Whats is your wallet?
The adventure to remake my wallet.
“Don’t you think you need a new wallet?”
My girlfriend asked me and I soured as I remember hearing this phrase about a dozen times from friends over the years. My immediate answer was ‘no’. Yes, I had my wallet for over 10 years, it was definitely weathered from the journey, it is made of nylon, and is not the sleek standard leather rectangle wallet that you would think a ‘professional’ would have, but…My wallet had a story.
My uncle had given it to me over 10 years ago, as I admired his and it was the same one he had. The wallet packed tightly, had a pocket on the outer side for quick access to items, and zippered around so nothing fell out. It had been around the world to over 15 countries. It also worked and was not broken.
It made me cringe to think of conforming to the standard leather wallet of the male American. Everyone seemed to have the a different flavor of EXACTLY the same thing. A bulky leather block that folds in half when you slip into your front right or back pocket that makes your pants bulge (especially if you are wearing skinny jeans). Every time you purchase something you have to pull out the entire block from your pocket and spread it open to show the world its contents. Some so large and hefty they seem like more of a weapon rather than an item storing your money and ID.
It did not seem simple, elegant, or exciting to use, but in reality, neither did my current wallet. So I felt this was a great opportunity for reinvention and experimentation and set out to prototype an improved version, so I defined my design challenge:
How might I design an item to secure my money, ID, and credit cards that is elegant, slim, slick, easy to use, and allows myself easy access to its contents?
I could have interviewed people and collected more observations, but I was impatient and dived right in. I knew the first thing I was annoyed with was the bulkiness and pant bulge it created. So I created prortype #1, emptied my wallet, took out only my credit card, ID, and a few dollars and put them in an envelope that I had that I had gotten from AMC theaters.
Believe it or not, I liked it. It was so simple. The ‘envelope wallet’ was compact and slipped in and out of my pocket easily, but after a few days of using it (besides being weathered from use) the contents were not as quick access as the outside pocket in my old wallet and it did not hold enough. I would carry around the other wallet in my bag if I went to the gym with my other IDs, which defeated the purpose. I imagined if the Coin came out it would help this issue, but it’s not out just yet!
So I went back to the lab and started sketching the next item I wanted to create and also looked at other alternatives. I found a ‘card wallet’ meant for business cards which was more compact than the original and used that as I sketched alternatives to create.
The ‘card wallet’ has the elegance and professional look no is slightly smaller than both my old and the traditional, but I feel like it is still too big and does not allow quick-access to items, but it is a step in the right direction.
At this point I had been traveling and noticed a few things. Many people who wanted quick access to cards in other countries use a ‘card holder’ for cards that they used to scan into the bus and subway. Coins are used as currency and many said they ‘hate’ them and avoided using them. I observed a creative solution for coins, an M&M container (this was used in addition to the wallet). Also I noticed for safety reasons I found myself separating all my wallet contents into a wallet that holds all my cards and another that is just my ID and some cash to get around. These observations will prove useful for developing insights.
Until the next prototype, what is your wallet?
