JP Connect
Digitalizing documentation to
optimize port safety practices.
DESIGN CHALLENGE
Jurong Port (JP) is a leading multipurpose port operator handling general, bulk and containerized cargo. Today, its main gateway terminal in Singapore welcomes more than 15,000 vessels each year from both the region and internationally.
Pivotal to the port’s efficiency are its stevedores (port workers) and safety liaison officers (who oversee well-being and safety of both workers and operations). Each shift begins with a series of rigorous safety protocols which involve equipment checks and safety briefings, all of them relying heavily on the reliability of the safety liaison officers’ documentation of data.
One area identified for design intervention is the documentation process of safety procedures. Currently, much of the documentation process is manual and the shift to digital systems has been met with various challenges on the ground.
How might we reduce the barriers that Safety Liaison Officers face in adopting a digitalized documentation process?
Content from Youtube can't be displayed due to your current cookie settings. To show this content, please click "Consent & Show" to confirm that necessary data will be transferred to Youtube to enable this service. Further information can be found in our Privacy Policy. Changed your mind? You can revoke your consent at any time via your cookie settings.
CONCEPT
JP Connect illustrates the possibility of digitalizing documentation data that mimics the physical documentation experience for Safety Liaison Officers (SLO) on the ground.
RESEARCH PROCESS
In the course of our design work, our team employed various ethnographic methods to elicit key user pain points.
Contextual Inquiry
This was particularly helpful to understand why safety protocols are still manually documented.
Shadowing
Seeing safety at work on the ground gave us an immediate tacit grasp of the operations climate.
Wireframe Testing
Simple low-fidelity mockups helped to surface resistance concerns from officers.
App Prototype Testing
A higher fidelity prototype yielded more targeted feedback and crucially informed design strategy.
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
JUST-IN-TIME SAFETY CHECKLIST
One of the key objectives of digitalization was to smoothen and shorten the safety briefings that Safety Liaison Officers (SLOs) had to conduct but either did not see the need or were too busy for.
DIGITALIZED-MANUAL HYBRID
It was crucial to onboard our users into digitalized processes incrementally due to psychological resistance and from longtime use of manual documents. In this example, screenshots of the original lifting plans were still included for officers to identify or reference the right paperwork - but the app goes on to provide a series of automated recommendations for them to choose from.
USER STIMULATION
Hours of filling out documents on the job can wear out officers, even with digital forms. To help officers ensure that they do not miss out on any checklists due to fatigue or forgetfulness, a progress bar was included to give them some sense of progress and completion.
CELEBRATING SAFETY CULTURE
One standout insight was the camaraderie between workers and their concern for one another. We leveraged on this by factoring in stories and updates pertaining to stevedore safety. This, we found, brought safety into a personal and communal domain, and was no longer just company policy.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
ABSTRACT
This project is the outcome of a service design studio “SmartPort 2025”, in collaboration with Jurong Port. The studio aims to develop a deeper understanding in systems thinking in design, trends and opportunities from advanced technologies, and designing with user experience goals for multiple stakeholders in an ecosystem.
PROJECT DETAILS
Type of Exercise | Team of 3
Supervisor | Dr. JungJoo Lee
Partners | Kelvin Siew, Tan Hwee Peng
Duration | 12 weeks
Collaborators | Jurong Port (2018)