Committed to inclusivity, Mastercard has introduced the Touch Card, an accessible card designed for blind and partially sighted individuals. With a simple but innovative design, Mastercard allows blind users to easily distinguish whether the card they are holding is a credit, debit, or a prepaid card through tactile indicators. Specifically, each type of card has a different indentation on its side that informs the user who is holding the card of its category (credit cards have squared notches, debit cards have rounded notches, and prepaid cards have triangular notches).
The Touch Card is said to provide users with feelings of independence as well as security. It was designed along with IDEMIA, global leader in Augmented Identity, and endorsed by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (UK) and VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired (U.S.).
Another significant addition to the checkout experience provided by Mastercard is the addition of a signature melody at counters worldwide. Once the user’s card transaction has gone through with success, the melody informs users who are partially sighted that the process has finished.
Although Mastercard has been working on the Touch Card since last year, it’s not available in the market yet. The company claims they are working with their partners to hopefully bring their new product out in the world soon.
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