Government Subsidy Platform

Problem

Applying for healthcare and education schemes was a complicated process for members of the public as well as government workers whose job was to process these applications. Scheme agents in the Ministry had to work with multiple hard-copy and digital documents, and were responsible for consolidating them and correcting discrepancies/errors. Meanwhile, members of the public were often unsure of what documents were required and how to submit them, frequently having to deal with documents for not only themselves but multiple household members.

Government agents expressed that pain points with the existing process included dealing with incorrect or missing documents from applicants, and the tedium of having to key in offline hardcopy data into the system.

Project goals

Design a new web platform to allow members of the public to submit scheme (government subsidy) applications for their household in a centralised online location, and for staff (scheme agents) to submit means-testing requests to check whether applicants are eligible for these subsidies.

The platform would hence have two interlinked parts - an internal area for staff (scheme agents) to process scheme applications, and an external e-services area for members of the public to submit their applications.

User research

I attended and took notes during two focus groups involving scheme agents - Ministry staff who were responsible for handling scheme applications and information. These focus groups were intended to uncover how scheme agents currently carried out the means-testing process, and how a new digital platform could aid them in this process.

I then led the design and writing of a report to summarise the findings from these focus groups, consolidating my notes into a report that presented the data clearly. The report was instrumental in moving the project forward by defining the features that the platform should have, as well as the broader goals that the platform should achieve.

Example report pages

User interface design

Stakeholders provided rough wireframes in the form of Excel sheets to provide a basic idea of what they envisioned the platform to be. I led the visual and UI design process of converting these rough wireframes into a usable and visually appealing web interface, with the initial user research findings in mind.

Example wireframe provided by stakeholders

Example designs done by me

Usability testing and reports

• I planned usability test scripts for both public users and scheme agents to test the usability of the UI designs. In total, three rounds of usability testing were done, with design revisions in between the tests to attempt to improve the usability scores discovered through the tests.
• To begin, I prepared a prototype of the UI in Invision in preparation for usability testing
• I designed the template for - and prepared a comprehensive report on - the results of the usability testing and what design revisions were made in response to the problems found.
  
• After analysing the usability issues found, I worked with the team to brainstorm and implement solutions for improving the platforms' usability.
  
• Usability issues were reported according to how severely they affected the user's ability to complete essential tasks on the platform (minor, moderate and major), and an overall usability score for the whole platform was calculated using a separate questionnaire (the System Usability Scale, or SUS).
  

Example usability report pages (designed and written by me)

Design revisions based on usability test results

I led the execution of UI design revisions based on the results of the first two rounds of usability testing in order to improve the platform. Based on particular tasks that test users had difficulty with (and the reasons why they had those difficulties), I proposed and implemented design solutions that I expected would improve the ease of completing these tasks.

Such issues included users being overwhelmed with the number of tasks displayed on their dashboard, being concerned about their application progress being saved, and the need for additional indications that tasks had been successfully completed.

Some issues required small UI tweaks such as the addition of confirmation messages, while others called for additional features to be added to the scope of development, such as the ability to complete actions on behalf of another user in the same household.

Example issue and design revision recommendation

The platform designs and prototype were handed over to the development team, and the platform is currently active at www.homes.gov.sg/eservice

Designing for paired platforms

I gained experience in designing platforms with both a public-facing area and an internal area for staff to process the information from the public, which needed to have corresponding functions and be consistent in style.

Improving designs based on usability testing data

This project underwent two rounds of usability testing and three rounds of redesigning due to stakeholders wanting to maximise usability. I learned a lot about being flexible and finding the best ways to modify and fix aspects of the UI in response to usability issues.

Designing for complex administrative processes

I gained experience in organising and presenting large amounts of complex administrative/government-related information and processes clearly, and in a way that allows users to interact with it with minimal confusion.