Through online forums, EPAM Continuum collected feedback from travelers planning their trip back to Singapore, helping us understand their pain points firsthand. Additionally, we incorporated the use of Lego® blocks to visualize spaces and the multi-step journey that travelers would encounter in the 'new normal'.

We conducted research to evaluate the landscape of existing digital solutions that were implemented in Singapore to battle the spread of the virus, including contact tracing, stay-home notice monitoring, test result notification and social distancing screening. We also monitored the news to stay on top of the latest COVID-19 developments to ensure strategy alignment. 

We created a map of existing user journeys, including the key stages of pre-departure, plane onboarding and disembarkation, to gather challenges and opportunities to implement safety measures within these stages. Examining the current process flow in place, we asked the question, “What do we want to achieve?” when it comes to streamlining the process for travelers. This allowed us to properly plan for the structure of the overall facility, keeping the customer front-of-mind. 

Our team examined multiple personas, including the guest, the guest services team of the facility (through hospitality partner The Ascott Limited) and the lab conducting COVID-19 tests (Parkway Lab Staff). We analyzed the actions each user would take within Connect@Changi to simplify the steps they’d take to book accommodations, acquire COVID testing, order meals, etc.

We also role-played as guests experiencing a one-night stay at the Connect@Changi facility to understand the different end-user personas and empathize with prospective business travelers, resulting in even more ideas to further enhance the current service and app features.

After conducting research, our team used that knowledge to develop navigable digital platforms that guide users through the travel process. Integrating a headless content management system, we launched a user-friendly website and mobile app with a booking and reservation system for meetings and accommodations, lab test scheduling and reminder systems to fulfill required swab tests. Enabling users to complete all travel steps within one elegant interface helped streamline the experience. 

To align internal operating procedures with the user journey, we developed an admin portal for the team working at Connect@Changi. It would serve as a key communication tool, providing information about guests’ travel details and generating reports to share with relevant government authorities.

To ensure all of the platforms and systems were integrated and provide a seamless user experience, we used a microservices architecture deployed in Azure Kubernetes Services (AKS). We optimized the cloud infrastructure on Microsoft Azure, using an API to integrate with the existing cloud provider used by the hospitality partner. For continuous integration and development and system monitoring, the platform leverages Azure DevOps and Azure Monitor. When building the system architecture, we implemented security testing and system support measures to ensure accessibility to timely, hands-on maintenance.

To ensure collaboration with the many partners involved in the project, EPAM Continuum used agile best practices to provide effective engagement and communication across multiple stakeholder groups. Through biweekly sprint planning, we delivered the prototype in four months from conception to development to delivery.