Credit Card UX And Security

The credit card is designed around the machine, not the user.

It occurred to me this morning when I was paying for coffee that every time I get this card out, I have to look at it and figure out which way to swipe it. Multiple times a day, I’m faced with this challenge. Just to be clear, I’m not complaining about having the ability to charge things to a piece of plastic, or to afford such luxuries as a coffee on my way to work every day. But after noticing a second design flaw within the current method of electronic payment, I decided to write about it in hopes that it would spark a project for myself or someone else.

It dawned on me as I was holding the card in swiping position that all of the important information on a card is displayed outside of the normal finger positions.

It may seem like a long shot for someone to memorize the 3 digit security code on the back and have a photo taken on their iPhone of your card as you pull it out of your wallet, but then again, this seems like an issue that could be easily avoided with some small layout changes on the card.

Solution

See where my fingers are in the photo? Put the information there, at least on the back of the card. I pulled the card out of my wallet a few times to observe where my fingers landed on the card. They covered the same MasterCard logo every time, not the security code that is currently exposed. It’s even a little ironic that MasterCard would have their logo covered and not the users private information when using the card in it’s most common form.

Maybe this aspect was over looked. Maybe it wasn't and we just weren't worried about it back when there were not 2 billion smart phones out there taking pictures at the swipe of a thumb. It might not even be something to worry about, so why am I? Because as someone who likes to re-think things over and over, I can’t help but point out a simple solution to this understated issue.

I’m currently in full on production mode. Recommend this post below then head over to tylersavin.com to see and read more of my work.