Product Designer

You bridge user needs and business goals. You make complex systems easy to use. You make the product work well and look good.

Here is a look at what a Product Designer, Fiza Husin, has to say about working here.

Who we are

Open Government Products is an in-house team of engineers, designers, and product managers who build technology for the public good. We proactively identify areas where technology can help, test our prototypes with actual users, and bring our best ones to launch. This includes everything from building better frontend applications for citizens, to automating the internal operations of public agencies. We use and release open source software, keep a flat hierarchy, and bypass bureaucracy to focus on delivery. We work on real problems, build for the user, and push for change.

Projects we have worked on include:

Data.gov.sg - An open repository of all the Singapore Government’s public data. It helps people understand the data using visualizations and articles, and provides real-time APIs for developers to use.

Beeline - A data-driven shuttle bus platform. Bus routes are created from user suggestions and public transport usage data. Users can book, pay for, and track rides using a mobile app.

Parking.sg - A mobile app alternative to parking coupons. It lets users pay, extend, and refund their parking sessions just using their phones.

Form.sg - A form builder tool for agencies to self-service and create online forms that capture classified data, with the goal of replacing paper forms.

What does a Product Designer do?

As a user experience designer, your job is to make a concrete vision of what a good product looks like. This encompasses understanding users needs and the problems they face, creating intuitive user flows through your application, and polishing detailed aesthetics and understanding how they make users feel.

On a day to day basis, this means:

Talking with users to understand their problems
Creating personas, user flows, sketches, and information architectures to guide design decisions
Building mockups and prototypes to illustrate different design approaches
Testing early designs with users and iterating on their feedback
Defining overall aesthetics and visual styles for the product
Creating detailed user interface specifications
Guiding engineers in their implementation of your designs

Additionally, more senior designers will be expected to:

Establish common design standards for the team
Run design critiques to share your expertise with other designers
Help with recruiting

Digital services are about improving the way people interact with their government. Getting the subtle details rights is the difference between an intuitive experience and a frustrating one. As we launch new products, your role will be to ensure that the future of public service is not just functional, but delightful to use.

You will work on meaningful projects that solve problems pertinent to our society, from transportation, to education, to healthcare. The public sector is full of opportunities where even the simplest software can have a big impact on people’s lives. You will have direct ownership of your work with over 70% of our projects starting as ground up initiatives. Rather than work on commercial ventures commonly found in the startup scene, we’re here to improve how we live as a society through what we can offer as a government.

What it is like working here

Rapid Prototyping - Instead of spending too much time debating ideas we prefer testing them. This identifies potential problems quickly, and more importantly, conveys what is possible to others easily.

Ownership - In addition to technical responsibilities, this means having opinions on what is being done and having ideas on what should be done next. Building something that you believe in is the best way to build something good.

Continuous Learning - Working on new ideas often means not fully understanding what you are working on. Taking time to learn new architectures, frameworks, technologies, and even languages is not just encouraged but essential.

Who we are looking for

We look for people who:

Have a demonstrated ability to designing products and experiences - Prior work and personal projects count for much more than specific degrees.
Have a great visual design sense and an eye for detail - You should have a portfolio that showcases your prior work and be able to explain your design decisions.
Are passionate about user-centered design - We look for experience with user research processes and an understanding of mobile-first and responsive design.
Are proficient with design tools - You need proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite or other prototyping software such as Sketch and Invision. Familiarity with HTML/CSS/JS and other web development technologies is a plus.
Communicate well with both users and engineers - You need to be comfortable taking feedback from laymen to inform your designs and then explaining those designs in sufficient detail to engineers for implementation.
Take initiative to make things happen - Our job is to push for change in government, so we need to challenge the status quo and not wait for instruction.
Want to work for the public good - We are public servants, we serve the public. This sometimes means ignoring political pressures and misguided policies. We need people who will push back if something is not in the public interest.

Overall we look for people who have ability, initiative, good communication, and strong values.

Only Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident will be considered.