MyJPJ App: Navigating the Product Strategy Maze
As part of the Malaysian government’s efforts to digitalize and optimize costs, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) introduced the MyJPJ app to make it easier for individuals to interact with JPJ and access its services, reducing the need for in-person visits to JPJ branches. With the MyJPJ app, renewing your road tax and driver’s license is now as simple as a few taps on your phone screen. The app makes it easy to keep your driving documents up-to-date and accessible without the need for any paper.
However, the app has received numerous complaints and negative comments, particularly regarding difficulties with registration and login. In this blog, we will examine the app from a product team’s perspective and highlight the mazes surrounding its product strategy.
Maze #1: Who is the MyJPJ app for, the public or JPJ?
The product strategy of the app seems to be confusing, as it offers different values to both the public and JPJ.
Values for the public:
- Convenience: The app provides a convenient way for individuals to access JPJ services anytime, avoiding long queues and wait times at JPJ branches and the need to take time off work.
- Reduced paperwork: The need for physical copies of road tax and driver’s licenses is eliminated.
Values for JPJ:
- Improved efficiency: The app streamlines operations and reduces the workload of JPJ staff, improving overall efficiency.
- Increased reach: The app allows JPJ to reach a wider audience, including those living in rural areas (assuming internet access is available) or those who are unable to visit the office in person.
- Reduced costs: By reducing manual processes, paper-based transactions, and physical copies of driver’s licenses and road tax, the app helps JPJ save RM96 million per year.
Despite being a step towards digitalization, improved efficiency, and reduced administrative costs, the MyJPJ app does not seem to be the best platform to solve the public’s pain points, at least not at this stage.
Maze #2: Why do you need a mobile app for the MyJPJ service?
There are several issues with the app that need to be addressed, including:
- Debate over the potential problems associated with a lack of physical road tax and driver’s license. While JPJ suggests taking a screenshot or printing a copy of the digital version, this raises questions as to why the MyJPJ app, which can be designed to store data offline on the user’s phone, would require additional physical documentation, defeating the purpose of the app’s convenience.
- Onboarding problems, poor app performance, user experience issues, and other technical bugs, which are major obstacles in delivering a good customer experience to the public. This is a common mistake among software developers who prioritize delivery over quality when developing digital products. The ultimate goal is to invest in a good product that is accepted and liked by users, which is the ultimate customer experience.
In conclusion, the MyJPJ app underscores the significance of a robust product strategy when developing a digital product or service. Choosing the right platform to best serve the target users is critical, and the MyJPJ app serves as a cautionary tale for the importance of user experience (UX) in mobile application development.
