This research guided the creation of a Jobs To Be Done framework that focused on key user goals like quickly finding the right card, checking recent transactions, and feeling secure using the wallet in stores.

2. Defining the Problem

Our target users—late adopters of digital wallets—valued security, clarity, and ease-of-use over sleek animations or excessive card imagery. However, many also expected the visual metaphors they were used to (like the card stack in Apple Wallet).

This created a tension: how do we build familiarity while innovating a better, more functional experience?

We mapped out a storyboard, focusing on what should be immediately visible on the home screen (e.g., default card, quick actions), and what could be tucked away (e.g., detailed settings or card details) based on our users priorities.

A major turning point came when I introduced the "deck of cards" metaphor—a layout that invites users to look down on their cards like they would on a physical table, rather than peering into a stack floating midair.

It reframed the user’s mental model
Up until that point, the team (and many users) were defaulting to the Apple Wallet paradigm: a vertical stack of card art floating in space, where users scroll or swipe through. While familiar, this model is rooted in visual display, not usability or utility.

By introducing the "deck on a table" concept, you helped shift the team from thinking in terms of presentation to thinking in terms of interaction.

1. It made the interaction feel grounded and tactile
   Looking down at a set of cards mimics how people physically use real wallets, poker tables, or even when laying out loyalty cards. It feels deliberate and controlled, which is critical for users who are newer to digital wallets and may still be building trust in the technology.

2. It opened the door to more intuitive navigation patterns
   Once the cards are treated like objects on a surface, you can introduce layered navigation, spatial relationships, drag-and-drop possibilities, or preview interactions that aren't viable in the floating stack model.
   → This opened up space for creative ideation, like horizontal scroll, overlapping cards, swipe-up drawers, or expandable summaries—all of which are more aligned to the "surface" metaphor.

3. It unlocked better prioritization of information hierarchy
   In the floating stack model, each card is a full-bleed image and typically the only visible content. In the deck model, you can show partial cards, badges, labels, or other metadata peeking out from the rest of the surface.
   → This allowed for lightweight scannability and better visibility into the wallet's contents without forcing users to dig.

4. It gave the bank’s wallet a unique design signature
   Competing with Apple/Google wallets means going beyond parity. This metaphor not only solved real UX issues—it gave the bank's wallet a differentiated feel, which is key to adoption and brand trust.

This reframing helped shift stakeholder conversations from “how should this look?” to “how should this behave?”—opening up space to rethink navigation patterns more holistically.