Project specs
Taking a refill startup from beta to rollout
Refilled is an Australian startup on a mission to eliminate 100 million single-use plastic bottles by 2030.
I joined as a contract designer as it moved from a university beta to commercial rollout.
Up next: Assumptions
Scoping
We assumed an app would build the habit
Students were refilling happily at the beta machine at Sydney University. The brief was an MVP companion app to test alongside it, plus a Refiller interface in line with the rebrand already underway.
The assumption
An app for payments, rewards and impact tracking would deepen the habit and drive stronger engagement and retention.
What it relied on
Payments with good incentives, like free refills and weekly plans, and personal impact tracking through a QR code and a leaderboard.
Design
Speed to market, first
With limited engineering resources, everything was designed to ship fast. One engineer covered the machine, the dashboard and the app.
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A single dashboard housed any pending actions and impact information.
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One overlay template across the app for things like adding payment and scanning your QR, instead of bespoke screens.
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A simple login to keep the build small.
Up next: Pivot
Early findings
The true value moment was simply refilling at the machine
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Students had the app but rarely opened it. They could do all they needed at the machine.
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Continued early sales conversations told us businesses wanted to fund refills for their people as part of CSR initiatives, not pass payment onto them.
This undercut a lot of the app's value. So rather than extending the experience through another screen, we simplified it where the action happened.
Up next: Redesign
Solution
A Refiller that's quick, customisable and fun
Under 20 seconds
Start to finish, with every choice on one screen. A simple action earns the habit.
Customisation, always
Good drinks keep them coming back — size, type, flavours, boosters, all in the user's hands.
Community impact
Every refill, celebrated. On-machine leaderboard for some healthy sip-and-save competition.
All brand fit
Sleek and more professional so it felt at home in any space, with the personality that makes it fun intact.
Up next: Impact
Results
Adopted by leading workplaces
Refillers are now installed across workplaces, universities and community spaces including Google, Meta, Atlassian, Netflix, Uber, Woolworths, and more.
To date, Refilled has kept more than 1,000,000 single-use plastic bottles out of landfill, and expansion is underway in Singapore. For the businesses funding it, drink costs run up to 50% lower than single-use alternatives.
"It was love at first sip and our team has been going steady with the machine ever since. The team enjoys being able to access plain and flavoured water at the touch of a screen."
Olivia, Metcash
"The real-time gamification of plastic and carbon savings has sparked a healthy competitive spirit across our team, while also making sustainability feel tangible and engaging."
Troy, Woolworths Group
