Mastercard's new Touch Cards are payment cards that were designed with accessibility in mind to support users who are blind or partially sighted. Each of these payment cards has a different design so that they can be easily differentiated from one another. While the credit cards have a round notch, debit cards have a square notch and prepaid cards have a triangular notch for ease of use and confidence when it comes to making payments.
These new Touch Cards were created after Mastercard chief marketing and communications officer Raja Rajamannar finished giving a talk at SXSW 2019, and a colleague from Mastercard approached him to pitch an idea for a new product: a credit card for people who are blind or have limited vision.
Accessible Payment Cards
Mastercard's Touch Cards Have Notches to Aid the Visually Impaired
Trend Themes
1. Accessible Payment Cards - Mastercard's new Touch Cards were designed with accessibility in mind to support users who are blind or partially sighted.
2. Differentiated Design - The differentiation of design elements, such as notches, can serve as a disruptive innovation opportunity for other industries looking to create more accessible products.
3. Inclusive Financial Solutions - The creation of more accessible financial solutions, like Mastercard's Touch Cards, can address the needs of underserved populations and lead to disruptive innovation in the financial services industry.
Industry Implications
1. Financial Services - Mastercard's accessible Touch Cards represent a disruptive innovation opportunity in the financial services industry by addressing the needs of underserved populations.
2. Product Design - The design of more accessible products, like Mastercard's Touch Cards, can serve as a disruptive innovation opportunity in industries outside of finance.
3. Assistive Technology - The use of assistive technology,like Mastercard's Touch Cards, to create more accessible products can serve as a disruptive innovation opportunity in industries focused on serving disabled populations.