product analysis

My Wallet - Next Popper Wallet, Leather, £15.

Looking at my wallet, I was astounded at the amount of stuff I manage to keep in there. 13 Cards 10 Train tickets 3 Notes 2 Receipts 3 Coins One pack of hay fever tablets This wallet manages to keep these items and still slip into a pocket. However, I think that the design facilitates hoarding of items. There were items in there I haven’t seen in months, due to the array of pockets and compartments allowing me to stow stuff away and forget about it. The wallet has a very traditional aesthetic and uses traditional materials and manufacturing techniques of machine stitched leather.

My previous wallet - HDEASY Minimalist Mini Wallet Slim, £10.95

This wallet was the pinnacle of a flawed great design. Using it I loved the minimalism it provided - making sure you didn’t carry more than you needed to. It made use of three card slots as well as a money clip to carry up to 6 cards and a few notes and tickets. The wallet was generally also very satisfying to use, with a nice ‘flop’ to it as it opened. However, it did have a fatal flaw. Whilst the money clip was a fun novelty to use, it was far too stiff, meaning it was difficult to slide notes in and out, and on more than one occasion ripped a paper note. Traditional materials were again used, however this time the wallet uses a more daring 2 tone design, with the money clip adding a nice silver accent. From this wallet design I want to take the principle that the design of product subconsciously dictates how it is used. Looking at the differences in these two wallets, I can see how the minimalist approach of the HDEASY - having fewer spaces to hide things forces the user to subconsciously decide to travel lighter, refuse receipts and transfer to a more digital, contactless cash system.