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)
Duration
6 months
My role
User research
Wireframing
Prototyping
Usability testing
Client management
Enhancing the reliability of ACRA documents
Context
As Singapore's business regulator, ACRA maintains a repository of business entity information, providing public access for background checks on businesses and their stakeholders.
Challenge
Cases of fraud involving fake ACRA-issued documents have surfaced in business transactions. To strengthen document reliability, ACRA sought a solution that would enhance trust and security in Singapore’s business environment.
Scope of project
trustBar website
A public website that enables anyone to verify ACRA-issued documents. It educates users on what trustBar is, how to interpret results, and what steps to take if they receive a fraudulent document.
Admin portal
An Admin Portal that can only be accessed by ACRA officers to manage the content displayed on the trustBar website.
Redesigned Business Profile and Business Certificates
Improving the structure and design of Business Profile and Business Certificate documents for a clearer, more modern presentation.
Researching the problem space
Getting myself familiar with the problem space, I set a few research goals in place:
Understand the objectives of the project
Learn more about the target audiences
Explore existing solutions in the market
Research on the Government Digital Service Standards (DSS)
Interviewing users
To understand the existing processes, use cases and pain points of the actual users, we interviewed 20 stakeholders from different industries:
ACRA officers
Corporate Service Providers
Law Firms
Businesses
Banks
IMDA TradeTrust
From the stakeholder interviews, our key insights are:
Prevalence of QR code for verification
Familiarity with QR code as it became extremely prevalent during the Covid-19 period.
Heavy reliance on physical documents
Transitioning away from physical documents is challenging as processes are paper-based.
Confidence that information is up-to-date
Updates to ACRA documents are crucial as they can impact business decisions.
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
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.
Validating the solution
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.
Insights
01
Users require more verification details such as date and time
02
Most users uploaded the wrong file during verification
03
Found it easy to understand information on “How it works”
04
Terms used should mimick existing platform for familiarity
05
Require more search options as information might be unavailable
06
Need a way to generate multiple documents simultaneously
07
Verification via QR code should have clearer instructions
08
Date format should be in DD MMM YYYY to prevent confusion
09
Document is more visually appealing and easier to read
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.
trustBar website
A 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.
Admin 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.