PDF - Challenge Online

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THE
DESIGN
ISSUE
DELIBERATELY
DESIGNED
The library@orchard
is shaped by its users’
behaviours
THE WAY FORWARD
IS THIS
DESIGN?
Find out on page 7
Mapping journeys in
the hospital for a
better experience
TO SEE A WORLD
IN A GRAIN OF SAND
Teaching children to
appreciate design with nature
March
April 2015
C O N T E N T S
7
Cover Story
THE
DESIGN
ISSUE
Round door
knobs are
difficult to
turn. Use a
levered or
U-shaped
handle.
Discover the
facets of design
through public
sector projects
16
26
“AS A LEADER,
YOU DON’T KEEP
YOURSELF APART”
HOW TO WORK
WITH CREATIVE
PARTNERS
29
Have a common vision
for design projects, says
Chris Lee of creative
agency Asylum
A WHITE SPACE
ODYSSEY
IT’S HIP TO
BE SQUARE
Challenge turns 20 and
to celebrate, we look
back at the second
version of the publication
30
Mr Lim Teck Yin, CEO
of Sport Singapore, on
accountability and his hopes
for the future of local sports
33
HE BRINGS
PAPER TO
LIFE
Nimble fingers turn
sheets of paper into
3-D figurines
How an IDA team
worked to put in place a
new technology to boost
connectivity in Singapore
36
MORE THAN
MEETS THE EYE
Through good design,
these public service projects
from around the world
create a sense of identity
and pride, and more
eh, plan leh!
SOLID PLANNING
THE SUPER
APP
TO-DO LIST
PAY BILLS
2015
MAR/AP R
t
the challe nge pullou
SOLID PLANNING
THE SUPER
APPOINTMENT
SOLID PLANNING
THE SUPER
MEET AH LIAN
Issue
The Planni ng
SAVE 4 HOURS
EVERYDAY!
APP
REMINDER
Brunch @11am
XYZ Cafe
Bring camera
CALL AH SENG
19
SOLID PLANNING
THE SUPER
day with
Maximise your g tips.
these time-savin
02 Inbox Your views on the past issues of Challenge 03 Your Say Ideas for Made-in-Singapore inventions 04 All Things
Digital The latest happenings online 05 #hearmeout Thoughts of a young public officer 05 Get Wired Tips to be more
tech-savvy at work 06 The Briefing News from the Public Service 17 The Challenge Pullout: The Planning Issue 8 pages
of tips to help you plan better 25 Letters to a Young Public Officer: Being the Change Changes the Being Dr Douglas
O’Loughlin on the benefits of asking for feedback and living your values 32 Level Up: Uncovering Our Natural Gifts Learn
to see the good in others and ourselves 34 One-seat Wonder The humble kopitiam stool takes the spotlight
40 The Irreverent Last Page: Oh, For Design’s Sake When too-clever designs don’t work
Mobile phone
Insurance
utility
APP
TO-DO LIST
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tea
APP
Chit chat
Updates
7 Apr @1am
TEA
Yam milk
Extra pearls
100% sugar
20
CRAZY HACKS
WORK
THAT MIGHT
with
Be more efficient
hacks.
these unusual
22
GUIDE
AN AH BENG’S CE
TO INSURAN
insurance
Breaking down
tyle.
jargon, Singlish-s
PUL
LOU
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24
PLANNER
ARE YOU A
SER?
OR IMPROVI
Take our quiz
find out!
to
Dai J.Y.
writing by
Research &
Masramli
Siti Maziah
Edited by
by Ryan Ong
illustration
Design &
8 pages to help you
,
research , forecast
Service. We
pardon the
in the Public
ourselve s ( yes,
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if you aren’t
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out there. Even
four hours a
tips helpful
to gain an extra
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works, to how
that actually
list
to-do
a
day. Enjoy!
plan better!
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27/2/15 10:45
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017-024 Pullout
1
publisher
PS21 Office, Public Service Division,
Prime Minister’s Office
100 High Street, #07-01 The Treasury
Singapore 179434
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.challenge.gov.sg
For enquiries or feedback on Challenge,
please write to the Challenge Editorial Team
at [email protected].
Editorial Advisors
Luke Goh, Charlene Han & Tan Hui Min
Editor
Kaira Peh
Discovering
design
Assistant Editors
Christopher Teo & Katie Phon
Editorial Assistant
Joyce Anne Rozario
Over the Chinese New Year
period, I received a set of
ang pows from a colleague
who has been designing and
producing red packets for
the past eight years. What
struck me was their Yin
Yang fold, which allows
you to close the ang pow
without glue. This saves
him costs and makes the design unique.
And while spring cleaning, I found a stash of artwork that I did in primary school.
It was no Picasso standard, but for a child it was not too bad (I think!).
But it does not take a designer or artist to practise design in everyday life. Our cover story
The Design Issue looks at four aspects of design. We see pre-schoolers learning to form
“faces” using fallen plant parts such as twigs and leaves, as part of a design appreciation
programme to inspire creativity and a sense of wonder in young children. Many old
buildings are retrofitted with ramps and lifts to cater to our aged citizens – examples
of Universal Design. Design is also applied to nudge library users to keep silent, and to
improve layouts and directional signage in hospitals. In More Than Meets the Eye, we see
how other public services around the world have redesigned their bus stops, manholes,
and even passports – not just for aesthetics but to also better the lives of people.
If you think you have no sense of design, Uncovering Our Natural Gifts might encourage
you to find your unique strength (or “Light”) that can be offered to those around you.
In Being the Change Changes the Being, Civil Service College Principal Consultant
Douglas O’Loughlin shares how being open to feedback will help us build more trusting
relationships with those we work with. It takes humility to accept that we are not great at
some things, and self-awareness and confidence to know that we are not terrible at others.
I’m no design guru, but I’m still excited about the Singapore Design Week in March. I
might just pop by its “Kampong spirit” street furniture prototyping session to soak in the
atmosphere. See you there, and happy reading!
Editor
Kaira Peh
Please sh aarzeine :)
this mag
Tuber Productions Pte Ltd
298 River Valley Road Level 2
Singapore 238339
Tel: 6836-4030
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.tuberproductions.com
management
Director
Lee Han Shih
Project Director
Liew Wei Ping
editorial
Editor-in-Chief
Bridgette See
Contributing Editor
Siti Maziah Masramli
Sub-editor
Bernice Tang
Staff Writers
Chen Jingting & Tay Qiao Wei
Contributors
He Ruiming, Jamie Ee, Jeanne Tai,
Justin Zhuang & Margaret Lim
creative
Creative Director
Quek Oon Hong
Art Director
Yip Siew Fei
Graphic Designers
Ng Shi Wei & Ryan Ong
Contributing Photographers
Lumina (www.animulstudio.com)
Norman Ng (www.normanng.com)
Challenge is published bimonthly by Tuber Productions
Pte Ltd (Registration No: 200703697K) for PS21
Office, Public Service Division, Prime Minister’s
Office. Copyright of the materials contained in this
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INBOX
Janu ary/
App roa chin
Febr uary
I really enjoy reading Challenge articles as
they are progressive and subtly advocate
a counter-culture within the Public Service.
2015
Dif fere ntly
lic Ser vice
g the Pub
For instance, the cover stories on highly motivated individuals
being more efficient and productive (Jul/Aug 2014), being
introspective and having solitude for innovation (Jan/Feb
2015), and how creating conversations and synergy will
increase outcomes and public officers’ happiness levels
What has SLEEP GOT TO DO WITH
INNOVATION
INNOVATION?
What has SLEEP GOT TO DO WITH
Etiam dapibus, arcu a ullamcorper suscipit, magna nisi sollicitudin.
OFC Cover FA.indd 1
16/12/14 5:22 pm
iPad app now available
(Nov/Dec 2014). It also touches on deeper things, such as in
“Conviction Will Embolden You” (Letters to a Young Public
I see that the magazine is
really interested to build up public officers
as individuals, and I feel happy reading it
because I know I will grow as a person.
Officer, Jul/Aug 2014).
– Ruth Ong, MOE
As a librarian, I’m “trained” to speed-read tons of titles
and retain info to execute programmes. Despite the
multitude of newspapers and books surrounding me
for “homework”, surprisingly, I still read Challenge in
its entirety – albeit in random order – in one sitting!
(Okay, I dozed off for a half hour with the magazine
covering half my face.) I applaud the Challenge
team for the interesting and varied articles,
and for holding a hyper young adult’s
attention for hours on a fair Sunday!
– Michelle L., NLB
I like your article on the old Singapore downtown bridges in the
Jan/Feb 2015 issue, and the wonderful pictures therein. It actually
got me to go onto Google
Maps to check the locations
of the bridges featured,
vis-à-vis each other. Keep up
the good work.
– Anthony Lim, (ISC)2
Jargon Watch
Public Service Jargon
Tech Jargon
“What is the delta?”= What is the
difference? For example, “What is the delta in
the level of public awareness since we began the
outreach efforts?”
Freebooting = Taking online media that
does not belong to you and uploading
it to your site. For example, many videos
are stolen from YouTube and uploaded to
Facebook without credit (and advertising
revenue) given to the original creators.
bit.ly/fbfreeboot
PSIP = The Public Service Induction Programme,
for new officers.
If you know of any new jargon or acronym, email us at [email protected]
www.challenge.gov.sg March/April 2015
Your Say
Ideas for
made-in-Singapore
inventions
I say we start producing a line of sweet
pastilles (not unlike Bertie Bott’s Every
Flavour Beans in the Harry Potter series)
to remind our overseas Singaporeans of
home. It will be a box of sweets that they
can carry in their pockets anywhere in the
world, and a lovely gift worthy of all our foreign friends who
don’t know what or where Singapore is, too! The available flavours can come in the following tongue-in-cheek alliterative
flavours: Kiasu Kaya, Gancheong Gula Melaka, Tekan Teh Tarik,
Bojio Bandung, Sabo Sugarcane. Five flavours for SG50! Plus a
limited edition savoury Buay Tahan Belacan – bound to make
everyone around the world remember Singapore’s heat!
G
NINY
N
I
W NTR
E
– Debbie Teo, MOE
Congratulations, Debbie, you win a $100 voucher
from The Little Dröm Store. Shop quirky, locally
designed knick-knacks to your heart’s content!
Remember when you first
learned to play a new sport
or game? Share your most
memorable moment when
picking up a new sport.
Send us your stories at
[email protected]
The winning entry will receive an
attractive prize worth up to $100.
All other published entries will win
vouchers worth $30 each. Please
include your name, agency email
address, agency and contact number.
All entries should reach us by
March 31, 2015.
A made-in-Singapore product should
be unique, with a “taste” of Singapore.
I envision it to be a Singlish translation
mobile app. The app should be available worldwide to promote Singapore’s
unique language, with voice recording
and recognition functions so that users
can input Singlish words via voice recording and have their speech (or text)
translated into standard English. There
could also be a function to add new Singlish words and translations.
My idea is a laptop bag that can be converted into an office jacket. The reason? Most office staff are issued with a
laptop, which they might have to carry
to other work locations or back home.
Some air-conditioned environments
can get quite cold, and needing to bring
an additional jacket around would
take up space and weight. Therefore a
prototype that can be used to carry a
laptop and be worn as an office jacket
would be cool.
– Fu Peng Mun, HSA
– Clement Png, SLA
I propose a mobile app game set in the 1960s that spans 50 years. The app’s concept
is similar to that of Tamagotchi and role-playing games. The player has to care for a
young Singaporean character (which represents the user). During this time, the player can experience the 1960s games that children used to play in kampongs, via in-app
games; play at going to school, getting a job and performing at work (how much the
player cares for the character will affect the character’s grades and qualifications);
find a spouse (to understand Singapore’s past two-child policy); get a home (to understand Singapore’s housing loan laws); go to the hospital after falling ill (to better
understand MediSave or MediShield), and finally, retire and collect CPF payouts (to
learn how CPF works). Different choices will lead the user to different storylines and
outcomes, and allow him to know what should be done to achieve that dream.
– Melvin Seah, SPS
03
04
All Things Digital
GODIGITAL
thumbs Up
Exclusively on Challenge Online at www.challenge.gov.sg
Smells Like Team Spirit
When issues crop up, having
friends at work to help you
makes life just that little bit
easier. Bring colleagues closer and boost camaraderie by
taking part in team-building
activities.
What Are Returnships?
Internships are not just
for students or fresh graduates anymore. Mature professionals may benefit from
similar opportunities to get
back into the workforce
after a hiatus.
bit.ly/smellsliketeamspirit
bit.ly/whatarereturnships
Pun Times With Jonson
Jonson Quek interacts with a
smartphone that’s too smart.
You Only Live to Eat
Can Jonson Quek resist the
temptation of festive goodies?
bit.ly/puntimesjonson
bit.ly/uonlylivetoeat
To scan QR codes, please download any free QR code reader
app available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play.
JESSIE LI
Senior Executive,
HPB
Plant Nanny: An
adorable mobile app
that reminds you to
drink water at regular
intervals and tracks
how much you’re
drinking in a day.
Momentum: A
Google Chrome
extension that
replaces the New Tab
page with a personal
dashboard that lets
you set a daily goal
and to-do list, and
shows inspirational
photos and quotes.
Momentum helps me
start every day (and
tab) with positivity.
SPOTTED ON
Want to write better? Join the English at Work Cube group to collaborate
together with fellow officers on affecting effecting a positive change
in the way you write! Irregardless Regardless of your mastery of the
language, you’ll be sure to pick up some tips on using better English
in your emails and papers.
The English at Work group can be assessed accessed at bit.ly/CubeEnglishAtWork
digital
chatter
What people are saying
about Singapore online.
“For Singapore’s government, sand security is a
safeguard of the state’s right to development.
… Sand, like money, must remain liquid for the
economy to keep moving.”
– Joshua Comaroff, in the Harvard Design Magazine (No. 39): bit.ly/sgsand
“[S]torytelling is … not
employed enough. We’ve
talked in complicated policy
equations and strategic
recipes full of jargon, and
that’s what’s got us to
where we are today.”
– Catarina Tully, reflecting on the UNDP
Public Service Excellence and the Post2015 Development Agenda workshop in
Singapore (January 13, 2015): bit.ly/refPSE
www.challenge.gov.sg September/October 2013
“Continually impressed
by how the Singapore
civil service is rather
pleasant to deal with.
From animals to taxes,
they’ve been amazing.”
– Adrianna Tan (@skinnylatte), on Twitter
(January 27, 2015): bit.ly/pleasantCS
CLAIRE YEOH
Defence Executive
Officer, MINDEF
Clean Master
(Speed Booster):
This Android app
boosts your phone’s
memory and guards
against overheating
and malicious
software. The “1
Tap Boost” shortcut
is especially handy
for closing any
background apps
– a convenient way
to clean out clutter
from your phone!
LINE DECO: This app
makes customising
my phone fuss-free.
From vintage to
floral themes, and
even food, you can
play around with
wallpapers and icons
to create the perfect
combo for a spiffy
new home screen.
#hearmeout
Thoughts of
a young
public officer
in 140 words.
Get Wired
PREVENT DEATH
BY POWERPOINT
Ever sat through a presentation
that almost put you to sleep?
Save your audience from a
similar fate with these tips.
Use visuals
Images or videos boost interest and
promote recall. Try using them as
metaphors like TED’s tech team did
– for a talk on failure planning in IT,
they showed a photo of a sinking
ship. Choose professional stock
images over cartoonish clipart.
Cut the text
The audience should be listening to
you, not reading the words onscreen.
Avoid multiple bullet points and
keep to one idea per slide. Marketer
and public speaker Seth Godin
recommends only six words per slide.
Bigger is better
Words should be large enough for
the viewers at the back of the room
to read. In general, choose font size
30 or larger.
Whenever people hear I’m in the enforcement department, dealing with
unauthorised structures and uses, they would exclaim, “So exciting! Have you
banged down any doors?” After six months on the job, the only thing I’ve banged
is my head against the table, at seeing the mountain of feedback and appeals. It
is a fine balance, juggling the sensitivities and circumstances of parties involved.
There are many types of cases and we have to communicate with people from
all walks of life. I have a Post-it on my monitor with “subletting” and “tenancy
agreements” translated in four other languages. It can be difficult saying no, but
rules are rules, and sometimes, the best way to get people to come around is to
remind them to do unto others as you’d have them do unto you (something oftforgotten in the cosmopolitan rush).
– Audrey Cheong, Planner, Development Control, Urban Redevelopment Authority
Say it like this:
The computer brand Asus is pronounced “Ay-soos”, not “Ace-us”.
Colour it simple
Keep to two or three main colours.
Ensure a strong contrast – grey
text on a white background is a
no-no – but avoid glaring colour
combinations like red on blue.
Minimise special effects
Dissolves, spins and other animations
only distract and add little value.
Consider alternatives
Try Prezi (prezi.com), which is great
for non-linear presentations such as
mind maps. Haiku Deck (haikudeck.
com) lets you search for free images
to create eye-catching slides, and its
iPad version means you can edit on
the go.
Read more: bit.ly/tedppt,
bit.ly/govppt, bit.ly/sethgodinppt
06
The Briefing
The BRIEFING
Coming Up
Changing city life
Discover how progress in different fields – from
architecture to robotics and social science –
influences urban living at the Future Cities:
Research in Action exhibition. Presented by 120
researchers from the Future Cities Laboratory, this
showcase kicks off the Urban Redevelopment
Authority (URA)’s Urban Lab series, which aims
to bring research ideas closer to the community.
Till March 13, 8.30am-5pm, at The URA Centre
Atrium. Closed on Sundays and public holidays.
bit.ly/futurecitiesRIA
IRAS’ SERVICES MAKE TAX TIME EASIER
Tax Season 2015 is here! Those who have to file this year would have received a
letter or SMS informing you to file via myTax.iras.gov.sg by April 18. If you have
been informed that you are on the No-Filing Service, you need not file this year
unless you have additional income to declare or changes to your relief claims. Take
note that Parent Relief can be shared from this year too. If you are eligible to claim
and wish to share the relief with your sibling(s), make sure you amend your claim
before April 18. Still unsure? To check if you need to file, SMS filetax <space>
NRIC/FIN to 9116 4900. Spread the word to your family members and friends!
For more tax tips, browse www.iras.gov.sg, like fb.com/irassg or follow twitter.com/iras_sg
Making every drop count
Celebrate the value of water at the annual
Singapore World Water Day. Organised by the
PUB, together with schools, companies and
grassroots organisations, activities such as mass
cycling will help to promote water conservation.
The main event will held at the Singapore Sports
Hub on March 21.
www.singaporeworldwaterday.com
HOLD SINGAPORE’S HERITAGE IN YOUR HANDS
Have you always wanted to take home a piece of Singapore’s heritage? Imagine wearing a “Kancheong spider” watch, or snuggling up to a “My Smelly” pillow! These
are just two of the unique and quirky items that can be purchased from MUSEUM
LABEL, a brand and retail concept created by the National Heritage Board. In
collaboration with Singapore artists, designers, local partners and members of the
community, MUSEUM LABEL presents a collection of well-designed and functional
merchandise, inspired by our national collection and shared heritage. The latest
collection, launched in December 2014 from the Everyday Objects range, features
a series of lifestyle products inspired by familiar surrounds, native flora and fauna,
and even favourite local dishes such as chicken rice and nasi lemak. Beyond that, the
Great Singapore Souvenirs range celebrates Singapore’s local quirks and habits, and
re-interprets them into fun merchandise that everyone can enjoy. MUSEUM LABEL
is located at the National Museum of Singapore and Asian Civilisations Museum.
bit.ly/iOSnlb, bit.ly/androidnlb
www.challenge.gov.sg March/April 2015
Connecting with design
The Singapore Design Week offers various
exhibitions, seminars and talks to introduce
you to good design. Explore a designer’s studio
and other creative spaces through the Design
Trails, or learn ways to encourage children to
be curious and imaginative through the ManyWaysOfSeeing seminar. March 10–22. Various
locations including the National Design Centre.
bit.ly/sdw15
THE
DESIGN
ISSUE
Thanks to Apple and its keen aesthetics, and the rise of visual
content in social media, design has never been more prominent in
our lives. But more than pleasing the eye, design is about making
things work; it’s also about crafting spaces, products and services
for a specific and memorable experience. In this issue’s cover story,
Challenge explores various elements of design found in public sector
projects. From an Instagram-worthy library with a unique identity,
to design appreciation for pre-schoolers, and an inclusive
design philosophy for the built environment, you will see
how design matters, for one and all.
Text by
TAY QIAO WEI
Illustration by
MUSHROOMHEAD
GOING BEYOND
BARRIER-FREE
ACCESS AND
BRAILLE
Universal Design makes buildings and other places
more user-friendly for everyone. The Building and
Construction Authority explains why Singapore needs it.
Doors that swing open as you
approach. Bus stops with seats of different heights. MRT station gantries wide
enough for wheelchairs or strollers. Multipurpose toilets with grab bars.
You might know that these features
help the physically handicapped and the
elderly, but have you considered how they
make your life easier too? Think back to
the times when you had to walk through
a doorway with your hands full, or get on
the MRT with bulky luggage, for instance.
Such features are applications of Universal Design (UD) principles, or designing infrastructure and services so they are
accessible to all users, regardless of age
or ability.
This means doing more than providing
ramps for wheelchair users or Braille for
the visually handicapped. UD accommodates the varying needs of as many users
as possible – including seniors, children,
parents with strollers and expectant mothers. For instance, newer carparks in places
where families frequent have at least one
parking lot located near entrances or lift
lobbies for drivers with children in prams.
Ageing society
As the population ages, designing spaces
to be accessible for everyone becomes
more urgent, especially planning ahead
to help the growing group of elderly stay
active, said Ms Goh Siam Imm, Director
of the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) UD department.
www.challenge.gov.sg March/April 2015
Since 2006, the BCA
has been promoting UD for
the built environment, which
includes buildings, parks, sidewalks and our transport system.
You might have noticed that
the newer Housing & Development Board flats now have levered
door handles instead of doorknobs,
which the elderly can find difficult to turn.
Slip-resistant kerb ramps are now found
on sidewalks, especially near pedestrian
crossings.
To ensure that future buildings will
be friendly for all users, the BCA updated
the Accessibility Code, a set of essential
requirements that all new developments
must comply with. The Code now has
mandatory features that emphasise
UD, such as family-friendly nursing rooms, more toilets with grab
bars and wider corridors.
The BCA uses social media
and roadshows in malls, libraries and schools to publicise UD,
through its “Unify to UDify”
campaign. Cute and colourful
characters in comics, videos and
interactive exhibitions are designed
to appeal to children so that they learn
about UD from a young age.
Grappling with
basic accessibility
Catering to everyone’s needs sounds ideal, but the BCA still faces the challenge of
Round door
knobs are
difficult to
turn. Use a
levered or
U-shaped
handle.
Armrests on seats allow the elderly
to get up easily. UD is also about
providing options for different users,
from installing lower washing basins
for children to giving able-bodied
people a choice to take the stairs.
Cover Story
convincing owners of older buildings to
add accessibility features. Buildings constructed before 1990 are not bound by the
Accessibility Code, which makes facilities
for persons with disability compulsory.
To engage such owners, Ms Goh and
her team would first write to the individual
developers or building owners to make an
appointment for a visit. During the meetings, the UD team audits the buildings,
gives advice on upgrading, and explains
the principles and importance of UD.
They highlight that UD benefits both
the building owners and users. For example, the elderly are part of families who
want to visit shopping centres, and will
also be potential customers, said Ms Goh.
The fruits of the BCA’s labour can
be seen along Orchard Road, where 9 in
10 buildings are barrier-free, from 4 in 10
in 2006.
The BCA also provides financial support through the $40 million Accessibility
Fund, which covers up to 80% of upgrading
costs. The Seventh Day Adventist Church
at Balestier Road has used this grant to
add ramps, enabling a member from the
Handicaps Welfare Association who uses
a wheelchair to join its events regularly.
We want people to willingly …
integrate accessibility into their
whole scheme of things rather
than making it mandatory.
But not all building owners are so receptive. There are building owners who do
not face financial constraints, but prioritise commercial interests that clash with
UD, such as preserving rentable space.
The carrot and the stick
Some countries, such as Norway, have
enacted legislation for existing buildings
to be adapted for accessibility. Others depend on anti-discrimination laws to press
building owners to provide user-friendly
features for the disabled.
For now, the BCA prefers to engage
building owners with the carrot rather
than the stick.
“We want people to willingly… integrate accessibility into their whole
scheme of things rather than making
MAKING UD UNIVERSAL
The BCA’s efforts to encourage
UD include:
A UD Guide: Provides localised
examples of applying UD, such as
allowing the elderly ease of access
when a step is needed to prevent
rainwater from entering homes.
UD Mark certification: A
voluntary scheme that recognises
designers and building owners
for applying UD features in their
buildings.
Our Friendly Built Environment
Portal: The accessibility features of
buildings are rated and published
online (bit.ly/OFBEP) to encourage
building owners to improve.
Singapore Universal Design
Week: A week-long annual event
that promotes UD through
a conference, exhibition
and workshops.
it mandatory,” said Ms Goh. The BCA
aims to encourage people to apply UD
by focusing on users’ needs from the start
of every design process.
Ms Goh and her team will continue
to persuade industry partners, especially
building owners in the Central Business
District, where nearly half of the buildings
still lack basic accessibility.
“[With the] ageing population and
government extending the retirement age
… the workplace needs to be friendly to
older folks,” she said. She does not rule
out resorting to legislation if owners remain unwilling to upgrade.
UD for everyone
UD is not just for designers or people involved with infrastructure design – you
can apply it to different parts of your lives
too. For example, you could practise UD
by printing handouts in larger fonts so
that older colleagues need not strain their
eyes, or by designing websites with textto-speech options for the visually handicapped, said Ms Goh.
Now that you’re aware of it, how UDed is your office (and home)?
Visit bit.ly/yoodeeSG or “Like” fb.com/
UnifyToUDify to show your support for UD.
09
Text by
BRIDGETTE SEE
Photos by
CATSPACE
2
1
DELIBERATELY
DESIGNED
The new library@orchard, at the Orchard Gateway mall, was
designed to be more than just good-looking.
“We’re curated from the inside
out,” said Ms Chan Wai Ling, the manager of the new library@orchard, as she led
Challenge on a tour of the double-storeyed
space one morning.
She – along with Senior Project Manager Cheong May Fong – were pointing
out the deliberate touches that gave the
library its distinctive look and feel.
The curved bookshelves, the buffed
bamboo floor and the bespoke reading cocoons, she said, were all firsts for Singapore’s public libraries.
Ms Cheong pointed out that “we tried
to keep everything that is vertical (like the
shelves) neutral and white”. This allows
the library to give prominence to the books
www.challenge.gov.sg March/April 2015
and magazines, the “main actors”. In contrast, the horizontal floors and ceilings are
in warm, brown tones.
With such designer looks, the library
is likely to be Singapore’s most Instagrammed reading space.
But the pair stressed that their careful
curation (they used the word a lot) went
beyond the aesthetics.
A careful selection
Built on the theme of “Design is for everyone”, the library has a collection that
spans fashion, interior design, architecture, photography, travel, culture, and the
culinary arts, among others.
The decision to focus on design and
3
1. Ms Chan Wai Ling (left), the “library
honcho”, wearing the library@orchard
tee shirt, with Ms Cheong May Fong,
Senior Project Manager.
2. White bookshelves let the books
stand out, while floors are bamboo.
3. Customised numeral symbols are
used to mark different sections.
lifestyle arose during the year-long design
process undertaken by lecturers and students of Singapore Polytechnic and the
National Library Board (NLB) staff.
Their user-focused methodology included in-depth interviews with 100 people who worked or lived at Orchard Road,
and surveys with over 1,000 more library
users at a prototype exhibition in 2012, to
understand what library goers want.
The librarians were also roped in for
their “special skills”, revealed Ms Chan.
One of them, who has an industrial design
degree, leads sketching and craft sessions
on alternate Wednesday evenings. The
other two majored in literature and animation, respectively.
Cover Story
4
4. The audio-visual materials
section is arranged so that
the titles on the spines can
be read easily.
5. Single-seat cocoons on
the quieter upper level
encourage solo reading and
contemplation, and signal to
other users to be quiet too.
5
It’s important to be
particular about details
so that everything
looks put together.
4
Ms Chan joked that she is the only one
who was not “curated”. But the quirky
librarian – who was sporting a strip of
silver-ash hair that day – was surely handpicked for the job. On the NLB’s website,
she has purple ombre hair and calls herself
the “library honcho”. Not at all the stern,
finger-shushing librarian we often have
in mind.
Nudging good behaviour
with design
In fact, there are no “Please be quiet”
signs here. The librarians are relying on
physical design to modify behaviour – an
insight from the design thinking process.
The first floor, with its central arena
seating area, is designed to be a more
“open” space where film screenings,
workshops and other activities are carried
out. Soundboards in the ceiling help to
manage the sound level.
The second floor has single-seated
reading cocoons for those who want to
retreat into a quieter space. There is also
a row of chairs – each pair facing one another – that is tucked behind bookshelves
for added privacy. Enter the space and a
perceptible hush envelopes you.
“If you sit inside, you’d naturally want
to ‘behave’ because the person opposite is
in such close proximity,” said Ms Chan.
“We want to encourage them to be civicminded, rather than putting up ‘Do not
talk’ signage.”
There are no random stickers or posters in the library, “to keep the place clean
in line with the design language”, she added. Interactive digital signboards are used
to promote books or events.
Details do matter
The library@orchard also developed its
own brand identity, including its logo, to
be distinct from the NLB’s. Staff wear
black tees bearing the library’s logo.
Even the checkout counters match the
library’s aesthetics: the signs are in black
and carry the branch’s logo. There are
cheeky icons (“Do not place teddy bear
here”) on the black checkout mat, while a
simple icon of a barcode indicates where
users can scan their borrowing cards.
“We credit our users’ intelligence to
be able to understand the icons,” Ms Chan
said of the minimalist approach.
The brand identity permeates as many
aspects as possible, including the tonguein-cheek “Don’t break glass” sign on the
fire extinguisher panels.
These details might go unnoticed by
most users but Ms Chan insisted, “It’s
important to be particular about details so
that everything looks put together.”
An adaptive space
Just like its predecessor, which closed in
2007, the new library@orchard is an escape from the overly stimulating Orchard
Road. Young people enjoy hanging out
at the arena space on the first floor,
while those craving privacy escape to the
second level.
“Very beautiful,” said a finance professional who had dropped by before his
appointment and walked out with a book.
“I don’t usually come to the library.”
A woman, who was taking a break from
work, said “it’s big and quiet”, compared
to her neighbourhood library.
The users have quickly settled into
the space and even modified the library’s
original design features.
Ms Chan pointed out that recessed
boxes at the open arena were originally
meant to display large books. But the librarians quickly noticed that users were
leaving browsed books in them instead.
Now the boxes have become the de facto
return bins. Similarly, the display shelves
next to the reading cocoons have been
claimed by users for the same purpose.
But the librarians aren’t complaining.
“We constantly adapt our processes to
user behaviours so that the spaces will be
natural to them,” said Ms Chan.
After all, the library was designed with
them in mind.
11
Text by
JAMIE EE
Illustration by
MUSHROOMHEAD
Treatment
Dietetics
Physiotherapy
Psychiatry
21
1275
3
Clinic
A
Clinic
C
Clinic
B
THE WAY
FORWARD
Hospitals are leveraging wayfinding strategies to improve their users’ experience.
www.challenge.gov.sg March/April 2015
Cover Story
Patients and visitors to the Singpore General Hospital (SGH) used to
struggle to find their way through the
labyrinth of similar-looking rooms that is
the Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOC)
at Block 3.
Confusing signs, poor layouts and tight
corners for wheelchairs were some of the
complaints that have surfaced in the past.
Realising this problem, a team of 12
comprising staff from SGH’s facilities
development, housekeeping, infection
control and safety network departments,
as well as external consultants, came together in 2011 to find ways to help people
move around easily – a design process
called wayfinding.
For a year, they gathered feedback from
doctors, nurses and patients on which areas caused difficulties, and mapped out
a sequence of activities and touch points
that characterise a patient’s experience.
One of the major changes they made
was to merge three clinics on Basement 1
into a single integrated centre to give patients seamless care. The new Centre for
Digestive and Liver Diseases (CDLD) was
completed early last year.
“Prior to merging the three clinics,”
says Ms Wong Yoke Sim, Senior Project
Manager, Facilities Development, SGH,
and who was part of the planning team,
“patients had to navigate from one clinic
to another, which all had individual registration counters.
“Patients also faced confusion when
the doctors directed them to visit another room for tests, as it could be in
another clinic.”
So SGH broke down the walls between the clinics, and combined registration counters and waiting areas. Patients
can now consult the doctor, have various
procedures done and make payment in a
single location.
Colour-coding
To make it easy for patients to find their
way around, the team used colours to create zones in the centre to highlight the
various medical disciplines. The walls,
doors, chairs and signs within a zone share
matching colours.
“Some elderly patients are unable to
read, so colour-coded walls and chairs,
for example, are a better way to demarcate
areas rather than highlighting medical disciplines,” says Ms Wong.
New signs use larger text, high colour
contrast and pictograms to make them
easier for patients to read.
Similar changes have also been made
to Level 1, which houses several SOCs.
At the entrance, there is now a coloured
floorplan with the location of clinics and
amenities displayed at eye level for wheelchair users. The new clinic signs are also
colour-coded to match their colour on
the floorplan.
Some elderly patients
are unable to read, so
colour-coded walls and
chairs, for example,
are a better way to
demarcate areas rather
than highlighting
medical disciplines.
Considering user needs
Elsewhere in SGH, one of 16 SingHealth
institutions, other works are underway to
make it simpler for patients to find their
way around.
As a key part of a big exercise to make
all SingHealth institutions more agefriendly, a team of 15 staff from across
SingHealth came up with a design manual. The SingHealth 10-Point Plan details
how to improve healthcare infrastructure
design and wayfinding at 10 interaction
points during a patient’s visit, from entry
to exit.
The manual was completed in 2014,
after two years of studying the Building
and Construction Authority (BCA)’s Accessibility Code and gathering feedback
from patients, visitors and hospital staff.
The team also consulted local and overseas specialists in low-vision mobility and
Universal Design experts from the BCA.
“In the past, we used to maximise the
number of chairs we had in the waiting areas to cope with the crowd, but we realised this left little room for those in wheelchairs,” says Ms Yong Seow Kin, Director,
Facilities Development, SingHealth, who
is part of the team who developed the SingHealth 10-Point Plan.
“[The manual offers] recommendations on how to arrange the chairs, the
distance between them, where to position wheelchair users, and even the chair
specifications.”
These guidelines came in handy during the SOC renovations.
For example, the waiting rooms at the
new clinics now have seats in the front
rows clearly marked for the elderly and
also space for wheelchair users.
To address the needs of wheelchair users, the consultation rooms in the clinics
were enlarged and now come with wider
two-leaf doors.
There is also a video loop playing in
the clinic to help kidney patients who need
to take multiple urine samples daily to recall their steps.
But the process of making navigation
simple is not always easy. For one thing,
working within an existing, decades-old,
space posed certain constraints, says
Ms Wong.
For example, the team was not able
to widen the toilets within the CDLD according to the guidelines.
“Sometimes it was not possible to
follow the plan strictly, so we took what
worked best for each unique space. The
bottom line was that patients’ needs and
ability to manoeuvre are not compromised,” she says.
Careful planning also had to be done
for the renovation of the CDLD as it was
done while operations were still running.
Works were carried out in six phases –
mostly in the evenings and on weekends
– for a year.
But judging by the ease with which patients are now moving around and the time
saved, having a good wayfinding system in
the hospital is clearly the way to go.
13
Text by
MARGARET LIM
1
TO SEE A
WORLD
IN A
GRAIN
OF SAND
One afternoon in 2013, a group
of pre-schoolers gathered at St James’
Church Kindergarten to go on a nature
walk.
But this was no ordinary excursion.
The children had a mission: to look out for
flowers, branches, fallen twigs and even
tree trunks that formed the shapes of alphabet letters or numerals.
Before the walk, their teachers had
shown them photos of greenery and encouraged them to “spot” numerals and
letters among the plants.
This exercise, called “Design Gymnastics ABC”, is part of the ManyWaysOfSeeing (MWOS) initiative by DesignSingapore Council (Dsg)’s Design Thinking
& Innovation Academy.
During the walk, the children learnt to
be observant to complete the task; their
sense of touch was also sharpened as they
collected fallen plant parts. They returned
to the classroom with items such as leaves
and twigs, to be sorted and used for other
MWOS activities. The programme uses
such hands-on exercises and the appreciation of design to inspire creativity and a
sense of wonder in young children.
Later, the children arranged the various plant parts into “faces” showing
different emotions. The children then
told stories about the faces they had cre-
www.challenge.gov.sg March/April 2015
ated, honing their communication skills on top of
their observation and interpretation skills.
Mr Jeffrey Ho, Dsg’s Executive
Director, says MWOS sprang from the
belief that design is a life skill that is not
just for “an elite group of designers”.
“Design is not about a product,” he
adds. “It is a process, which requires the
individual to approach issues with an open
mind and to assess situations from different perspectives.”
Developing MWOS with schools
MWOS began in 2003 as a design appreciation programme for primary and lower
secondary school students.
The objectives then were to spark
creativity in youth and give them opportunities to work with mentors and
designers in school projects, says Ms Lim
Cai Ling, Manager, Design Thinking & Innovation Academy.
In 2012, Dsg collaborated with the
Early Childhood Development Agency
to introduce MWOS to pre-schoolers,
and has since reached out to more than 35
pre-schools.
Working with Professor Masayo Ave,
an acclaimed Japanese designer and
architect, Dsg is also developing a latest
set of nature-inspired design workshops
for children.
Early childhood educators who are
keen to bring MWOS to their students can
attend Dsg’s Train-the-Trainer workshops
and Master Classes. During these sessions, they learn to hone their own sense
of curiosity, how to prepare for and facilitate the programme, as well as develop an
age-appropriate curriculum based on the
MWOS approach.
Teachers inspired too
Ms Alicia Tang, a pre-school educator in PCF Pasir Ris East at Blk 216, has
conducted MWOS workshops for fiveyear-olds since 2013. Having seen the creative process in action, she observes that
the programme benefits both the children
and teachers.
Professor Ave uses techniques such
as “Golden Silence” and “Whispering”
to create a quiet, meditative environment
for the children to concentrate on observ-
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DSG, DEE OF PRUNENURTURE.COM
Design appreciation programmes for pre-school
children show that design truly is for everyone.
Cover Story
2
4
1. Professor Masayo Ave guides the pre-school children to
observe details in leaves, flowers, twigs and other plant parts.
2. Only fallen plant parts are collected for MWOS sessions.
3. The children are guided to match colours and details as
closely as they can when they draw their items.
4. Using various plant parts, the children make faces wearing
different emotions, and then tell stories about each character.
3
Design is not about a product. It is a process, which requires
the individual to approach issues with an open mind and to assess
situations from different perspectives.
ing. Ms Tang recalls: “I was amazed by the
way Professor Ave facilitated the children
in her workshops.
“The learning environment was very
well-planned and stimulated learning in
young children. Most importantly, [she] revived my inborn sense of wonder and led me
to the joy of discovery in the natural surroundings around me.”
Another MWOS activity created by
Professor Ave is called the “Spirit Garden”.
In one such session, the children each picked
an item from among leaves, flowers and
other plant parts displayed on a plain white
tray. Using magnifying glasses, they examined their chosen item quietly – rather
unusual for a roomful of pre-schoolers.
Handing out coloured oil pastels, a
teacher then asked the children to match
the nearest colour to their item. After this,
the children were guided to draw the items
to be “as real as possible” to practise their
skills in drawing and identifying details.
At the end of the exercise, the children
pasted their drawings on the branches of
a big paper tree, prepared in advance by
their teachers. This collective display cultivates a concept of showing “our work”,
versus “my work”, explains Ms Tang.
She adds: “We are living in a fast-paced
society where children are spending too
much time on technologies. The sensorial explorations… not only encourage the
children to stay focused but will also teach
them the importance of teamwork.”
Looking ahead
At present, MWOS is an enrichment programme that is not part of the pre-school
curriculum. Dsg hopes to encourage more
schools (including primary and secondary
schools) to embrace MWOS.
Mr Ho says: “We are probably the
most creative when we are young, bounded only by the limits of our imagination.”
It is this quality of creativity and appreciation for design that Dsg hopes to extend to
everyone through MWOS.
HUMBLE ORIGINS
The MWOS programme, first
introduced in 2003 by Dr Milton
Tan (Dsg’s founding Executive
Director), was inspired by the
work of Nelson Goodman, the
Harvard philosopher. Professor
Goodman founded Project Zero
at the Harvard Graduate School
of Education to study learning
processes in children, adults
and organisations.
Upcoming events with
Professor Masayo Ave:
ManyWaysOfSeeing Seminar
March 10, 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Venue: National Design Centre,
Auditorium (Level 2)
Register at bit.ly/MWOSsem
“A Singaporean Tree
of Life” exhibition
March 13 – May 31, 9am to 5pm
Venue: Sentosa Nature Discovery
15
16
Insider’s Take
How to
work with
creative
partners
Creative director CHRIS LEE
of Asylum – the firm behind the
National Gallery Singapore’s
logo – tells Siti Maziah Masramli
why mutual respect fuels the best
creative projects.
Illustration by MUSHROOMHEAD
When we did the branding for
the National Gallery Singapore, we started
with 200 identities. For the final chosen
logo, there were some among the Gallery’s management team who loved it, and
others who weren’t sure.
I think they were very brave to go with
something that was not unanimous. When
the logo later met with public uproar, the
management team commented that no
other logo would have got so much publicity. The publicity was good because it created discourse and an interest in how an
identity is made.
Although the logo has its admirers,
I’m afraid that some would take this project’s example as a warning not to “rock
the boat”, or take a stand. By being safe,
nothing innovative will happen (unless a
team happens to get a strong leader with
a great vision).
Have a common vision
Asylum prefers working on private sector
projects, where we get to meet directly
with the CEO or the decision makers to
better understand their business. Bringing a point of view from the outside, we
can give them solutions they have never
thought of. A project needs these two energies in partnership to create something
both effective and original.
I’ve found that the best projects happen when clients regard us as consultants,
and give us the respect and freedom to let
us do what we do best.
On big projects, it’s best to start by going through a visioning exercise. If there
are any issues, bring them up. The exercise is really important to turn 10 people,
www.challenge.gov.sg March/April 2015
including the designer, into one team
with a common vision. Only then can I
go in and say, “This is my idea based on
your vision.”
Some clients that are not willing to
take charge let the design company take
the fall. They say, “The agency can’t do
what we want,” when really, they are not
clear what they want. The design company ends up shooting in the dark, and
the final outcome is chosen based on how
pleasing it looks, not on strategy or vision.
Having a common vision is not the
same as making a design decision by consensus, which is the worst thing. When a
decision is made by consensus, the solution or idea is usually watered down to be
agreeable in the eyes of the masses. The
best way to design anything is to create
from a common vision, and make objective decisions – unanimous or not – based
on that.
No pitches please
I am also a big advocate of not pitching
for projects. Our biggest asset is our intellectual property. Designers are invariably
asked for concepts during a pitch. But
once we “show our hand”, a client can say,
“I like your idea, but my budget is half of
your fee – will you take it?” That is a very
big disadvantage for design companies.
Moreover, even though a client might
not steal your idea outright, they can take
it and brief another design company to
tweak it, or say that’s roughly what they
like – which has happened! It’s important
to be aware of such things.
There are many other ways that clients
can assess design companies. The public
sector can ask for three quotes and look at
the designers’ portfolios or track records.
For a large-scale public sector project, I
sent an A4 page of questions. I told the client that if they think I’m asking the right
questions, then we are the right agency –
and we won the project. I’ve also won another public sector project by requesting
for an interview with the client.
During a pitch, clients are often not
willing to give time for further interviews,
because they would then be talking to everybody. But by cutting themselves off, they
short-change themselves – without giving
more information, they can’t get a lot of
input. A partnership comes when both
sides are willing to give. And remember, a
good idea may not be one that makes everyone happy.
Chris Lee is the founder and creative director of
Asylum. He won the President’s Design Award
for Designer of the Year in 2009, and is the
founding president of non-profit organisation
The Design Society.
A letter from
DR DOUGLAS O’LOUGHLIN
Principal Consultant, Institute of Leadership & Organisation Development, Civil Service College (2012 – present)
Adjunct Faculty, Assumption University, Masters in OD (2009 – 2014)
Letters to a Young Public Officer
Being the change
CHANGES
THE BEING
DEAR YOUNG OFFICER,
Two years ago, while facilitating a focus
group discussion, I asked a few young
officers how they felt their leadership
team was doing in creating an effective
work culture.
One of them asked: “So are you saying
that the leaders are the ones who shape the
culture?” I replied that it seemed to be the
case. My remark prompted another to say:
“Well, just to let you know, our generation
doesn’t wait around and just follow others.
We also want to be role models and help
shape the culture.”
I was excited to hear this, and took
it as a sign that we were entering a new
era in the Public Service, where individuals, regardless of age or position, choose
to be role models for a way of working
that would best serve their agency and
its mission.
So my main advice comes from your
peers. Role-model the behaviours you
think would most help your organisation
be healthy and effective, whether that
means being more open to sharing, asking more questions, suggesting alternative
ways to formulate policies, or bringing
more joy to work.
You would have heard of Gandhi’s
famous “Be the change you want to see
in the world” quote. When we live our
values, we learn and feel good that we
did our best. Even if we don’t notice any
external impact from our actions, they
still have impact on us, because being the
change changes the being. Even if your actions don’t create the ripple effect you had
hoped for, you become a better person by
living your values fully.
To be even better role models, a simple, powerful and potentially painful approach is to seek and celebrate feedback.
Even if your actions don’t create the ripple effect
you had hoped for, you become a better person by
living your values fully.
When I was younger, I used to get defensive when receiving feedback, and would
justify myself to others – basically telling
them that their feedback was wrong (yes,
ouch). At some point I got curious about
why I felt so hurt by the comments, and
realised that people were trying to help.
I then reframed constructive feedback as
a gift, learned to accept it, and started to
seek it out.
This has been extremely useful for my
personal and professional life. I currently
meet people of all ages who reject feedback and make excuses for their behaviours, which is like turning down a free gift
voucher for personal development.
So make it a habit to ask for feedback
from colleagues, friends, family and people who see things differently from you.
You will learn a lot and build more trusting relationships by being open. Be sure to
make it easy for others to give you feedback, with your verbal responses and body
language. Then let them know you really
treasure and appreciate that they cared
enough to share enhancement ideas with
you, as it does take trust to do that.
Assuming we have chosen to be the
change and get feedback, how do we sustain ourselves day-to-day? For me, one
way is to treat every day as sacred and
“imperfectly perfect”. We are all aware
that any day could be our last, but it is
easy to forget this as the days go by; and
while nobody expects paradise when we
go to work, it is easy to become discouraged when “stuff happens”. But what if
we went to work every day with the belief
that for today we are in the perfect place to
contribute and learn? Know that teachers
are all around you, and their lessons will
be useful for you at some point in your life.
So let’s be the change, get feedback to
expand who we can be, and be grateful for
every day we have. Imagine a Public Service and a world where everyone aspires to
be a positive role model. If role modelling
and advice can come from all places, then
perhaps it’s time to add a new column
called “Notes from a Young Officer”.
25
Text by
JEANNE TAI
Photos by
NORMAN NG
“As a leader…
you don’t keep
yourself apart”
Sport Singapore CEO Lim Teck Yin talks about his hopes for local
sports, his days in the army, and having to rebuke the Sports Hub
Pte Ltd management team which includes his predecessor and
boyhood pal.
Over a patchy pitch, Mr Lim
Teck Yin drew the line between duty
and friendship.
The Chief Executive of Sport Singapore (SportSG) made headlines last October for his scathing remarks about the National Stadium’s infamously sandy pitch,
which he called “sub-standard” and “a
significant disappointment”.
Adding to the predicament is that the
Chief Operating Officer of the Sports
Hub, which manages the stadium, is Mr
Oon Jin Teik. He was Mr Lim’s predecessor at SportSG, back when it was called
the Singapore Sports Council.
“He [was] also my swimming relay
teammate in school!” Mr Lim tells Challenge. “He’s a friend, not just a colleague.
“But you have to distinguish between
feeling that this is not something you want
to do, and understanding what you have
to do,” he continues. “I had to convey in
unambiguous terms how seriously the government viewed the situation.”
While such encounters are certainly
uncomfortable – Mr Lim concedes that
there was awkwardness between him and
Mr Oon – he tries to distinguish between
work and personal relationships. “I try to
be very clear with my colleagues that what
is said in the meeting room is not to be
taken personally, especially when said between friends,” he says.
www.challenge.gov.sg March/April 2015
Sending a signal
The Sports Hub incident was not the first
time Mr Lim had taken a friend to task.
The former Brigadier General spent
30 years with the Singapore Armed Forces
(SAF) before SportSG beckoned. The
trickiest episodes of his military career
were when he had to discipline his teammates and subordinates.
Letting them off was not an option.
Punishment, after all, is not just about
holding an offender responsible, says Mr
Lim, but a test of leadership.
“Everyone watches a leader’s actions
when it comes to holding people to account,” he says. “Being able to do so sends
a clear signal about responsibility and accountability… [and] that if you are leading
in tough situations, and you have to make
a decision, you will not shy away from it.”
Death, duty & empathy
Mr Lim’s childhood years were coloured
by stories of his grandfather, the war hero
If you are leading in
tough situations, and
you have to make a
decision, you will not
shy away from it.
A Cuppa With...
Lim Bo Seng, which he heard about and
experienced through his father.
The eldest Lim had kept a diary describing the heartbreak of leaving his wife
and seven children to join the anti-Japanese movement. “But he also wrote that
he could not just sit back and do nothing,”
says Mr Lim.
It is clear that his grandfather’s example had left an impression. Mr Lim recalls
how his father, who was nine when Lim Bo
Seng died, did his best to demonstrate the
values shared in the diary in his actions,
which in turn inspired Mr Lim. Throughout the interview, he stresses how leaders
must abide by their “duty” to do the right
thing, even if it is unpopular or painful.
He himself was put to the test one
evening in July 1990, the “darkest day”
of his career. Mr Lim, then an SAF
company commander, had to handle the
aftermath of a training accident where
three soldiers died.
Hours later at 3am, an emotional Mr
Lim was in the barracks, promising his
men that he would take responsibility for
the deaths if investigations found him to
have been negligent.
“From that point on, I felt their
trust,” he says. But when the men asked
for a week away from training to grieve,
Mr Lim had to tell them that the army
could not allow that.
There was an outcry over this, but
Mr Lim says that, as a senior leader
now, he understands why the decision
27
she doesn’t want to come across as the
wretched child!”
When your people expect you to make decisions
quickly, you do so. At other times, they like
consultation, or want to feel empowered to
make decisions.
was made: “Everyone else who had heard
about the tragedy … would be watching
how [Singapore] handled the situation. It
was important to demonstrate institutionally that we were unaffected.”
He adds: “In those weeks after, it was
always very tough to find that balance
between being able to hold up the men
who are grieving, and fulfilling the institution’s needs.”
Even as he stood firm to carry out
higher orders, he made sure he showed his
men clear support. “As a leader you are
part of the team, you don’t keep yourself
apart,” he says. “I grieved as they grieved.
I cried as they cried, and we went through
the time together.”
Inspiring pride
In 2011, Mr Lim traded his military
uniform for a more relaxed culture at
SportSG, where staff are encouraged to go
to work in Dri-Fit tops and sneakers, and
play team sports on Fridays.
But serious work is afoot, not least
the preparations for the SEA Games this
June. The stakes are high. It is the first major international sporting event Singapore
www.challenge.gov.sg March/April 2015
will host since the 2010 Youth Olympic
Games. Many games will be played on the
grounds of the Sports Hub, and there is
pressure for the pitch to hold up.
This being Singapore’s Jubilee year,
Mr Lim is hoping the Games will inspire
a sense of pride among Singaporeans and
unite them behind Team Singapore.
He demurs when asked whether Singaporeans are apathetic about sports. “I
think there is a narrative about apathy,
about the ugly Singaporean, that is fuelled
by social media,” is all he will concede.
That picture doesn’t necessarily square
with what he sees: Last year, there were
around 600 sporting events here, many of
which were ground-up initiatives.
Perhaps he is thinking also of his children, who seem to be a sporty bunch.
There is palpable pride when the father
of four describes how two of his sons
have taken up water polo (dad himself
was a national water polo player), while
the other son boxes. His only daughter,
meanwhile, seems a reluctant sportsperson. “Actually, she doesn’t like running
that much,” Mr Lim says conspiratorially.
“But she told me to tell you that because
Rethinking coaching
On improving our sporting landscape, Mr
Lim is passionate about raising the quality
of coaches. SportSG has been hiring more
world-renowned foreign coaches to mentor local counterparts.
These new hires bring exposure, Mr
Lim explains. Many have coached “a spectrum of capabilities”. They understand
that coaching is not just about imparting
technical skills, but mentoring – helping
an athlete discover and harness inner wells
of motivation and strength.
Says Mr Lim: “Often, athletes achieve
breakthroughs not on the practice field,
but in a quiet corner; a conversation with
the coach that brings out his X-factor,
makes him work harder… makes him realise why he wants this so much.”
For someone who has moved from
the pool and the war room to the boardroom, how does Mr Lim characterise his
leadership style: Is he coach, commander
or CEO?
“I think a leader has to be all of those,”
he says. “When your people expect you to
make decisions quickly, you do so. At other times, they like consultation, or want to
feel empowered to make decisions.
“No one style of leadership is suitable
for all situations. The more a leader has in
his portfolio, the better he becomes.”
What’s in your cuppa?
Black coffee.
Where do you take it?
It depends. It could be at the
kopitiam, or a nearby Toast Box or
Starbucks outlet!
Challenge 20
It’s hip to be square
Challenge took on a new shape from 1997. While its form stood out, many of the
concerns of the day still resonate today.
Two years after Challenge started in 1995, the magazine
was revamped into a square format. The editorial team then didn’t
print why they chose that rather unusual new shape, or why the magazine’s masthead changed thrice from 1997 to 2002.
But perhaps the magazine’s varying looks reflected its focus on
continual improvement. On the inside, stories on spurring productivity and innovation abounded – and even simple ideas from public officers were feted. To improve writing skills within the Public
Service, for instance, Challenge highlighted new writing courses at
the Civil Service College and a public officer’s suggestion to have a
booklet of guidelines for various kinds of communication.
Even then, a fondness for acronyms was evident. Public Officers Working on Eliminating Red-tape, or POWER, was set up to
bust bureaucratic barriers by scrapping “cumbersome and obsolete
public sector rules”. Public officers could send suggestions to a
POWER website or attend POWER sessions to discuss Government
Instruction Manuals.
In a regular column, Mr Lim Siong Guan, former Head of Civil
Service, often mused on real-life events or proverbial tales. Once,
he told of a choked, smelly drain that had not been cleared for some
time as no one knew who was in charge of it. (Sounds familiar?)
Eventually, the PUB’s Drainage Department was made the lead
agency for all drainage issues. They would receive and re-direct
feedback regardless of who owned the drain – long before the Municipal Services Office of today!
From small and squat to long and lean: Challenge metamorphosed into yet
another shape from 2002. Check out the May/June issue to find out more!
29
What are the wireless technologies that allow us to connect to the
Internet? You may think of Wi-Fi and
4G, but have you heard of TV White
Space (TVWS)?
Wireless communications, such as
TV, 4G and Wi-Fi, use radio-frequency
spectrum – a limited natural resource that
cannot be manufactured. Already heavily
loaded, Singapore’s spectrum use is further constrained by our geographical location: our close proximity to neighbouring
countries means several of our spectrum
bands overlap with theirs and cannot
be used.
So as early as 2009, the IDA started exploring utilising TVWS, which are unused
channels in the TV broadcast bands (see
diagram), to complement existing wireless
broadband communications. TVWS can
extend the range of wireless broadband,
providing better connectivity and penetrative power at lower costs.
TVWS has great potential to contribute to Singapore’s Smart Nation vision.
For example, it can enable indoor and outdoor sensors to “communicate” wirelessly
to control street lighting, manage energy
consumption, monitor the environment,
and even direct traffic.
Imagining possibilities
To develop and demonstrate the potential
of TVWS, an industry consortium, the
www.challenge.gov.sg March/April 2015
Singapore White Space Pilot Group, was
set up with the IDA’s support.
In one pilot project, the Singapore Island Country Club, which had struggled to
provide members with reliable connectivity owing to its vast premises, used TVWS
to improve its wireless network. TVWSenabled sensors were also installed in
“smart” rubbish bins to alert cleaners
when they are full.
The National University of Singapore
leveraged TVWS’ range and ability to
penetrate walls to track air-conditioning
usage. A smart grid connected by TVWS
allows the university to charge hostel residents on a pay-per-use model.
“These trials allowed different parties
to serve as advocates for TVWS and validate the feasibility of deploying the technology in Singapore,” says Mr Henry Foo,
Senior Manager, Resource Management
and Standards, who led a team to draw up
a regulatory framework for TVWS.
Overcoming limitations
To optimise limited spectrum resources,
the IDA adopted the Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) technique to allocate
TVWS spectrum channels.
To understand how DSA works, think
of the TVWS spectrum as parking lots,
says Mr Raymond Lee, Director, Resource
Management and Standards.
No two cars can be in one lot simul-
Feature
taneously. Using a geo-location database,
it alerts TVWS devices and back-end users such as service providers when there
is available spectrum at its nearby location
– the way a driver is alerted of an available
parking lot when another car leaves it.
Another innovation is the adoption
of a “light-touch policy” for TVWS. The
IDA is drawing on the success of Wi-Fi,
used widely here without problems despite a no-licence policy. This means that
organisations are exempt from license
fees when using TVWS, and need not go
through lengthy application processes.
We’ll learn from
this experience. If
anything, the team
has demonstrated
that regulators need
to be bolder and more
confident when it
comes to innovation.
“By lowering the barriers and costs of
utilising spectrum, the industry now has
more opportunities and flexibility to create
more innovative products and services,”
Ms Aileen Chia, the IDA’s Assistant Chief
Executive and Deputy Director-General
(Telecoms and Post), says.
Mr Foo adds: “Smaller market players
(such as SMEs and consumers) that could
not afford spectrum licensing fees can look
at how they can harness [TVWS].”
In the Philippines, for example, nonprofit organisations tap TVWS’s extended
reach (16 times more than Wi-Fi) to deliver broadband to remote areas.
Hearing from industry players
The IDA’s regulations for TVWS kicked
off in November 2014, making Singapore
one of the first few countries to implement
a framework for TVWS use.
Before its implementation, the IDA
had held a public consultation in 2013
to gauge market interest and views. It
received 21 responses from market
players including MediaCorp, Microsoft,
StarHub and A*STAR’s Institute for Infocomm Research.
A major concern expressed was that if
TVWS became available to everyone without a licence, it might result in a lack of
guaranteed spectrum availability.
The IDA addressed this by setting
aside two high-priority channels within the TVWS spectrum. This allows
TVWS network operators to offer
services that require greater certainty in
spectrum availability.
Going back to his parking lot analogy,
Mr Lee explains: “This system is not unlike a priority parking programme. While
all lots are free to use, organisations can
opt to pay extra so they can receive a guaranteed spot.”
Other concerns included competition in the mobile broadband applications market. Mobile operators, who pay
for licensed spectrum, could be disadvantaged with new players being exempt
from licence fees and having fewer regulatory obligations.
“Different organisations have different interests and points of view. Naturally,
they would not always agree with one another,” Mr Foo says. In response, the IDA
fine-tuned the framework to strike a balance between protecting existing services
and enabling innovation.
Mr Foo and his team will continue to
refine the policy further. “We’ll learn from
this experience. If anything, the team has
demonstrated that regulators need to be
bolder and more confident when it comes
to innovation,” he says.
What is TV White Space?
This simplified diagram (for illustrative purposes only) shows how radio-frequency
spectrum is allocated to different uses. TVWS are the gaps in the TV broadcast
spectrum, which may be unused from time to time or based on location.
From left to right: Mr Henry
Foo, Ms Chia Wan Ting and
Mr Adrian Chan from the IDA
White Space team
8
Other wireless uses
E.g. 3G
and Wi-Fi
Broadcast TV channels
Vasantham, CNA,
Okto and others
5
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....
. . 7. . .
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....
Suria
Broadcast TV channels
Potential TVWS
Used by Singapore TV
Used by neighbouring countries
Radio
31
32
Level Up
UNCOVERING
our NATURAL GIFTS
Recognising the “Light” in others can help effect change. MS CAMMY
TEH from the Singapore Prison Service explains why.
“I saw the angel in the marble
and carved until I set him free” is a famous
quotation from the great Italian sculptor and painter Michelangelo that has inspired me.
Similarly, there is an “angel” in each
of us, or what I would call “Light”. The
word “light” has multiple meanings, with
the most commonly understood being “a
natural agent that stimulates sight and
makes things visible”.
In change management, Light takes on
a more powerful meaning, representing
“gift, talent, strength or positive attribute”. It is associated with the notion that
every human being has a gift that can be
offered to those around us. Our Light need
not be something big or magnificent. It can
be as simple as taking an interest in others,
or being caring and helpful.
Metaphorically, seeing the Light in
oneself and in others is equivalent to cutting an apple transversely. We can see that
the apple’s core has the shape of a star,
which aptly symbolises the Light or gift
in every one of us, waiting to be uncov-
www.challenge.gov.sg March/April 2015
ered. Light can be uncovered and discovered when an individual reflects on moments when he was at his best or did something that others were glad for. Learning
to do so can generate positive energy and
maximise effectiveness.
Naming the Light at work
I have woven the concept of Light into my
leadership journey. Every team member
brings with them gifts and talents that they
can contribute to the team. As leaders, we
play the role of enablers, creating opportunities for our team members to shine
their Light.
I applied the concept of Light when
planning my branch’s reorganisation. I
made efforts to appreciate each member’s
strengths so as to achieve the best job fit.
This was a small but necessary step to attain performance excellence and build
greater confidence amongst them. For example, I assigned a team member the role
of Fund Administrator as he is meticulous. He goes beyond his responsibility
of assessing funding requests to highlight
requests of similar nature, so there is no
duplication of efforts and resources.
It is important to recognise and celebrate instances where team members manifest their Light at work. A simple email
compliment or verbal encouragement
does wonders as it emits positive energy
and creates a ripple effect for the rest of
the team.
Seeing your loved ones’ Light
Naming the Light of my loved ones, in
particular, my two daughters, had been a
muscle least exercised. In the past, I measured their worth based on their academic
achievements. Such a flawed approach led
to numerous tense situations, and dented our relationship. The sweet encounter
with the concept of Light changed my life
as a mother. I have learnt to look beyond
academic achievements to focus on my
children’s positive attributes.
In late 2014, I decided to adopt this
new language of Light in a bigger way and
build an affirmation culture at home. I introduced a “Name the Light” challenge.
The whole journey was simple, starting
with the making of an “affirmation board”
for each of us. We created a ritual of
spending five minutes weekly to reflect on
the positive things that we had done or observed others doing. The reflections were
written on Post-it notes and pasted on the
affirmation boards.
Then, we had our first “Naming the
Light” awards ceremony at the end of the
year. We exchanged gifts to affirm one another’s good work in inspiring others with
our Light. The journey of creating this culture was simple, yet so meaningful and impactful. The greatest gift I received was
a simple comment from my 11-year-old
daughter that I have become a better and
more life-giving mother.
Seeing the Light of self and others is
neither rocket science nor anything counter-intuitive. It just requires us to take the
first step to embrace an alternative way of
thinking and translate that into intentional
gestures. So, start the Light trail today!
Ms Cammy Teh is Quality Service Manager and
Senior Assistant Director of Organisation Development & Service Excellence, Strategic Planning
Division, Singapore Prison Service. This is second
in a series of reflections from participants of the
Leading & Sustaining Change Programme at the
Civil Service College.
Text by
TAY QIAO WEI
Photo by
LUMINA
He brings
paper to life
This tax officer with a passion for origami unlocks
the unlimited potential of a humble piece of paper.
Officers with a Passion
With his undercut hair in a bun and a spiked silver
ring in his left ear, Bartholomew Yeo does not look like a typical
public officer.
His desk at the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore is no ordinary paper-stacked cubicle either. Blue owls, orange doves and a family
of cats – all folded from paper – peer down at him as he answers phone
enquiries about tax issues. Little paper puppies play in a mini garden
to his left while to his right, a 45cm-tall horse stands proud.
The self-taught paper-folding enthusiast, also known as Bart,
had dabbled in origami since childhood, but only started pursuing it
as a hobby two years ago. These days, he makes almost 25 colourful
pieces a day, folding one or two new models repeatedly.
“[There are] unlimited possibilit[ies] with just one square sheet of
paper… That alone never ceases to amaze me,” says the 24-year-old.
Other than miniature decorations, Bart also uses origami to create
accessories. Last Halloween, he transformed himself into the Hamburglar, the McDonald’s character, wearing a life-sized hat, eye mask
and tie – all folded out of paper.
He keeps a lookout for different types of paper to experiment with
too. On a recent trip to South Korea, he set aside half a day to search
for local handmade paper.
Bart’s hobby and job have helped him develop two essential skills,
he says. Keeping his cool while appeasing frustrated taxpayers hones
his patience, just as folding up to 200 steps to make a complete model
does. Similarly, paying meticulous attention to detail is crucial when
handling both intricate origami steps and taxpayers’ particulars.
Origami has helped the cheerful officer befriend more colleagues,
who are drawn to the quirky paper figures spread artfully over his desk.
“To most people, origami is just something for kids,” says
Bart. “[But] when they saw that it could be done in so many different ways, they were amazed that there’s more to origami than they
had thought.”
Follow Bart on Instagram
(@bartfartsart) for more of
his colourful creations.
33
Text by
SITI MAZIAH MASRAMLI
One-seat wonder
The nondescript kopitiam plastic stool is a surprise find at a new
exhibition to celebrate local design from the past five decades.
Who would have thought that the humble kopitiam plastic stool would join the ranks
of iconic Singapore design? Fellow stars include Her World, the first English language women’s
magazine published here in the 1960s, and Pearl Bank Apartments, built on a hill in Outram and
once Singapore’s tallest residential building. Local company Singaplastics produced the UNICA
plastic stool in the 1990s, in a tie-up with industrial designer Chew Moh-Jin. These lightweight
yet sturdy stools were specially designed for kopitiams – at the end of the day, the stools can be
stacked and secured with a chain through the hole in the centre of the seat. Today, these stools
have gone from coffee shops and void decks to being used as architectural building blocks, in one
of two winning designs for the 2014 ArchiFest Pavilion (pictured). In a show of versatility, 4,000
red and white stools were arranged to form the pavilion’s walls. So the next time you sit on this
distinctive piece of product design, take a closer look and admire its features.
www.challenge.gov.sg March/April 2015
Feature
35
Find out more about the
plastic stool and other madein-Singapore design at Fifty
Years of Singapore Design,
held as part of Singapore
Design Week and for SG50.
When: A permanent exhibition
from March 10, 9am – 9pm
Where: Design Gallery 2 (Level
2), National Design Centre
PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN LIN
?
Text by
JUSTIN ZHUANG
more
than
meets
the
1
2
eye
From changing public perceptions to building communities and
improving access to public services, these projects from around
the world show how excellent design, more than just making
things look good, creates an impact on people’s everyday lives.
3
4
www.challenge.gov.sg March/April 2015
Life.Style
IA
STR
U
A
WAITING IN STYLE
PHOTOS COURTESY OF NEUE, METRIC
SYSTEM AND SNØHETTA DESIGN
In the Austrian village of Krumbach,
public buses come only once every hour.
But fret not if you miss one – you can
spend your time admiring Krumbach’s
one-of-a-kind bus shelters instead. To
boost tourism to this rural town of just over
1,000 residents, seven famous international
architects were invited to work with local
craftsmen to transform these everyday
waiting platforms into attractions. From a
wooden tower offering views of the village
to a forest of columns with a winding
staircase to nowhere, waiting for a bus has
become a wee bit more pleasurable thanks
to the imaginative architects who got to
holiday at the village in exchange.
1. On their way to Krumbach, Architecten
de Vylder Vinck Taillieu, a trio of Belgium
architects, was inspired by the triangular
shapes of the Alpine mountains and Sol LeWitt
geometrical drawings.
2. Krumbach’s picturesque scenery led
Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto to take on a
philosophical approach and design a forest-like
bus stop sans shelter that also functions as a
village landmark.
3. Noticing how the locals stack oak planks to
dry in their workshops, Spanish architecture
firm Ensamble Studio created a bus stop with
untreated wood that will age and emit a smell
specific to its location.
4. Chilean architect Smiljan Radic’s bus stop
is based on local house parlours, with rural
wooden chairs for seating. An attached
birdhouse acts as a distraction
for people waiting for the bus.
Y
WA
R
NO
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ADOLF BEREUTER
GAINING WORLDWIDE
CURRENCY
Passports and currency are everyday
national documents that citizens often
don’t give a second look to. But Norwegians
and the world were captivated last year by
Norway’s beautifully redesigned passport
and currency, following a government
design competition. The new passport,
drafted by Neue design agency, has pages
illustrated with a picturesque Norwegian
landscape. Under ultraviolet light, the pages
transform to show the Northern Lights
that streak across the country’s night skies.
For the new face of Norway’s currency,
the government picked Snøhetta Design’s
abstract pixelated imagery of the country’s
coast to complement the more conventional
sea-themed illustrations by Metric System
on the other side, which reflect Norway’s
nautical heritage.
37
ILE
CH
BUILDING A HOME
TOGETHER
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ELEMENTAL
Faced with a tight budget, architecture
firm ELEMENTAL did not complete its
designs for a social housing programme
in Chile. But their “half-finished” homes
in the shantytown of Quinta Monroy
were actually the Chilean studio’s
innovative solution to house families on
the same land where they had illegally
lived for years. Instead of moving the
families to another neighbourhood
or building conventional apartment
towers, ELEMENTAL created basic
houses with extra space for expanding
families. Residents then build upon this
skeletal design with their own resources,
contributing to complete social housing
whose value increases over time.
The “half-finished” houses come with extra space that residents can
develop later on their own when their families expand.
www.challenge.gov.sg March/April 2015
Studio Dumbar
created a colour
palette and
worked with type
designer Peter
Verheul on a new
typeface designed
exclusively
for the Dutch
government.
Life.Style
Navigating bureaucracy can be confusing.
Just try the Dutch government, which
has 175 institutions and ministries – each
having its own identity. To help the public
recognise every one of them as part of the
Netherlands’ national government, Dutch
design agency Studio Dumbar created a
visual identity in 2009 to encompass them
all. The result: A blue logo stamped with
the well-known Dutch coat of arms, two
custom typefaces that are more spaceefficient, and a set of layouts to guide the
use of the identity system. This new look
was applied over two years across a range
of assets from buildings to identity cards
that eventually presented the government
as one organisation to Dutch citizens.
AN
JAP
BEAUTIFUL COVER-UPS
Cities typically don’t show off their
sewage systems. But in Japan, they are
a source of local pride because of their
beautiful designs. Adorning manhole
covers along the country’s streets is
local imagery such as cartoon squids
in Hokkaido and a samurai from Tochigi
Prefecture. Turning these utilitarian
lids into works of art was the idea of a
construction ministry bureaucrat, who
wanted to raise public acceptance for a
costly, underground sewer system being
built in the 1980s. Despite costing up to
5% more than standard covers, the custom
lids are now found almost everywhere
in Japan. Cities, towns and villages
created the manhole designs to have local
appeal, but they have since become global
attractions, with websites and books
dedicated to this unique Japanese art!
PHOTOS COURTESY OF TONY OXBORROW (OXBORROW ON FLICKR),
DAIJU AZUMA (OPENCAGE ON FLICKR)
ONE IDENTITY
TO RULE THEM ALL
(Clockwise from right)
In Hokkaido, Japan, manhole
covers feature squids, and
the Old Public Hall within
star-shaped Fort Goryokaku
in Hakodate. A manhole lid
in Nankou, Osaka, depicts a
pagoda among blossoms.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF STUDIO DUMBAR
E
TH ERTH
NE NDS
LA
39
40
The Irreverent Last Page
Oh~
I can save the Earth but
I cannot save my nose... -.1-PLY TISSUE PAPER
for design’s sake!
The Challenge Department of Dud Design
susses out items that flop in functionality.
In theory:
Saves the earth by reducing
the amount of paper used.
Reality:
Snifflers and toilet users
don’t want a mess on their
hands, so more tissue paper
squares end up being pulled
and layered for use.
1-PLY
TISSUE
1-PLY
TISSUE
1-PLY
TISSUE
Woo... the minimalist look of a revamped inbox.
But wait... Where are my saved drafts?
A REDESIGNED
WEBSITE INTERFACE
like Gmail and Google Maps
In theory:
The new design promises to
show you more information, in a
“responsive and predictive” way.
Eh...
WHERE IS THE TOILET?!?!
Reality:
You can’t find the information
you want because there are too
many steps and menus to get
through first.
TOILET SIGNS
that are ambiguous
In theory:
Bathroom signs look fancier
than those of other
bathrooms.
What AWESOME packaging!
So good that I need
a pair of heavy duty scissors
to get to another pair of scissors...
HEAT-SEALED PLASTIC
CLAMSHELL PACKAGING
(impossible to open without
a sharp pair of scissors)
In theory:
Keeps the product safe from
theft or breakage, and makes the
item easier to display in stores.
Reality:
The packaging’s edges are
sharp enough to cut you, and you
need industrial-strength blades
to get to the product.
Reality:
The signs confuse and confound, especially when you
need to go urgently.
Oh great...
I cannot go home either...
ACCOUNT BALANCE
$0.98
A
T
M
A TRANSPORT CARD
that is also an ATM card
In theory:
It makes your travel and shopping
experience more convenient, and
your wallet less cluttered.
Reality:
You’re out of luck if you
use the linked bank account
to top up your transport fund,
since both functions are on
the same card.
Need We Say More?
Here’s where we let the humour loose, and learn to laugh at ourselves a little more. Have ideas or jokes about the Public Service?
Email us: [email protected]
TRIVIA QUIZ
1
In the late 1990s, there was a committee set up called POWER,
which stands for ____________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
2
Librarians at the library@orchard were roped in for their
“special skills”. What are they?
a.
b.
c.
d.
3
Public Officers Wanting to Embrace Red-tape
Public Officers Wishing to Evade Red-tape
Public Officers Working on Eliminating Red-tape
Public Officers Wearied and Exasperated by Red-tape
Photography
Fashion and design
Industrial design, literature and animation
Architecture
What is the Building and Construction Authority’s campaign
to publicise Universal Design?
5
PAIRS OF MOVIE
VOUCHERS TO BE WON
Submit your answers by
March 31, 2015 at:
Challenge Online
www.challenge.gov.sg
a.
b.
c.
d.
Unify, not diversify
Unify to UDify
Let’s unify
None of the above
Please include your name,
email address, agency and
contact number.
All winners will be
4
What has the Singapore General Hospital done to make it
easier for patients and visitors to find their way around the
Specialist Outpatient Clinics?
a.
b.
c.
d.
5
Place more signage
Have staff direct patients to the clinics
Screen videos showing directions to all the various clinics
Create coloured zones to differentiate medical disciplines
Which country has one-of-a-kind bus shelters that have
become tourist attractions?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Norway
The Netherlands
Japan
Austria
notified by email.
CONGRATULATIONS!
to the winners of the
Jan/Feb 2015 Trivia Quiz
Clarence Liu (MSF)
Amanda Ho (DOS)
Polly Quah (Vital)
Jessica Teo (LTA)
Herney Binti Hashim
(Singapore Customs)