Ordering a latte in sign language

The folks at “I Love Coffee”, a South Africa based social enterprise that also operates in London, could have done the simple thing. They employ baristas who use sign language, and instead of making it easy for customers, they made it meaningful. And I love them for that.

Let’s say you were standing in a queue waiting for coffee in your office and someone asks you to order in a new language. A language that’s 3-dimensional, not 2-d.

The other option: just choose your coffee from a list on an iPad. Push a few buttons, get your office-sponsored coffee.

It’s obvious that the second option is easier. But it takes away the humanness of the experience. The first option is beautiful, tasteful, and makes you feel connected to the barista as you learn their language while you order your latte.

They also have instructions for you - things like: shouting or raising your volume doesn’t help. It made me understand the world of someone who can’t hear, a bit better.

This is good, deliberate design and I thank the folks at “I Love Coffee” for thinking through this.

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