DEX brings all government digital tools into one intuitive space, with AI search and interactive product cards for fast discovery.
PROJECT TYPE
Desktop + Mobile App
UX + UI Design + Branding
Build Hackathon by GovTech Singapore
TIMELINE
Feb - Mar 2025 (Hackathon)
Apr - Oct 2025 (Incubator)
TOOLS
Figma
Lovable + Supabase
OpenAI
KEY CONTRIBUTIONS
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Designed the full product experience for DEX, including search flows, catalogue structure, metadata hierarchy, and community features
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Drove research with Whole of Government (WOG) officers, synthesising insights into actionable archetypes and UX priorities
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Crafted and optimised AI prompt engineering for guided search
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Collaborated with a DBA team member to translate designs on Lovable.dev
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Spearheaded a 3-day MVP pivot, including discovering that Lovable could rebuild UI with ~98% accuracy when fed PNG mockups + structured prompts
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Delivered a working MVP for mid-hackathon validation, accelerating stakeholder buy-in and incubation
Rapid MVP Pivot (Hackathon Build)
We initially explored building the MVP on Outsystems, but development velocity was not keeping pace with the design direction. With only 3 days left before the mid-hackathon Feedback Bazaar, we needed a faster way to prototype.
My DBA/Engineer teammate rebuilt our flows in Lovable.dev while I refined the prompt engineering behind the AI-guided search. On the final day, we discovered that Lovable could generate interfaces even more accurately when we uploaded PNGs of my designs together with structured prompts — allowing us to match ~98% of the intended experience.
Through tight collaboration, experimentation, and extended hours, we delivered a functional MVP in time for the feedback session, giving us early validation two weeks before the finale.
Team
1
Designer
1
CIO
2
Engineers
2
DBAs
Context
There was no central source of truth for WOG digital products. Officers relied on memory, scattered links, old documents, and spreadsheets - leading to duplicated ideas, prolonged search times, and stalled execution.
During a preliminary research, these pain points were discovered:
83% of officers rely on ad-hoc discovery methods, and satisfaction with current search approaches averaged only 2.8/5.
Users highlighted these as key blockers:
Fragmented Documentation
Low Awareness of Existing Solutions
Delays from difficulty engaging product teams
Problem Statement
This surfaced a broader issue across the Whole-of-Government:
WOG officers need an easy way to discover and understand existing digital solutions, but fragmented information hinders discoverability and reusability. This leads to prolonged search times and impacts timelines.
To address this, we set out to create a one-stop, searchable, AI-guided platform that brings together all WOG digital products — making discovery faster, collaboration easier, and decision-making more informed.
Goals & Success Metrics
1
FASTER DISCOVERY
Target:
Minutes, not 5.2 days
Baseline Satisfaction:
>2.8/5
Desired Outcome:
Streamlined Workflows
2
BETTER VISIBILITY & REUSE
Centralised Product Info
Reduce Duplication
Increase Product Adoption (+30% Target)
3
STRONGER COMMUNITY & COLLABORATION
Enable upvotes, comments, discussions
Support engagement between officers & product teams
Prototype Validation:
100% said they would value DEX
Research & Insights
AT A GLANCE
40+
Survey Responses
7
In-depth Interviews
~80%
Enthusiasm for a unified platform
70%
Find AI-assistance valuable for discovery
INSIGHTS
FRAGMENTED DISCOVERY
Finding
83% rely on ad hoc methods (emails, spreadsheets, informal networks) instead of a central system.
Impact
Duplicated efforts, missed collaboration, and outdated information.
STRONG DEMAND FOR CENTRALISATION
Finding
Platform appeal rated 4.2/5. ~67% explicitly asked for a single, central place to find digital solutions.
Impact
A unified platform is seen as key to efficiency and better decision-making.
AI & BETTER SEARCH AS TIME-SAVERS
Finding
~70% rated an AI chat tool as highly valuable for refining problem statements and improving search accuracy.
Impact
AI-guided search can reduce search time and make results more relevant.
NEED FOR RICHER PRODUCT INFO.
Finding
75%+ want detailed product pages (tech specs, roadmaps, team, adoption metrics).
Impact
Transparent product info helps officers quickly assess fit and viability.
COMMUNITY FEATURES MATTER
Finding
~85% see commenting, voting, and feedback as essential; strong support for peer-driven validation.
Impact
Community tools help validate quality, share real use cases, and drive continuous improvement.
DIRECT ACCESS TO PRODUCT TEAMS
Finding
Officers often struggle to find or reach product owners, and want clearer contact points or simple ways to ask questions.
Impact
Direct engagement (Q&A, comments, discussions) speeds up evaluation and builds trust across agencies.
INCENTIVES DRIVE CONTRIBUTION
Finding
~65% say incentives (badges, leaderboards, recognition) would motivate them to contribute regularly.
Impact
Thoughtful gamification can sustain engagement and keep the repository up to date.
HIGH ENTHUSIASM FOR CHANGE
Finding
~80% of respondents and 5/6 interviewees expressed strong support for a unified digital solutions platform.
Impact
Clear opportunity and appetite for DEX as a WOG-wide solution.
User Archetypes
THE EFFICIENCY-SEEKING PUBLIC OFFICER
Needs quick discovery, clear filters, comparison.
THE TECH-SAVVY
PRODUCT CHAMPION
Needs visibility, documentation,
and user feedback.
THE COLLABORATIVE
INNOVATOR
Needs AI-assisted refinement +
inspiration + discussions.
THE DIGITAL
NEWCOMMER
Needs quick discovery, clear
filters, comparison
Design Process
MAPPING THE DISCOVERY PROCESS
Identified the core tasks: searching, comparing, understanding, and discussing digital products across WOG.
EXPLORING AI-GUIDED SEARCH
Designed four guided prompts to help officers refine problems, explore solutions, and surface relevant tools quickly.
DESIGNING THE PRODUCT CATALOGUE
Created an interactive card-based catalogue surfacing key details at a glance — phase, specs, features, and quick actions.
SHAPING THE PRODUCT DETAIL PAGE
Built a transparent, structured product page showing documentation, features, technical info, team contacts, roadmaps, and community discussion threads.
BUILDING COMMUNITY INTERACTIONS
Designed upvotes, comments, discussions, and sharing features to connect officers and product teams.
Branding
A clean, modern identity designed to reflect what DEX stands for: discovery, clarity, speed, and a sense of community across the Whole-of-Government.
Solution
AI-GUIDED SEARCH
Four guided prompts help officers refine problems, find similar tools, get inspiration, or explore collaboration opportunities — supporting the different behaviours of our user archetypes.
INTERACTIVE CATALOGUE WITH CLEAR METADATA
Built an interactive card catalogue enriched with tags, filters, product phases, and specs — allowing officers to quickly evaluate product fit, compare alternatives, and discover cross-agency solutions effortlessly.
RICH PRODUCT DETAIL PAGES
Transparent, comprehensive pages with documentation, roadmaps, team profiles, adoption metrics, and links to repositories or related tools.
COMMUNITY FEATURES
Built-in discussions, upvotes, comments, and shared use cases allow officers to learn from one another and engage directly with product teams.
Impact & Outcomes
BEFORE
-
No central repository
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Reliance on memory/ scattered documents
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Hard to compare tools
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No clear way to reach product teams
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Inconsistent discovery workflows
AFTER
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One-stop platform
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AI-guided search
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Interactive product catalogue
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Rich product detail pages
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Discussions, upvotes, and team visibility
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Discovery time reduced from days → minutes
📉 80% REDUCTION IN DISCOVERY TIME
Search time went from 5.2 days → minutes, enabling officers to make faster, better-informed decisions across agencies.
👍 100% POSITIVE PROTOTYPE VALIDATION
All officers who tested the prototype said they would use DEX, citing improved clarity, speed, and confidence in evaluating tools.
📈 INCREASED VISIBILITY OF WOG PRODUCTS
Officers reported that DEX made it significantly easier to:
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understand what already exists
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compare available tools
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identify the correct product team - this directly supports better reuse of digital solutions.
🤝 STRENGTHENED CROSS-AGENCY COLLABORATION
Features like discussions, comments, and upvotes made it easier for officers to learn from one another and surface real use cases — reducing silos across WOG.
🚀 EARLY MOMENTUM FOR INCUBATION
The strong validation and clear demand enabled the project to progress into a 6-month incubation backed by leadership support.
Key Takeaways
VALIDATE EARLY TO MOVE FAST
Rapid testing gave us clarity on priorities and reduced guesswork, enabling confident decisions under extreme time pressure.
PIVOTING IS STRATEGIC, NOT RISKY
Switching from Outsystems to Lovable showed that choosing the tool that gets you closest to outcomes is sometimes the smartest product decision.
GOOD IDEAS NEED STRONG SPONSORSHIP
Community tools only succeed when leadership alignment is secured early; organisational buy-in is as critical as UX design.
LEADERSHIP IS INITIATIVE, NOT HIERARCHY
I contributed the initial idea and partnered with colleagues across divisions to bring it to life. The experience showed me how influence can come from collaboration, not position.
MOMENTUM IS A DESIGN ENABLER
Clear direction, positive reinforcement, and focused collaboration helped the team deliver efficiently and avoid unproductive cycles.
TECHNICAL CURIOSITY EXPANDS CAPABILITY
Experimenting with prompt engineering and PNG-to-UI generation strengthened my ability to bridge design and engineering quickly.