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M3: Discussion on Mental Models

The aim of this assignment is for you to elicit mental models from people. In particular, the goal is for you to understand the nature of people’s knowledge about an interactive product in terms of how to use it and how it works.

Elicit your own mental model. Write down how you think contactless cards work – where customers ‘wave’ their debit or credit card over a card reader instead of typing in a PIN. Then answer the following questions:

What information is sent between the card and the card reader when it is waved in front of it?

What is the maximum amount you can pay for something using a contactless card?

How many times can you use a contactless card in a day?

Can you use your smartphone to pay in the same way? If so, how is that possible?

What happens if you have two contactless cards in the same wallet/purse?

What happens when your contactless card is stolen and you report it to the bank? What does the bank do?

Next, read two other postings and reply. Analyze your answers. Do you get the same or different explanations? What do the findings indicate? How accurate are people’s mental models of the way contactless cards work?