, we also needed to remind our users that their collection is something to enjoy.
This contrast between the almost surgical, data-led aspect of storage and the more emotional side of wine discovery resulted in an interface that allows users to explore as much or little as they want from the app. We built an intuitive UI that presented that objective data alongside more subjective information about fine wines like tasting notes and recommended peak drinking windows provided by leading reviewers. The goal was to prompt users to discover something new about their collection, or maybe even order some for delivery to their home to enjoy.
The app is what sets 1275 apart from the competition. It allows investors to explore their wine collections from the palm of their hands. We wanted users to feel connected to their collection, and instil confidence that it’s safe and secure by allowing them real-time access to storage and transport conditions. We used subtle loading animations to emphasise the data was live, and allowed users to peruse their wines within meaningful contexts; Wine type, Region, Vintage, Value and Drinking window.
1275 stands by absolute transparency, so clients can check in on how their collection is growing in value through live market data.
CREDIT
This work was produced while working at Gravitywell.