APPLE

WALLET

Adding new features to an existing digital wallet application to improve security.

PROJECT TYPE

Application

Technology

TIMELINE

4 weeks

ROLE

UX Researcher

UX & UI Designer

EXPLORING HEALTH INFORMATION FEATURES IN APPLE WALLET

Apple Wallet is a mobile app that functions as a digital wallet, making transactions easy and seamless for users. It securely holds information for IDs, coupons, tickets, credit cards, and more. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in demand for post-pandemic solutions, Apple is seeking a way to easily add medical information like vaccination verification and passports as a feature to their digital wallet application.

The overall nature of handling medical information is delicate. Users want to keep their private information as secure as possible. The new features added to Apple Wallet had to ensure users felt clear in their task, in control, comfortable and secure.

The Challenge

  • Complete user research on digital wallets

  • Identify & create personas, user flows

  • Design a new security feature

Objectives

THE RESEARCH

I created a research plan that included primary and secondary research methods to better understand digital wallet use and validate the new medical information feature I was planning to add. 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 COVID passports make users feel.

Planning it out

  • 57% of participants screened used digital wallets on a routine basis to purchase items, book events and accommodations, and manage rewards and gift cards.

  • 50% of participants interviewed who use digital wallets agreed that a digital copy of vaccine information was more convenient than a physical copy.

  • 50% of participants interviewed who use digital wallets agreed that utilization of vaccine passes or cards made them feel safe & secure.

  • 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 wallet, especially with medical information.

Research findings

Participant feedback

“It’s an interesting concept that might work if every state was onboard. I would feel a lot more secure if there was a way to obscure the information or better control who gets the information in the case of hacking. I would like it if a vaccine passport was implemented for large-scale events and for traveling abroad.”

“The vaccination pass is small, and sometimes I forget where I put it. Having a digital one will definitely help. However, I do have concerns over privacy and security issues.”

A PIVOTAL MOMENT

The initial feature being investigated for this project with Apple Wallet was the ability for users to add medical information in the form of vaccination records, cards, or passports to provide a more convenient digital copy and to create a forward-thinking, innovative solution with the potential to provide verification and integration with third-party apps for travel & event booking.

After surveying and interviewing participants, it was clear that almost everyone felt similarly about digital wallets: they desired more control over their security. The primary concern brought up before AND after bringing vaccine cards into the conversation was how secure information is if it’s stored in a digital wallet.

This presented a UX opportunity to add a secondary feature focusing on card security to align better with user needs. I decided to pivot the focus of my project more on the security aspects of adding medical information for users seeking to keep a digital copy of their cards on them.

THE STRATEGY

Persona development, user flows, and wireframing

I first created a user persona focused on security needs to better empathize with users in the midst of my project pivot. I then mapped out a task flow of how users add cards to digital wallets to grasp the basic concepts of the first feature, and then I developed an ideal user flow that took into consideration both features I was adding to Apple Wallet.

I used Maze to complete user testing on the prototypes to validate my designs and seek further improvements. Participants were given a set of tasks to work through and complete within the prototype designs along with survey questions at the end of each task to collect feedback.

Through prototype testing, I discovered my initial wireframes and user flow made sense to participants, but they still had a lot of questions about implementing the new security feature. My iterations focused solely on making the instructions and security creation simple and intuitive.

Prototype testing and results

THE DESIGN

The new features added to the Apple Wallet app were design opportunities that optimized user needs by making the addition of vaccine information simple and secure.

  • Goal: Easily add medical information to Apple Wallet.

    Features Added:

    • “Medical” section on the Card Type page that includes vaccine cards and test results.

    • Card photograph that auto-detects fields

    • The option for users to enter card details manually

  • Goal: Passphrase instruction comprehension for all users & secure passphrase creation to lock individual medical cards in Apple Wallet.

    Features Added:

    • “Add later” option for users not interested in adding extra security to their medical information

    • “What is a passphrase?” page with examples, utilization information, and instructions

    • Drag & drop passphrase creation functionality

    • Re-generation button for users seeking different works to create passphrase with

  • Goal: Easily lock and unlock cards and navigate the card page to utilize features, view information, mange third-party apps, and access security settings.

    Features Added:

    • New card page interface

    • Card QR code for quick & easy use

    • Security toggle settings to manage card’s lock

  • Prompt screen to add a digital vaccine card

  • Quick-capture feature to quickly fill in information

  • Card details screen with all vital health inputs

  • New screen dedicated to passphrase information

  • New passphrase feature to secure information in Apple Wallet

  • Screen to view and manage vaccine card details

    Screen to view and manage vaccine card details

  • An unlocked card page with QR code to use for events, travel, etc.

Project Challenges & Learnings

Discussing controversial topics

Due to the current landscape surrounding COVID-19 vaccinations and how countries, governments, and private businesses are choosing to structure post-pandemic business, research for this project occasionally was difficult. Not all research participants agreed that adding this new feature to Apple Wallet was useful or something they agreed with. I had to navigate conversations, interviews, and surveys knowing this. To ensure research explored as many individuals’ experiences and thoughts surrounding digital wallets, I asked questions and listened carefully to all participants to empathize with their points of view on the new feature. By doing this, I was able to pinpoint user goals, motivations, and fears across a wider group of individuals and create a stronger feature optimized around user needs.

Assuming Apple’s existing security features would be enough.

I went into the project with assumptions that Apple’s existing security features - from their biometrics to unlock Apple Wallet to Find My iPhone that can wipe a stolen or lost phone - were enough to make users feel secure about adding vaccine information. I didn’t expect users, both those who utilize digital wallets already and those who do not, to carry additional security concerns. With this in mind, I wanted to find a secure solution to implement along with the addition of my new feature. Implementing both features and their flows within Apple Wallet had to be simple, clear, and make users feel in control of their security.

Working through passphrase kinks.

My first passphrase design was too difficult for users - I expected users of all backgrounds to be familiar with what passphrases are, how they work, and create a 6-word passphrase with random words on their own. Although my UI was intuitive enough and users knew where they had to click, upon further research I found the UX design behind my 6-word passphrase was unrealistic. To supplement its shortcomings, I reduced the passphrase to 4 words and implemented a drag-and-drop feature with randomly generated words for users to create their passphrases. This reduced a lot of the upfront questions and work for the user while making the experience simpler with fewer instructions.

Future features

These were additional opportunities for future iterations of security features and health information in Apple Wallet.

  • Continue working on designing solutions around the verification & validation of vaccine information, passes, and their integration with third-party applications for travel, events, work, and more.

  • Test whether utilizing a generic number passcode would suffice as an additional security layer for users seeking to lock their cards, or as a temporary passcode for those who’ve entered a “master passphrase.”

  • Investigate if this security feature would be desired on more than just medical information within Apple Wallet.

Let's create together

Let's create together