Meeting People Where They Are.

That’s the promise of great customer experience design, whether you're designing shoes or software. But in the wallet space, that’s largely not what’s happening. On one end, we have complicated tech fanaticism and endless digital hype; on the other, people who resist tech entirely.

What about everyone in between?

Rather than treating wallets as binary—this or that, I’ve been thinking about them as a fluid, ever-evolving ecosystem. Because your wallet profile shifts over time, just like you—driven by life events, geography, habits, technology adoption, etc.

Take a few folks in my orbit, for example:

👧 My 5-year-old sees a wallet as a coin pouch..
🎮 My 8-year-old is collecting tokens in online learning games.
💌 My 90-something grandma still writes checks for birthdays.
📱 My 30-something friend from SE Asia doesn’t carry a physical wallet.
🇦🇺 My 40-something Australian friend doesn’t carry a physical ID.

To explore this idea further, I’ve been working on a conceptual framework for creating a unique "wallet profile"—mapping the experience from your first wallet to your last. Instead of designing for static use cases, what if we built a platform that adapts to dynamic behaviors based on a variety of factors?

For example, a few key dimensions shaping wallet needs:

💳 Medium – Do you use a physical wallet, digital wallet, or both?
🏦 Mindset – Do you have a traditional or non-traditional approach to finance?
🕰 Life Stage – Where are you in life—young, old, or somewhere in between?

But that’s just the foundation—countless other factors come into play:

🔄 Lifestyle & Mobility – Are you highly mobile (e.g., traveler, urban dweller) or more stationary?
🔒 Security & Privacy Preferences – Do you prioritize security (e.g. RFID-blocking, cold storage) or convenience?
💰 Financial Behavior – Are you cash-first, card-first, or fully digital? Do you have access to a bank?
🎨 Aesthetic & Material Preferences – Classic leather? Modern technical materials? Sustainable design? Duct Tape?
📲 Tech Integration – Are you all-in on mobile wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, NFC) or sticking with good ol' plastic cards?

Whether someone desires a luxury leather bifold, a minimalist cardholder, a crypto cold storage wallet, or an NFC-powered smart wallet (or all of the above)—meeting them where they are leads to better products, better services, and better engagement. At least that's the idea...

More to come on this—I’d love to hear your thoughts!

💛 Garett