Chapter 6. Adding Value with Peripheral Services
Jerry Seinfeld: Your back hurts because of your wallet. It’s huge!
George Costanza: This isn’t just my wallet. It’s an organizer, a memory, and an old friend.
Jerry: Your friend is obese.
—Seinfeld, Season 9, Episode 12, “The Reverse Peephole”
Who are you designing a mobile payment experience for: a George, a Jerry, or another customer altogether? When you’re approaching a mobile wallet and payments solution, it can be challenging to nail down the right key features desired by your user base. Commerce and retail is an obvious starting point, but the concept of a “wallet” means different things to different people. Some people keep only a few credit cards, a debit card, and an ID in their wallet. Others follow the George Costanza model: a wallet overflowing with their payment cards, paper bills, small change, an archive of receipts, loyalty stamp cards from local shops, forgotten coupons, and more. What is common to most definitions of the “mobile wallet” is that it is something that is personal, private, and useful for everyday tasks. When defining and vetting the features that your users will want from a payment solution, you must decide how closely your product should mirror the various mental models of this very personal carry-all. Do your app’s customers desire a “Swiss Army knife” for all things related to their money? Or do they just need a wallet to be a giant Buy or Pay button? I am of the mind that consumers are not only looking ...
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