Ministry of Education (MOE) of Singapore experienced high volume of queries in the periods leading up to major admissions exercises or announcements, such as the annual Primary One registration. The website was not effective in meeting users' need for relevant information.
"The website does not give me direct answers, which is why I prefer calling the schools." – A usability test participant
Solution
We began by redesigning one section of the website, starting with the preschool, primary, secondary, and career pages, instead of overhauling the entire site at once. This staged approach allowed us to test assumptions early, gather user feedback, and apply insights to improve subsequent sections more effectively.
Impact
User: Self-serve effortlessly and find information they need easily on the MOE website.
Organisation: Reduce simple queries by helping users find the information they needed easily so that the manned channel (e.g. the call centre, email and service centre) can focus on handling more complex enquiries, especially during peak periods.
Role Product designer Scope End-to-end design execution, stakeholder and user interview, usability testing, cross-functional collaboration
Using the volume of queries and feedback as a proxy indicator of the website's effectiveness in meeting users' need for relevant information, there was a drop in contact volume ranging from 15% to 30% declines within the first year for the Joint Admissions Exercise, Primary One Registration and MOE Kindergarten Registration.
