ACRA trustBar
A fully responsive website for a regulator in Singapore, ACRA, that is utilised nationally and globally to verify ACRA-issued documents.
Client
The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)
Project duration
6 months (2022)
Team members
Context
The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) is the regulator of business entities in Singapore. Business entities are required to establish and administer a repository of documents and information with ACRA. The information can be accessed by the public to conduct checks on the background of the business entities and people involved.
The challenge
There have been cases of fraudulent activities where fake ACRA-issued documents are used in business transactions. As a regulator of business entities in Singapore, ACRA needed a way to enhance the authenticity and reliability of their documents, which will in turn contribute to a more secure and trustworthy business environment in the country.
Scope of the project
The project comprises of 3 parts — The Internet Portal, Intranet Portal and document redesign.
Internet Portal
Available to the public, the Internet Portal allows any one to verify the authenticity and currency of Business Profiles and Business Certificates. The Internet Portal must also include VICA Chatbot, explanation of the trustBar technology, FAQ and announcement features.
Intranet Portal
The Intranet Portal can only be assessed by ACRA officers on their government-issued laptops, and enables them to perform administrative maintenance functions.
Redesign Business Profile and Business Certificates
ACRA was also seeking to modernise and improve the readability of their documents.
Researching the problem space
Interviewing users
To understand the existing processes, use cases and pain points of the actual users, we interviewed 20 stakeholders from different industries, including users from:
ACRA officers
Corporate Service Providers
Law Firms
Businesses
Banks
IMDA TradeTrust
Stakeholder interview plan
Once we’ve completed the interviews, I conducted a affinity mapping exercise with the Product Owner from ACRA to organise and record our findings from the sessions.
Notes and observations recorded and grouped in an Affinity Map
From the stakeholder interviews, our key insights are:
Prevalence of QR code for verification
Users are familiar with the usage of QR code since it became extremely prevalent during the Covid-19 period.
Heavy reliance on physical documents
Transitioning away from physical documents is challenging as most processes are paper-based.
Users need to be certain that information is up-to-date
Changes in ACRA documents are crucial as they can impact business decisions made by users.
Importance of ACRA branding for credibility
All users will feel more confident and reassured knowing that the platform is a service provided by ACRA.
Empathising with users
To better empathise with users, we crafted personas of our target audience and created journey maps to visualise the process that users go through to accomplish their goals.
Wire flows & validating solution
Using the insights gathered, I created the wire flows and reviewed the proposed solution with our developers before proceeding with the usability tests.
This ensured that the proposed solution is technically feasible. Otherwise, it would be difficult and time-consuming to find alternatives that might not work for users at the later stages of this project.
One of the wire flows for the verification process
Before the usability testing sessions, I prepared a few key tasks for the users to perform. Each task included the goal and success criteria, ensuring that the wording was neutral to avoid influencing the users in any way.
An example of a task we gave users
From the usability testing sessions, we observed:
Internet Portal
Intranet Portal
Business Profile and Business Certificate
Prototyping the solution
Based on the observations from the first usability testing session, I crafted the high fidelity prototypes for the Internet Portal and Intranet Portal, and further refined the design of the Business Profile and Certificate.
Internet Portal
An easy and straightforward way for users to verify the authenticity and currency of their ACRA-issued documents, including useful features for users to download or print the verification results.
Intranet Portal
ACRA officers can effortlessly retrieve information on purchase transactions, generate detailed reports for reporting purposes and update information on the Internet Portal in real time.
Business Profile & Certificate
Revamped with a new look, information within the Business Profiles and Business Certificates are thoughtfully organised and presented to improve readability and scannability.
Outcomes and learnings
The project was launched successfully with ACRA issuing over 75,000 verifiable Business Profile and Business Certificates every month.
Truth to be told, being the sole designer for a large project like this wasn’t easy, but I’ve learned many things along the way:
Adaptability
Working on all aspects of the design, including high-level decisions to detailed interface elements, being the sole designer meant I had to be adaptable and make the most of what is available without compromising on design quality.
Collaborating with stakeholders
Close collaboration with stakeholders is important for risk mitigation as potential risks can be identified and addressed early on. This will not only decrease the chances of misunderstandings, but also mitigate the risk of delays or significant revisions later in the project timeline.
Problem solving
Every project has its challenges, whether its conflicting stakeholder requirements, unexpected project complexities or technical challenges. When problem-solving, I've learned the importance of finding a middle ground — balancing how things look, function, and perform. It's about making smart choices that meet everyone's needs and fit the project's goals.
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