60+ Years of Industry Engagement
A Caring Community of Inspired Learners committed to serve with mastery
The User Experience Centre (UXC) is a collaboration between four design units at Singapore Polytechnic (SP) that provide human-centred design solutions and training to multiple industry sectors including public service, active ageing, healthcare and education. Being based in SP, we are uniquely positioned to partner with multidisciplinary staff and students to collaborate on design consultancy projects with industry partners. This strategic partnership allows us to offer our industry partners more options and flexibility for different modes of collaboration. UXC also provides opportunities for SP staff and students to integrate classroom learning with real-life applications for real-world users and clients.
UXC enables clients to create a clear and coherent picture of VUCA problems (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous). We reframe issues using design tools, methods and processes to help clients pinpoint the unmet needs of users to fuel breakthrough insights and innovations. The combined expertise of our four units continues to help our clients make sense of complex issues and provide them solutions, be they MNCs, SMEs, statuary boards or government organisations.
Have a wicked problem for us to solve? Please contact Agnes Tan at 68708360 or email Agnes_tan@sp.edu.sg for enquiries.
Click on each of the tabs above to find out more information about the units that comprise UXC.
unbox.ED focuses on helping clients develop empathy for their customers so that they can create innovative solutions to better address their customers’ unmet needs.
Our projects focus on real-life problems and challenges faced by our clients, helping to add value and innovation to products, services and customer experiences.
We conduct Design Thinking workshops for companies and organisations as a precursor and foundation for organisation-wide innovation. We are able to customize workshops to suit the varying needs of our clients, ranging from educational institutions to industry / corporate organisations (e.g. worked with 9 MOE schools to deliver Design Thinking training for their students and teachers; conducted Design Thinking training for the Trumarine Global Management Team).
Collaboration with Public Service Division, Prime Minister’s Office
2014 – Present
Collaboration with Public Service Division, Prime Minister’s Office
2014 – Present
unbox.ED has collaborated with the Public Service Division, Prime Minister’s Office, to train a team of 36 selected Public Service Officers from 13 different public agencies (MND, HSA, MUIS, MOH, NEA, MOM, WDA, DSTA, CSC, PSD, STB, SPORT, RP).
The team is currently conducting the second run of the design thinking workshop.
Live Well Collaborative Singapore (LWC-S) is an extension of the Live Well Collaborative in Cincinnati (LWC-C), brought to Singapore by the Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG). LWC-S is the first LWC site in Asia Pacific and second in the world. LWC focuses on issues relating to the growing ageing population in the Asia Pacific region, with special attention to Singapore, where the silver age population accounts for one million of its citizens.
The breakthrough business-academia partnership model was pioneered by P&G and the University of Cincinnati in the US, based on P&G’s Connect+Develop open innovation model. The C+D model promotes the co-creation of products and services with the best innovators outside the organisation.
LWC-S works with industry leaders in the fields of architecture, environment, design, engineering, business, life sciences, aeronautics, digital media, information communication and the marine industry, pairing these experts with a host of young creative talent. Since its official formation in September 2010, LWC-S has completed 33 sponsored projects, more than 10 social innovation projects, involving over 27 lecturers and more than 400 students. LWC-S currently has 3 patents filed under Boeing and a total of 13 other interest-to-file patents.
Visit the LWC-S website to learn more about us.
Barilla Singapore Pte Ltd
2015
Barilla Singapore Pte Ltd
2015
This project involves the use of design thinking principles to understand preferences towards pasta sauces among consumers in Singapore and Malaysia. Findings will support the Food Innovation & Resource Centre (FIRC) in creating new pasta sauces for Barilla Singapore Pte Ltd.
The Innovations for Healthy Ageing unit (Inno4) focuses on innovating healthcare experiences for patients, their loved ones and care teams. While much of our work focuses on seniors, we also do work in other areas relating to general health and wellness.
We believe that good healthcare experiences consider factors beyond just physical health, and should encompass a more holistic approach that takes into account social and emotional wellness. After all, healthcare extends beyond institutional settings of hospitals and clinics into the homes and communities of people from all walks of life.
At Inno4, we help transform healthcare experiences through purposeful, holistic design that integrates multiple products, services and spaces across various touchpoints of the healthcare journey for all stakeholders involved.
Collaboration project with SP staff from various disciplines
2011 – 2013
Collaboration project with SP staff from various disciplines
2011-2013
This research was conducted over a 2-year period, led by the Inno4 team in collaboration with a multidisciplinary group of students and staff at SP. The analysis and insights were visually documented for the purpose of sharing our research findings with others.
Part of this research involved the creation of four personas that represent different types of seniors that have unique healthcare needs and journeys.
Collaboration project with SP DBID students and lecturers
2013 – 2014
Collaboration project with SP DBID students and lecturers
2013 – 2014
This research was a year-long collaborative effort with Diploma of Business Innovation and Design (DBID) students from SP’s School of Business. The research team consulted community residents in their investigations about formal and informal caregiving for seniors. The analysis and insights were visually documented under the guidance of the Inno4 team.
Part of this research involved the creation of six personas representing caregivers of seniors with varying profiles needs. Four of these personas represent those who have family relations (informal caregivers), while two represent foreign domestic workers in formal caregiving roles.
Collaboration project with Ageing-in-Place (AIP) team from Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH)
2013 – 2014
Collaboration project with Ageing-in-Place (AIP) team from Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH)
2013 – 2014
This pilot project was a collaboration between Inno4 and the Ageing-In-Place community nursing team from Alexandra Health and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. Together, we researched, designed and tested a self-care solution for Chronic Cardiac Failure (CCF) patients. The resulting concept was a no-tech, low-cost toolkit to assist patients and their caregivers to manage their heart failure condition at home. The concept included a flipchart for tracking the most crucial health indicators for CCF, a customized bottle for measuring daily water consumption and educational aids to help nurses teach patients about effective self care.
National Healthcare Group Polyclinics (NHGP)
2014
National Healthcare Group Polyclinics (NHGP)
2014
NHGP tasked our design team to reimagine the primary care patient experience of tomorrow by developing a concept for the ideal healthcare journey for patients at their upcoming Pioneer Polyclinic. The project involved design thinking training for NHGP staff, intensive user research and data analysis, and co-creation and concept development workshops involving key stakeholders. The project resulted in the redesigning of 11 key patient touchpoints along with the development of 26 pilot concepts for enhancing the healthcare experience at Pioneer Polyclinic, which is set to open its doors to the community in 2017.
This project was done in collaboration with the Learning Experience Design (LED) team. Prior to the start of the project, Design Thinking training of NHGP staff was conducted by the Unbox.ED team.
Developed in partnership with Alexandra Health System (AHS)
2014 – 2015
Developed in partnership with Alexandra Health System (AHS)
2014 – 2015
Designed to aid communication and encourage bonding between seniors and their caregivers, CareWiz helps families to be more involved in the care process for their aged loved ones. The CareWIZ app concept was awarded 2nd prize at the Hacknovate ICOST 2013 Competition hosted by Alexandra Health System (AHS). With additional grant funding from AHS, we conducted in-depth research to investigate the underlying issues related to communication between Singaporean seniors and foreign domestic workers tasked with formal caregiving. The insights gained from this research helped us to develop and test the CareWIZ app prototype.
With support from Singapore Polytechnic Optometry Center (SPOC)
2014 – 2015
With support from Singapore Polytechnic Optometry Center (SPOC)
2014 – 2015
How might we help seniors with mobility challenges navigate independently from their homes to access healthcare appointments and services? Under the guidance of the Inno4 team, a group of students from the Diploma of Business Innovation and Design (DBID) developed an app to address this issue as part of their internship programme. The app customizes maps to help seniors navigate to their healthcare destinations. The app also engages the community for crowdsourcing of barrier-free route options or to highlight potential hazards and obstacles to avoid.
Past workshops conducted for Design Thinking Summit
2014
Past workshops conducted for Design Thinking Summit
2014
This workshop introduces participants to fundamental design thinking methods and tools useful for designing meaningful and impactful healthcare solutions. Participants work in multidisciplinary groups with multidisciplinary facilitators to learn and apply these tools in healthcare contexts to innovate patient experiences.
Participants of past workshops conducted came from the following organisations:
Past workshops conducted for A*STAR ETPL and Healthcare Innovators Forum
2014 – 2015
Past workshops conducted for A*STAR ETPL and Healthcare Innovators Forum
2014 – 2015
How can we improve the lives for seniors who live alone or live with another elderly person and a foreign helper? These workshops introduce participants to design tools and methods that are well suited for reframing and rethinking health and wellness experiences from the perspective of patients and their caregivers. Using various contexts such as the SP Living Lab and donning ageing suits, participants complete activities that help them gain a better understanding of and develop empathy for seniors. Participants apply their learning from the empathy exercises to identify areas of opportunity for innovation and design.
The Learning Experience Design unit (LED) focuses on the application of design thinking methodologies and a multi-disciplinary, collaborative approach for integrating pedagogical values with learning space design. The core LED unit comprises of professionals with many years of experience in architecture, industrial design, teaching and pedagogical design.
LED’s integrative and innovative workshop model leads clients / participants through a process that helps mine and apply insights to craft visual concepts for ideal user experiences and space design proposals. We engage stakeholders from various levels and diverse backgrounds to address a common challenge and create breakthrough solutions.
We also apply this approach to crafting ideal user experiences and spaces beyond educational and learning contexts, with the objective of co-creating environments that enhance the end user experience and transform culture and behavior.
Collaboration with Commonwealth Secondary School (CSS)
2015
Collaboration with Commonwealth Secondary School (CSS)
2015
The team worked with CSS teachers to transform traditional D&T lab into an innovative and hands-on learning space that promotes tinkering and application of Design Thinking among secondary school students.
Collaboration with Singapore Maritime Academy (SMA)
2013
Collaboration with Singapore Maritime Academy (SMA)
2013
Team of SP students, lecturers, pedagogists, and designers from LED co-created concept of multi-faceted Maritime Business Studio for SMA. The newly completed space now supports the delivery of scenario-based learning that enables Maritime Business students to apply their knowledge and skills in real-life contexts.
