As a Lead Product Designer at IDEMIA, I've been responsible for the design of one of the key products that we offer to customers, the Mobile ID application.
Digital identity has many challenges. There are ~330 million people in the U.S. In addition to driver's licenses, driver's permits, commercial driver's licenses, state ID cards, passports, and social security cards, a wave of digital versions of these forms of IDs is coming.
But fraud is a major problem. In 2018, there was ~$1.5 billion lost due to identity fraud in the U.S. alone. IDEMIA has a unique opportunity to help people digitally and physically authenticate themselves, thereby reducing the impact of fraud against consumer companies, government agencies, and individuals.
Additionally, a digital form of a government-issued ID is still a new concept for the general public. So how do we get people to adopt this new form of ID?
In order to build a product that resonated with U.S. residents, we had to do a lot of research.
We have worked closely with many state DMVs and their residents. We have sent numerous surveys and conducted user interviews and usability testing in-person at state fairs.
The top concerns and considerations from users have of course been security, privacy of data, and how, why, and where would they use a digital form of their identification.
The Mobile ID application is a whitelabeled product that many state DMVs are starting to roll out and test with their residents.
The goal with this app is give DMVs and their residents a way to authenticate themselves daily, including: at a point of sale (like liquour stores), with police officers (digitally sending credentials without leaving their automobile), and submitting tax documents to the state.
While it's in its infancy, the possibilities for a digital form of an ID are endless. We're continually user testing, validating, and iterating on the features we've built so far.
What have we learned?
- 1. Users of these applications need more than a digital supplement to their physical IDs. What problem(s) does a digital ID solve that a physical one can't?
- 2. Authenticators (liquour stores, bartenders, bouncers, police officers, etc.) and the general public require more training on this new form of ID.