Apple Wallet UX Project

4 min readJun 19, 2022

Adding new use cases to the existing application to ensure new user adoption and increased engagement.

OVERVIEW

Apple Wallet is a mobile application that functions as a digital wallet, making transactions easy and seamless for users. It securely holds IDs, coupons, tickets, credit cards, and more information.

Considering the wide use cases of a digital wallet, we presume that its adoption is higher. But, when it comes to securing documents such as health records, driver’s licenses, and financial documents, the adoption rate is comparatively low in the United States compared to other countries such as the United Kingdom and India. There are government-mandated applications such as Digi-Locker in India that can be used to store information such as Driver’s License, Passport, Financial Statements, and Health documents in one place.

Few states, such as Louisana, have created an LA Wallet app that acts as a digital driver’s license application. Although it is a step in the right direction, the United States can collectively take a step forward and integrate it with the digital wallet system that is inherently present in the phone, i.e., Apple Wallet (for iOS) and Google Pay (for Android)

CHALLENGES

Driver’s License: Current physical forms of identification lack readability, typographic hierarchy, and visual style.

Early adopters of Digital IDs replicate the physical IDs’ existing visual design within the mobile environment. How can we streamline ID information to a secure digital platform?

Current physical forms of identification and their respective digital twins lack basic design principles causing issues in readability.

Vaccination Cards: With the pandemic still looming but businesses returning to normal, residents are asked to show proof of vaccination at most places. Carrying a physical card is cumbersome and prone to wear and tear.

Apple already allows users to add vaccination details through the Health providers app. Still, after conducting preliminary research, people find it challenging, and very few people currently use it. A more straightforward process to add vaccine cards makes life comfortable for more users.

RESEARCH

Research Plan: I created a research plan that included primary and secondary research methods to understand digital wallet use primarily by iPhone users. My research objectives were to understand a user’s routine digital wallet behaviors, uncover common pain points, identify what makes digital wallets seem secure to users, and investigate how additional features such as driver’s license and vaccine passports make users feel.

Research Findings

57% of participants screened used digital wallets on a routine basis to purchase items, book events, and accommodations, and manage rewards and gift cards.
45% of participants interviewed who use digital wallets agreed that a digital copy of a driver’s license was more convenient than a physical copy
70% of participants interviewed who use digital wallets agreed that a digital copy of vaccine information was more convenient than a physical copy.
60% of participants interviewed who use digital wallets agreed that utilization of vaccine passes or cards made them feel safe & secure.
40% of all participants stated that the physical copy of DL should take priority over the digital copy, but an option to mark the card as lost or stolen on the application.
71% of all participants — regardless of their opinion about the new feature — noted they had concerns about security or desired additional security measures on their digital wallets.

DESIGN

Testing out different layouts

Wireframes allowed me to test out different layouts that I created in my sketches without wasting much time. It showed me the things that worked well and the things I needed to change. My initial wireframes are pretty basic and I started to add more elements as I went on.

//placeholder to add pen-paper wireframes

Apple pay already had a secure platform that stores credit card information, so why not leverage the platform

The apple wallet is quite convenient, it literally is your digital wallet, so why not take advantage of it. I decided to integrate my design into it the leverage the security and authenticity features that are built into apple’s infrastructure. I referenced the apple interface guidelines to layout my design.