2022-now
</>
Collaborated with engineers to improve accessibility of key Singpass flows
🎙️
Represented Singpass in public speaking opportunities on inclusive design
Executive summary
Context
Each year, over 1,800 users rely on Singpass with VoiceOver or TalkBack, which is equivalent to 8 packed MRT trains during peak hours. Guided by our design principle of empathy, we strive to make Singpass inclusive so visually impaired users can transact with ease and independence. This also gives their families greater confidence and peace of mind.
Overall impact
1,800 visually impaired users can log in with Singpass and access key app flows easily and independently. This is meaningful progress and accessibility remains an ongoing journey.
Raised awareness of visually impaired users across Singpass division to drive more inclusive design decisions. Representing Singpass at Accessibility Week 2024 and Apple Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2025, I advocated for digital inclusion and shared our accessibility practices to support the wider design community.
Accessibility in Singpass
How it all started
Accessibility in the Singpass app began in 2019, just a year after its launch in 2018, sparked by an email from a visually impaired user.
The email raised awareness about the need to design better for visually impaired users, prompting the team to begin improving accessibility in the Singpass app.
The team began testing accessibility feedback more rigorously and reached out to more visually impaired users. Through this, we learnt that Singpass serves users with a wide spectrum of visual impairments, including low vision, complete blindness, and deafblindness.
Over the years, we have built a community with 10+ visually impaired users from SG Enable and the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH). Through user interviews and usability tests, we identify concerns early and address gaps in the Singpass experience. This community also providers users a direct channel to proactively raise issues with us.
We have also addressed multiple accessibility issues, including a key fix where VoiceOver previously misread NRICs like “S91234567H” as “S 912 million 345 thousand 67 H.”
Singpass app features
In 2019, we also introduced dark mode—not just for aesthetics, but to better support low vision users by reducing screen glare.
Lastly, in 2022, we introduced localisation in Singpass app with support for Singapore’s four official languages. Today, slightly more than 10% of users access Singpass app in Chinese, Malay, or Tamil.
Problem 1: Singpass app Inbox introduced many new text labels after design improvements, but these were based on assumptions from sighted users. Usability testing with visually impaired users is needed to ensure accessibility before scaling further.
Research method
We ran 4 remote user interviews with visually impaired users from SGEnable.
We learnt many VoiceOver and Talkback bugs that could be fixed, some examples include:
Search bar’s buttons weren’t reading out actions correctly
Unread messages can’t be differentiated from read messages
Selected message categories weren’t read out
Recruitment form
Remote interviews for greater convenience
Excel sheet compilation of bugs to fix
Problem 2: Gaps in audio feedback during the login journey prevented several users from successfully logging in with the Singpass app.
a) Difficulty in entering Singpass app passcode
In later part of 2024, a visually impaired user contacted us through a Customer Support ticket. We met him in person and learnt tht he's facing difficulties logging in to Singpass as he’s unable to enter his Singpass app passcode based on the existing audio TalkBack.
Collaborating with the Android developer, we enhanced the passcode input with improved haptic feedback and audio cues, announcing entered digits and the remaining count as users type.
b) Frustrating login loop caused by expired QR code being read aloud
Aside from speaking to users, developers and I also conduct automated accessibility testing with tools such as Lighthouse. In a recent test, we learned that the Singpass logo on our login QR code doesn't have any alt attribute.
This reminds me of how our expired Singpass QR code has alt text, so it gets read out to visually impaired users who then tap on it. This brings them to an expired screen in the Singpass app. This painful expired QR login loop happens because the QR code has both an alt attribute and an href.
I collaborated with my developers and worked to remove both the href and alt attribute. This issue had stopped one of our deaf-blind users (as mentioned above) from logging in with Singpass app. She had always used her Singpass ID and password because she thought "something was wrong" with her app.
What's in progress?
Researching more accessible login options beyond Face Verification
Building team capability by giving designers hands-on experience working with visually impaired users
✨ With my experience in accessibility research, I have also represented Singpass in various public speaking opportunities to advocate for inclusive design.
Key experiences (in chronological order):
Inclusive Design Week [July 2025]
Apple Global Accessibility Awareness Day [2025]
Accessibility Week: Inclusive Innovation [2024]
