Singapore’s LifeSG app has been designed to provide seamless and simplified access to various digital government services, ranging from registering a child’s birth to reporting a neighbourhood concern. Recently, the LifeSG app underwent a revamp to further enhance its user experience.
The LifeSG app, developed by the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) in collaboration with various government agencies, serves as a one-stop platform for Singaporeans to access a wide range of government services conveniently. The app aims to make it easier for citizens and residents to interact with the government and avail themselves of essential services in a seamless and user-friendly manner.
The recent revamp of the LifeSG app focused on improving the overall user experience by making the app more intuitive, efficient, and visually appealing. The UX team at GovTech conducted extensive research and gathered feedback from users to identify pain points and areas for improvement. Based on these insights, several updates were implemented to enhance the app’s functionality and usability.
A comprehensive list of 400 government services is accessible through LifeSG. Now, these services are broadly grouped into the following for a more intuitive user experience:
- Those for important occasions (doing legacy planning, registering a child’s birth), and
- Those for everyday tasks (making virtual appointments with government offices, reporting neighbourhood problems).
To make it simple for users to access commonly used services, a section showcasing recent or popular services have also been added to the home screen.
Users can now browse for information and services across the top 100 government websites using the online search tool in addition to the LifeSG app to find the services they want from the government. This significantly advances LifeSG’s objective of making services easier to obtain and locate.
This is done to combine multiple transactions into one seamless experience. For instance, the birth registration feature enables parents to apply for infant bonus grants and library memberships in addition to registering a child’s birth. Relevant content from various agency sources is also meticulously curated into support manuals for key services.
Two waves of user testing were conducted with diverse age groups, marital statuses, racial groups, and employment statuses of Singaporeans and permanent residents. The participants attempted various activities involving accessing government services via the application.
The purpose of the tests was to determine if users can swiftly and easily locate services with the redesigned website and if the prioritisation of certain services had the desired effect. Other specific aspects of the application, such as the recent or popular sections, were also evaluated.
This feedback was utilised by the design team to further enhance the application. For example, many users who wished to reserve barbecue pits were unable to do so because the app’s design required them to first identify which public agency administered the desired pit. This obstacle was eliminated by integrating all barbecue reservations. These enhancements required collaboration between the development and product teams and other government agencies.
They must also cope with the inevitable occurrence of receiving contradictory feedback. Various individuals will find numerous portions of the application more useful. This, according to the team, entails striking a balance between emphasising shared experiences so that the app is pertinent to more people and providing users with information that is uniquely relevant to them.
Enhancing the user experience is an ongoing process, and team members keep themselves on their toes by using the application frequently.
