The ideal wallet: Ang wallet na maswerte

Federico Gatchalian III
5 min readJun 27, 2021

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My ideal wallet

My ideal wallet is a black bi-fold wallet, a rectangular wallet that can be folded in half. However, it has a displeasing appearance because it is old, and it has minor damages due to everyday use. It consists of compartments for cards, pictures, and paper bills. Simple and a bit damaged, this is my ideal wallet; because it reduces the people’s expectation from me, it is a strategy so that people will not borrow money and it saves me from “Uy libre ka naman diyan”. As long as it can still serve its purpose I am not changing my wallet, I want to use the wallet that is old and have minor damages because we want it or not, society judge through the appearance of a person or an object, they forget that what is important is what is inside and its purpose.

THE INTERVIEW

I interview my friend Lia about her ideal wallet. Like my ideal wallet, it is also a bi-fold type of wallet and it contains the following:

· ATM Card, Driver’s License, and Debit and Credit Card

· Family Picture

· Grocery Receipt

· Concert Tickets

· Guitar pick

· A lot of Blue Bills

Lia’s Ideal wallet

DIG DEEPER

At the same time, Lia shares the stories of her goals symbolizing the artifacts from her ideal wallet.

  • Lia wants to provide the necessities of her family in the near future, and those receipts are evidence that she has a contribution to her family.
  • To be able to provide the necessities she needs those bluebills, gained from the career she wants to pursue. Also, she discussed that she wants to have financial freedom like her sister.
  • Their family picture is traveling from another country. It reminds her that even they are not together, they are still whole.
  • The guitar pick symbolizes her passion for music, she wants to always have a pick just in case there is jamming or a guitar to play.

GOALS AND WISHES

Lia wants to provide what is best for her family through groceries and keeping them whole through international travels. She first needs to strive hard, pursue her career, and have financial freedom. She also wants to showcase her skills in music through their band, Pepper Alley. I hope that someday Lia will meet these goals and inspire other people through their songs and stories.

INSIGHTS

I learned that Lia is a family-oriented person. She wants to see her family happy because the smiles of her siblings make Lia satisfied that keeps her push forward to reach the other dreams. Meeting this kind of ideal wallet and its meanings is a big challenge; keeping your family whole while pursuing your career. However, nothing is impossible if someone submits their life to God, and through God’s grace, nothing is impossible.

TAKE A STAND WITH A POINT-OF-VIEW

Lia should be reminded that her friends and family will always there to support her dreams. Hence, having a picture of her family and friends will remind her that many people love her and support the music they create –Pepper Alley. Also, those pictures will make her reminisce about what happened in the past. It may help her to define who she is if a crisis arises.

IDEATE: GENERATE ALTERNATIVES TO TEST

Lia should be reminded that her friends and family will always there to support her dreams. Hence, having a picture of her family and friends will remind her that many people love her and support the music they create –Pepper Alley. Also, those pictures will make her reminisce about what happened in the past. It may help her to define who she is if a crisis arises. Security features will be added, to secure the money in the wallet.

FEEDBACK

As I present the ideas to Lia and she appreciates most of them, however, the idea that she gave comment on is idea number 4. She asked if the guitar pick will not fall because it seemed to be hanging/ sticking inside of the wallet, I explained that it has a special compartment capable only of holding picks. Second, she noticed that the compartment for her cards is reduced; I explain to her that the tools in the software I used are limited that I cannot edit the other parts of the wallet.

GENERATING NEW SOLUTIONS

Based on the feedback, I add the special compartment for her guitar pick and add another compartment for her third identification card.

THE PROTOTYPE

The prototype will portray who Lia is. Goal-oriented, family loving, and music enthusiast. I add few compartments for her identification cards and a special compartment for her guitar pick.

THE TAKEAWAYS

How did talking to your interviewee inform/influence your design?

Through the interview, Lia points out who she is, her likes and dislikes, hence the design I made for her ideal wallet was based on her personality, goals, and dreams.

How did testing and getting feedback impact your final design?

Receiving feedback helps me in doing revisions to the design of the wallet. It helps me see the strengths and weaknesses of my design through the constructive criticism of the interviewee.

What was the most challenging part of the process for you?

Drafting the first sketch of the ideal wallet of the interviewee challenged me most because I’m not sure if I would suffice the needs and wants of the wallet that makes it ideal to the interviewee. I based the first draft on the sketch she presented and did some improvements suited for her personality while keeping the quality of her ideal wallet.

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Federico Gatchalian III

"Shaping the brighter future through pen and media" I Communication arts student I Aspiring content creator I