A UIUX Designer Perspective: Digital Health Pass for Singaporeans
With billions of people being inoculated worldwide, and the travel industry accounting for 10% of world GDP, it is about time to prepare for international travel to make its debut again. Despite vaccinations being administered, travel restrictions such as health passports or proof of negative Covid-19 tests will be enforced to ensure the air travel experience is rendered as safe and anxiety-free as possible. Contactless travel is going to be the new normal, driving the shift towards a mobile-first experience in the travel industry.
As 50% of the Singapore population is targeted to be fully vaccinated by the end of July 2021, the government is planning to introduce differentiated COVID-19 measures for those vaccinated. This national vaccination program is an effort to increase participation in community and economic activities in Singapore. This would also mean that stringent checks on vaccination status and test results would be the new way of life for us moving forward.
In anticipation and preparation of lifting travel restrictions in the near future, health and technology companies are rushing to create a one-stop digital health passport as a form of declaration of travelers’ vaccination and negative test statuses.
With the International Air Transport Association (IATA) expected to roll out the digital passport app — Travel Pass which syncs health statuses together with your digital passport and boarding passes, Apple is also working on launching an e-passport as a form of digital identification, together with COVID-19 test results and vaccine certificates in the Apple Wallet.
Google has also recently updated their developer API to include COVID vaccination and testing information as passes. Android users can now have access to such information using their mobile phones.
Here is how I envision the UI/UX for a Singapore health pass to be in the Apple Wallet:
The Concept
Just like how we store our physical vaccination cards in our health booklets, the Apple Wallet acts as a one-stop location in our iPhones to store our digital cards like credit and debit cards, along with boarding passes, tickets and more. To add the health pass into the Apple Wallet, users are able to do so simply by logging in via the Singpass app. All vaccination and recent test information would be regularly synced and updated on MyHealthPass. A QR code is also available for authorities to scan at any point of inspection for information verification.
The Look
Borrowing the colors of the current Singpass app, the wallet card is donned in our national colors of red and white. The user’s full name and hidden IC number is displayed for verification purposes. The two green ticks can be seen at a glance that two doses of vaccination have been completed. Green is often used to symbolise safety and success.
A negative test result is also highlighted in red to signal that the validity of the test results is over, and another test will need to be performed to update the user’s test result status.
A QR code is also present for verifiers to scan and log the user’s health passport into their system after verification.
Main User Groups
- Issuers (Health Authorities)
With most of our information stored in Healthhub or Singpass, health authorities can easily update health and vaccination status in the main database which will automatically be synced and reflected on MyHealthPass. There is already a workflow that exists to update the status of other vaccinations on the HealthHub Mobile App in real time.
2. Individuals (Citizens)
The need for minimal physical contact gave rise to the prevalence of contactless payment such as Apple Pay with 56% of Singaporeans embracing the new way of interaction using their Apple Wallet. With new features such as mere tapping of the Tracetogether app for SafeEntry, it only makes sense to digitalise our Health Pass as well. The quick access of the health pass in our phone wallets, or even as a widget is meant for users to conveniently present relevant information for verification.
3. Verifiers
With Singapore managing COVID-19 as an endemic, vaccination status and testing status is something that would be widely used to check upon entrance of a venue or event — whether it is at a workplace, large-scale event or airport. Consolidation of the critical information upfront and an easy access of QR code to verify the information is the key in the design of the wallet card.
Conclusion
To be pandemic-ready is to be tech-ready. Apple and Google’s upcoming launch of the health passes are embodiments in which we can present identification information through our phones instead of presenting a traditional form of paper identification. It is a key enabler for modernizing public services that enhances administrative efficiency and boosts convenience. However, when it comes to increasing the adoption rate, the UIUX of the application has to be taken into account as well. From the colors used to the features available and usability, it is important that the UIUX facilitates user-friendliness and the ability to deliver the functionalities.
Are we all ready to live in the new normal of flashing your vaccination and test status, on top of our safe entry passes?
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