Making National Records Easier to Find, Manage, and Trust
Optimising digital workflows for the National Archives of Singapore
Role
UX/UI Designer
Agency/ Client
REVEZ Motion, NLB
Project Type
Government
The Challenge
Making Multi-Role Workflows Simple and Secure
The national archival institution’s internal records system handled sensitive, high-volume documentation across its entire lifecycle but was weighed down by complex workflows and usability gaps. By streamlining role-based access, introducing contextual search and filtering, and clarifying task flows, we reduced operational friction, improved task accuracy, and future-proofed the platform for scalability.
I redesigned critical user journeys to make the system clearer, faster, and aligned with governance protocols.
The core challenge
How might we improve multi-role archival workflows to improve efficiency, reduce manual errors, and support secure, policy-aligned content access?
The Solution, Design Approach
Complex Roles, Made Simple.
Key UX Interventions
To address fragmented workflows and overlapping roles, several key design decisions were made:
Disclaimer: This project involved designing an internal portal used exclusively by government agencies and NAS staff. Due to the sensitive and privileged nature of the content, certain details and visuals are confidential and have been omitted or anonymised in this case study.
My Role
UX Designer
Served as the UX designer for NAS’ internal records management system enhancement, working with tech and business to shape scalable solutions across multi-role workflows. Collaborated closely with a long-standing backend developer to align interface logic with system capabilities and archival policies.
Contributions
Information Architecture
UX & UI Design
Prototyping Agile
Collaboration Design
System Application
Enterprise UX
Users
Design & Iterate
Digital Transformation of Workflow
Global Navigation Design
Overhaul of Global Navigation
The challenge
How might we redesign navigation to support new features, merged roles, and clearer, action-driven labels?
Key Research Findings
Quick label testing revealed that while new labels were more intuitive for new users, experienced staff preferred the familiar labels and completed tasks more efficiently using them.
Before
With merged roles and new workflows, the original drop-down menu became impractical. It risked becoming too long, hard to scan, overwhelming for users, and difficult to maintain.
After
Introduced a mega menu with function-based categories to make features easy to find, reduce friction, and support multi-role workflows. The scalable design improves usability and makes maintenance easier in a complex system.
AdvanCe Search
Advanced Search and Request of Records
The challenge
How might we make searching and requests faster and easier for all users while reducing manual steps in the workflow?
After:
To support efficient record retrieval, the search workflow was expanded to include transferred records. New features such as keyword and wildcard search, metadata filters, and CSV export were introduced to streamline access. This significantly reduced the time spent locating files, especially for officers managing large-volume reviews.
Bridging Technical Logic with User-Centric Design
The project began with complex process flows that provided limited user context and interface definition, particularly for the key overview page.
I distilled these flows into a single, simplified journey, applying my database design experience to anticipate user needs.
This allowed me to define the essential content and interactions for the overview page, transforming raw technical logic into a coherent, intuitive user experience.
Final
INtentional Friction
Strengthened Governance & Compliance Support
The challenge
How might we use design to make the handling of sensitive content intuitive, secure, and traceable?
Integrated compliance messaging, declassification workflows, audit trails, and download warnings to align with IM8 and NLB's security protocols. Ensured content access was traceable and policy-aligned.
View classified transferred record
Details of Classified Record
IM8 Message for download of classifed records
Impact
Reflection
Working on a privileged enterprise system taught me to design with constraints in mind. I learned to balance usability with policy needs, proposing improvements while respecting legacy efficiencies valued by seasoned users. By collaborating closely with PMs and tech leads and grounding decisions in familiar references, I built trust in my recommendations. This project deepened my systems thinking, showing me how even simple UIs reflect complex layers of governance and authorisation.