As president of the Dollar ReDe$ign Project, I recently contributed to the New York Times's Room for Debate feature, "Bringing Dollars and Cents Into This Century." I think U.S. currency could use a lot of improvement, especially in these 5 key areas:

1. Size

It’s novel that each bill is the same size, but really it’s such a simplistic idea it makes our currency look like it was created by a group of Luddites. 

2. Color

You could argue the term “greenback” is part of American culture, but that’s not significant enough when you consider using one color not only impairs recognition for the sighted, but also paints a single-minded picture of America’s philosophy. 

3. Functionality

It’s absolutely imperative that our currency includes the latest security features. That’s a given. But why not also include additional features to make it easier for the visually impaired to distinguish each note? 

4. Composition

America is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, so why aren’t we using a material that’s as technologically advanced as we are, something synthetic like plastic? 

5. Symbolism

We should use the design of our currency as a means to celebrate multiple aspects of what makes the U.S. great. We live in a culturally rich and vibrant country that is idolized all over the world for what it represents, so we should use our currency as a vehicle to “advertise” all that we are. Not just a few dead presidents.

Read the whole article and tune into the debate here.