A product design concept produced in conjunction with Steven Arthur Wood.

The DebitBand concept is a replacement for the traditional debit card that we all currently use in our day-to-day lives. The DebitBand is an RFID-based payment system consisting of a low-power, touch-sensitive OLED display on top, with a series of embedded ferrofluid tubes that alters the tightness of the DebitBand.

At the beginning of your statement period, you would set a budget for the month; as you got closer to that budget, the DebitBand would get progressively tighter (via the ferrofluid tubes constricting). This sensory feedback gives us a tangible awareness of the otherwise intangible nature of a bank balance amount (and gives a new meaning to the phrase “money’s getting tight”!).

If you were to get too close to—or even overshoot—your budget, the DebitBand would become extremely snug. At that point, the only way that you could loosen the DebitBand would be to obtain a loosening code (aka “Budget Extension Code”) either online or via the bank’s mobile application, or by going into a physical branch. Both the online and in-branch Budget Extensions would require that you sit down for a moment to review your past transactions, as well as to examine your budget in depth.

Furthermore, the option of going into a physical branch also gives the financial institution more face-to-face interaction with its clientele. In this way, the bank may assist them better with financial advice, budgeting suggestions, or steer them towards banking products that may help them keep their finances in check.

The DebitBand thus allows us a constant, at-a-glance reminder of our financial state, making us both more aware of our finances as well as gently requesting that we be more responsible with them.

Concept
Jack Curry & Steven Arthur Wood

3D Modeling / Mobile App Design
Jack Curry

Motion Design / Interface Design
Steven Arthur Wood

Special thanks to Rachel Hendrickson for demoing and modeling assistance.