HTX helps the Home Team shine online

HTX’s efforts to force multiply the various Home Team Departments (HTDs) don’t just apply to frontline operations – we also help the HTDs excel in cyberspace.

For example, HTX’s Digital Services Programme Management Centre (DSPMC) is responsible for optimising the websites of HTX, the Singapore Police Force (SPF), the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and its efforts have culminated with these agencies picking up accolades at GovTech’s Digital Services Awards on 28 November 2024.

Here are what these agencies won:

The Best SEO Award recognises websites which excel in visibility on search engines such as Google. The Best Accessibility Award recognises websites that can be accessed by as many people as possible, including people with disabilities, people accessing the internet on mobile devices, and people on slow internet connections. 

Websites that achieve a 100% score on GovTech’s SEO and Accessibility metrics are conferred the Best SEO and Accessibility Awards.

The Best Functionality Award is given to the website with the best SEO, Accessibility, and Page Load Time scores, while the Best Improvement Award recognises the website with the highest overall improvement in its SEO, Accessibility, and Page Load Time scores.

This is the second year in a row that the SPF website has won the Best Improvement Award.

“We’ve worked closely with the SPF to improve their digital services, and we are heartened that they have won Best Improvement for a second year running. We have also improved navigability based on user feedback, and are glad that the SPF PoliceHub has been nominated for Most User-Centric Website (Government),” said DSPMC Director Victor Huang.

Victor then praised his team’s close collaboration with ICA for their site, which also received Honourable Mentions for the Most User Centric Website, Most Mobile Optimised Website, and Most Popular Informational Website.

“The public would be familiar with ICA’s easy-to-use digital services. This is the outcome of systematically seeking public feedback to look for improvements. HTX and ICA have worked hard to improve the system performance of ICA’s services, and are glad they received awards for Best Functionality, Best SEO, and Best Accessibility,” he said.

What do other leaders at HTX feel about the agency’s website winning the Best SEO and Best Accessibility Awards?

Colin Tan, Assistant Chief Executive (Programmes), said: “Receiving the SEO and Accessibility awards for HTX is a strong testament to the excellent work by both HTDs and HTX. Their hard work behind the scenes has resulted in a user-friendly interface and experience that is both simple and outstanding.”

Christopher Lim, Deputy Director (Content & Media), Strategic Communications, shared: “We’re humbled by these awards, which underscore the strong working relationship between HTX’s Strategic Communications division and DSPMC. The HTX website is our key touchpoint for communicating with the public, and DSPMC has always worked to ensure that it is accessible to all, and that our rich repository of science and technology content is easy to find through search engines. This remains our commitment.”

Meanwhile, DSPMC IT Consultant Hon Chee Hui pointed out that efforts are constantly being made to improve the HTX website based on user feedback and analytics. 

“This virtuous cycle required close collaboration between technical teams, end-users, and project management teams, resulting in iterative improvements that have gradually transformed HTX’s digital presence into a more efficient, accessible, and user-friendly resource for the public,” she added.

DSPMC had also nominated Dr Ng Wei Ming for the Outstanding Citizen Contributor (Whole-of-Government) Award, which he won. When the new myResponder mobile app was launched on 4 July 2024, Wei Ming had encouraged the members in his myResponder Community Chat Facebook group to download the new app and provide feedback to further enhance it. 

He also actively promoted the use of the app in the CFR community and has led by example by personally responding to 13 incidents: 11 for cardiac arrest, and 2 for minor fires!

Assessments for the awards were based on evaluations by the judges as well as a group of about 100 citizens. The Top 10 nominees for the Best Usability award category were also the nominees for the Most Popular Informational Website award, which was determined by the highest number of live attendee votes during the Digital Services Awards ceremony.