Redesigning the SBNB Application Process
Introduction
When a new building is developed, a key part is assigning its address. The address includes the name of the building, the house number of the building as well as the individual unit numbers within it. The Street and Building Names Board (SBNB) approves street and building names in Singapore while the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) approves house and unit numbers for buildings.
In the past, applicants had to submit applications to each agency separately through their respective e-services.
To improve the user experience for applicants, SBNB & IRAS collaborated on a project with 2 main objectives:
To review and redesign the application process for SBNB and IRAS applications; and
To design a one-stop portal to allow applications for both SBNB and IRAS to be submitted on a single platform known as the Property Name and Address portal
For this project, I was the lead for the SBNB team. In this write-up, I will focus on our redesign of the SBNB application process.
We began by going through feedback from our applicants over the years to identify pain points. We found 3 pain points which were frequently raised by applicants:
1. Unfamiliarity with SBNB’s guidelines
SBNB has 2 handbooks which explain the naming principles and guidelines. However, these handbooks are 15 to 17 pages long, and applicants often do not have the time to read them. As a result, it is not uncommon for applicants to propose names which cannot be supported, which results in their application being rejected.
Research
2. Preparation of Location Plan
One of the submission requirements is a location plan which shows the street or building on a map. This requires applicants to manually prepare the plan using programs like PowerPoint. Some applicants have given feedback that this tedious and time consuming.
3. Filling in personal particulars over and over again
Often, applicants submit multiple applications at a time. As each application requires the applicant to key in their personal particulars, it is tedious to do this for each application.
User Flow (pain points shown in yellow)
We then mapped out the existing user flow to have an clearer understanding of at which point these pain points occur and where we can make improvements.
Personas
Next, we came up with a Persona, Aaron
Aaron the Architect
“I need to get approvals quickly for my client”
Goals
To submit naming applications to SBNB on behalf of his developer client and obtain approval quickly
Behaviors
Submits multiple SBNB applications at one go as he is involved in many projects
Submits applications without reading SBNB handbooks first as he is too busy
Frustrations
Annoyed when he has to manually prepare a location plan for every application
Annoyed when he has to enter his personal particulars for every application
Worried that his application will be rejected and that he will need to explain to his client
Problem Statements
We then generated problem statements based on the goals and frustrations of our persona
Problem Statements
When submitting an application, Aaron needs a way to know whether his proposed building name complies with SBNB’s guidelines so that it is more likely to be approved.
Aaron needs a more efficient way to submit applications to SBNB so that multiple applications can be made quickly.
Solutions
Auto-prompter
We designed an auto-prompter within the application form. When an applicant types a name into the “Proposed Name” field, the system will look for keywords or phrases and immediately prompt the applicant. There are 2 types of prompts: advisory and rejection
Advisory prompts will provide the applicant with specific advice based on the proposed name. For example, if the proposed name contains the word “Bay”, the applicant would be prompted that “Bay” is generally only allowed for buildings which are located near a water body.
Rejection prompts are for when an applicant proposes a name that already exists. For example, if an applicant proposes the name “Plaza Singapura” the system will inform the applicant that the name already exists. Rejection prompters will prevent the application from being submitted until a different name is proposed.
Interactive Map within Application Form
We removed the need for applicants to manually prepare location plans by introducing an interactive map into the application form.
Applicants can easily search for the building on the map (similar to google maps) and click on it. The building would then be highlighted.
Additionally, if there is existing building name and address data, it will be auto-populated into the fields at the bottom.
Auto-population of Personal Particulars using MyInfo
A common tool used in many e-services is MyInfo. MyInfo can extract an applicant’s information and auto-populate it if they log in via Singpass. As our redesigned e-service uses Singpass to log in, applicants like Aaron who often submit multiple applications will not need to enter their particulars over and over again.
Other Improvements
Overview Page
We designed an overview page that applicants will see upon logging into the e-service. Applicants can view the status of their submitted applications at a glance. They can also click on the cards to view the details of each application. We felt that this would be a useful feature for applicants like Aaron who have who keep track of multiple applications.
Prototype Feedback
Prior to the launch of the e-service, we conducted several engagement sessions to obtain feedback on the new design. These included industry professionals such as architects and developers who make up the majority of our applicants, as well as officers from government agencies who also regularly submit applications to SBNB.
During these sessions, we conducted demos showing the end-to-end process of submitting an SBNB application. The new design of the e-service was generally well received.
Iteration
Overlapping Buildings
After launching our e-service, we received feedback from a few applicants that they were unable to select certain buildings on the map as the building outline overlaps with another. This tends to occur for developments where there is a commercial podium block and a residential tower above. Although the podium and tower blocks usually have different names, it is difficult to differentiate them on a 2D map.
To resolve this, we added a building selector within the map. If the applicant clicks on a point where 2 buildings overlap, a pop-up will appear which enables them to select which building the are making the application for.
Check it out!
We launched the Property Name and Address portal in Apr 2023. Click on the image below to visit it. We are continually enhancing the e-service to further improve users’ experience!
