3D-Printed Coin Card Holder

Handling coins over checkout counters at supermarkets or provision shops is a task many do not really fuss over. However, it is a common problem faced by persons with intellectual disabilities, as experienced by an adult client of Community Psychology Hub (CPH) at Enabling Village. While the client is able to travel and shop independently, she tends to feel anxious due to the difficulty and inconvenience of handling coins for payment.

Prototype Version 1

The first prototype of the coin card was inspired by a wallet-sized foreign currency coin holder for handling loose change. Engineering Good modified it to fit Singapore’s coins, with five round pits for the 5¢, 10¢, 20¢, 50¢ and dollar coin respectively. The finished prototype, which was 3D-printed at Tech Able, is about the size of a name card holder, and can be carried in pockets to help users better manage and organise their coins for ease of spending.

Prototype Version 2

To further improve the holder and address the difficulty faced in counting coins, Tech Able, CPH and Engineering Good created a second prototype. The modified prototype stores up to six stackable laminated cards – each printed with various combinations of 10¢, 20¢, and 50¢ images to form a particular aggregated amount (e.g. the 80¢ card will show one 10¢, 20¢, and 50¢ image). The total amounts are colour-coded and labelled on the top of each card.

By placing the desired card on the top of the stack, users can use the round pits to count and match the coins required for purchases made under a dollar.

With this, persons with intellectual disabilities will be able to have more confidence when making payment with coins, and be able to shop more independently.