Empowering Citizens: Redesigning Public Services for Accessibility and Efficiency
An award-winning initiative that transformed public sector services through user-centered design and innovation. Following its launch, this project achieved a 90% user satisfaction rate and earned both Accenture Song and CPFB their first Gold SG Mark award.
Overview of project
This project aimed to transform the CPF website's pre and post-login pages using Adobe AEM, while building a foundation to meet evolving needs and enhance the web experience for Singapore government agencies.
My role
I was actively involved in this project from October 2020 to February 2022 as a UX Designer. My primary responsibility was building the Design Language System (DLS) from the ground up.
I led weekly design reviews with clients to ensure components were implemented effectively, maintaining consistency with DLS governance and meeting WCAG accessibility standards, elevating the project’s overall quality and inclusivity.
Challenges faced
Challenge 1
The website had over 250 e-services, making it very complex and difficult to manage within a short timeline.
Challenge 2
The site was messy — labels were confusing, information was repeated, and it was hard to scale or update things properly.
Challenge 3
Being a government site, we also had to work around strict rules and limitations during the redesign.
Pre-revamp state of CPF's website
Before the revamp, CPF’s website faced significant challenges in usability and organisation. With over 250 e-services, the platform was cluttered, unintuitive, and challenging for users to find relevant services
The site’s messy structure and unclear labels made it hard for users to find what they needed — important services were hidden and hard to access.
The outdated system showed that a full redesign was needed to better support the agency’s goals and make things easier for users.
Overall Strategy and Approach
To ensure consistency, standardisation, and quality, the DLS team was integrated at every phase of the design and development process, from execution to delivery.
Embedding the DLS Team Across All Stages
My team played a pivotal role in all design and development sprints, collaborating closely across both pre-login and post-login tracks.
The DLS team worked alongside:
Design Squads
Each with a lead and two designers for both pre and post-login tracks.
Delivery Teams
Comprising developers and business analysts to implement the designs
Content Team
Including writers and illustrators to enhance the content experience.
By embedding the DLS team within every cadence, we achieved a unified and scalable design system across the platform.
A Day in the Life: Building the CPF Design Language System (DLS)
As a key contributor to developing the DLS from the ground up, my day includes liaising with clients to validate components, creating responsive components in Figma for all devices, and documenting comprehensive DLS guidelines.
1. Making Life Easier for Developers with Intuitive Component Design
As part of designing the components, I ensured they were intuitive and visually detailed to aid developers in understanding their functionality.
To enhance efficiency, only the key points necessary for implementation were documented, paired with clear visuals to minimise confusion and maximise readability.
2. Clear and Practical Guidelines for Every Component
To ensure a consistent and accessible design system, we developed detailed guidelines with recommendations, best practices, dos and don'ts, and visual examples for each component.
We emphasised the importance of harmonious, accessible colour schemes that adhere to WCAG 2.0 AA standards.
For data visualisation, we provided detailed guidance on selecting appropriate chart colours, emphasising clarity and meaningfulness.
Outcome
We transformed the CPF website from a transactional platform into an engaging, personalised experience for members through a comprehensive redesign and tailored content strategy.
Achieving an 90% satisfaction score within the first month, this project set new standards for agile delivery and positioned CPF as a leader in large-scale projects.
The initiative's success earned the prestigious Singapore Good Design Award (Gold Mark), the first for Accenture Song and CPFB.
Reflection
This project was a great learning experience — I sharpened my skills in creating reusable design systems and working closely with different teams. Even with the limitations, I made sure the designs stayed user-friendly and accessible for everyone.
Redesigning the CPF website into something more engaging — and having it win an award — was a proud moment that reminded me how good design can really make a difference.