Improving User Experience using Near-field communications (NFC) - Part 2

Introduction

In the second part of our series on leveraging NFC to improve user experience we will look at specific example in the banking industry.

Use case: Improve user experience for banking customers.

Scenario:

1. Make it simple to sign-up for the banks Card product and leave a memorable experience
   
   
2. Minimise filling up of information by user to make the on-boarding experience delightful
   
   
3. If users have the bank's mobile app, users will be able to activate the Card by tapping the card on their phone
   
   
4. After successful on-boarding, promote the adoption of contactless technology for enabling intelligent contextual interactions based on the user-journey.
   
   Example,
   
   
   1. If the last card purchase has been declined → detail of the root cause of the decline and how to resolve it (card transaction declined)
      
      
   2. If the card is temporally blocked → card control to resume the card (card blocked)
      
      
   3. If the client is abroad → options to activate holiday flag or card control use. (enable international transaction)
      
      
   4. Show current active offers → option to show the any current active offers on user card (active offers)

Caveat on NDEF

Given that we are dealing with both Android and iOS platform, extensive testing is needed to ensure that the NDEF payload is compatible with both platforms. When encoding an NDEF payload on an NFC card, it's important to ensure that the payload is compatible with both Android and iOS devices. One way to do this is to follow the NDEF specification, which is a standard format for storing and exchanging data on NFC tags and devices.

The NDEF specification defines a set of record types that can be used to store different types of data, such as text, URLs, and MIME types. Each record has a header that specifies the record type, the length of the payload, and any additional information required by the record type.

The well-known NDEF record types are generally the most compatible and widely supported format for NDEF payloads on both Android and iOS devices. Examples of well-known record types include the URI record type, which can be used to store a URL, and the text record type, which can be used to store plain text data.

MIME types are also supported by both Android and iOS devices, but their compatibility may depend on the specific type of MIME being used and the application that is being used to read the payload. In general, using a well-known record type is more likely to ensure compatibility across a wide range of devices and applications.

When encoding an NDEF payload on an NFC card, it's also important to consider the limitations of the card itself. For example, some NFC cards have limited storage capacity, which may limit the amount of data that can be encoded on the card. It's also important to consider the read and write speed of the card, as well as the read and write distance, as these factors can impact the user experience.

Conclusion

Overall, contactless NFC can improve customer experience in various industries by making processes faster, more convenient and more secure.