Designing for compliance at scale

How we rewired Singtel’s mobile registration experience under a hard regulatory deadline

ROLE

Experience design, content design, omnichannel, cross-functional leadership

YEAR

2024 - 2026

TEAM

Myself as design lead, 2 UX designers (Singtel + GOMO), 2 content designers

DURATION

Phased delivery across 4 releases

In 2024, IMDA mandated that all telcos verify subscriber identity via eKYC before activating any postpaid mobile service.

What started as a compliance mandate became a platform. Each phase built on the last — fixing what the regulation exposed, then using what we'd built to improve further.

PHase 1

We had eight weeks to incorporate Singpass eKYC into our buyflows — across Singtel and GOMO and create a new user-initiated SIM activation flow post-sale.

I was the design representative across every cross-functional session — tech, backend, product marketing, PMs, directors, and C-suite — pushing back when proposed solutions would have passed complexity onto the customer, and making the case for decisions that weren't always the fastest to build. Recognising early that this project lived and died on whether customers understood what they needed to do and when, I brought content designers into solution discussions from day one, not as a downstream handoff.
I was the design representative across every cross-functional session — tech, backend, product marketing, PMs, directors, and C-suite — pushing back when proposed solutions would have passed complexity onto the customer, and making the case for decisions that weren’t always the fastest to build. Recognising early that this project lived and died on whether customers understood what they needed to do and when, I brought content designers into solution discussions from day one, not as a downstream handoff.

THE COMPLEXITY

The eKYC in buyflow was easy, the user-initiated activation was not.

How the user activated their SIM was the central systems thinking challenge of the project: Taking a combinatorially complex problem — 3 purchase scenarios × 2 SIM types × 2 device configurations, each with different timing, communication, and activation logic — and reducing it to the smallest possible surface area for the customer.
How the user activated their SIM was the central systems thinking challenge of the project: Taking a combinatorially complex problem — 3 purchase scenarios × 2 SIM types × 2 device configurations, each with different timing, communication, and activation logic — and reducing it to the smallest possible surface area for the customer.

Principal

All the complexity sits in the backend logic and the 12 copy variants. The customer sees one button, one app, one flow.

We took the opportunity to enhance the current email templates that were not working

Research showed customers weren't reading the eSIM installation email — they scrolled straight to the QR code, often scanning it on the wrong device. Since each QR can only be installed once, that meant a support call and a new request. Three email templates, no gate preventing premature installation.

We redesigned to 1 email

Sent only after activation user activates the eSIM. The sequence itself prevents the wrong-device problem and we allowed for the eSIM to be installed multiple times.

One logic, two brand voices.

We standardised flow logic across Singtel and GOMO rather than building two parallel journeys. The meaningful differentiator was tone of voice — where the content designers did heavy lifting, adapting every copy variant for each brand while the UX logic stayed consistent underneath.

Dealing with scope creep

Physical collateral wasn't in scope initially. A large batch of old-design stock was already queued for printing. I rejected a sticker patch — customers were activating their own service for the first time and instructions needed to be unambiguous. I pushed for a full reprint and pulled content designers onto collateral to protect the UX designers' bandwidth on the digital flows.

What usability testing told us.

What usability testing told us. We ran 9 moderated sessions in November 2024. Task completion was generally achievable — the real gaps were expectation mismatches that would silently drive care calls: eSIM delivery timing was misunderstood, polymailer instructions confused skimmers, physical SIM activation was entirely unexpected, and the 30-minute network wait after installation felt like a second "Done" page. All addressed before launch across Singtel, GOMO and Hi!App.
We ran 9 moderated sessions in November 2024. Task completion was generally achievable — the real gaps were expectation mismatches that would silently drive care calls: eSIM delivery timing was misunderstood, polymailer instructions confused skimmers, physical SIM activation was entirely unexpected, and the 30-minute network wait after installation felt like a second "Done" page. All addressed before launch across Singtel, GOMO and Hi!App.
What usability testing told us. We ran 9 moderated sessions in November 2024. Task completion was generally achievable — the real gaps were expectation mismatches that would silently drive care calls: eSIM delivery timing was misunderstood, polymailer instructions confused skimmers, physical SIM activation was entirely unexpected, and the 30-minute network wait after installation felt like a second "Done" page. All addressed before launch across Singtel, GOMO and Hi!App.

phase 2

phase 2

A new Change SIM flow brought self-serve SIM changes to MSTA and GOMO — with 77% fewer calls within two weeks of launch

The IMDA regulation didn't just cover new registrations. Changing a SIM — switching from physical to eSIM, or getting a replacement — also required eKYC verification. This was a separate flow that needed to be built as part of the broader compliance work.
The IMDA regulation didn’t just cover new registrations. Changing a SIM — switching from physical to eSIM, or getting a replacement — also required eKYC verification. This was a separate flow that needed to be built as part of the broader compliance work.
The solution:
A self-serve Change SIM flow within My Singtel App (and for GOMO, within the GOMO app for logged-in customers). Customers can request a new eSIM, verify via Singpass, review their order, and receive their eSIM without any care agent involvement.

Impact within two weeks of launch:
• 77% reduction in call/chat volume for SIM change requests (450 calls/chats reduced)
• 80% self-help adoption — customers completing SIM changes without any care assistance
The solution:
A self-serve Change SIM flow within My Singtel App (and for GOMO, within the GOMO app for logged-in customers). Customers can request a new eSIM, verify via Singpass, review their order, and receive their eSIM without any care agent involvement.

Impact within two weeks of launch:
• 77% reduction in call/chat volume for SIM change requests (450 calls/chats reduced)
• 80% self-help adoption — customers completing SIM changes without any care assistance

PHASE 3 — JUL 2026

One login step removed — because eKYC already does the job, which reduced error rate by more than 50%

One login step removed — because eKYC already does the job, which reduced error rate by more than 50%

This was a separate project I initiated after recognising what the eKYC work had made possible. Because eKYC already identifies the customer during the buyflow, a standalone login step was no longer doing any unique work. We removed it from the Singtel main brand buyflow.
The result: one step added (eKYC), one step removed (login). The flow came out leaner than before the regulation existed.
The impact was immediate:
  • 📉 Error rate in the buyflow reduced by more than 50%
  • 📱 Phone device sales increased 51% week-on-week
  • 📋 SIM-only sales increased 40% week-on-week

OUTCOMES

What started as an 8-week compliance sprint became a sustained body of work — each phase building on the last, with measurable results at every stage.

✅ IMDA deadline met across Singtel and GOMO in 8 weeks.
📉 77% reduction in SIM change call/chat volume within two weeks of Change SIM launch (450 calls/chats reduced).
📊 80% self-help adoption at Change SIM launch.
📉 Error rate in the buyflow reduced by more than 50%
📱 Phone device sales increased 51% week-on-week
📋 SIM-only sales increased 40% week-on-week
🖨️ Full physical collateral refresh delivered within launch window.

LEARNINGS

  1. Keep research and test findings close — they become most valuable when a compliance window forces open flows you wouldn't otherwise touch
  2. Assembling the right team for the right problem matters more than assembling the largest team
  3. When working-level alignment stalls, escalate deliberately rather than let disagreement drag through serial meetings
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