NS Portal has recently been revamped. Now it seems more user friendly and with social integration. They have also made it friendly for mobile users accessing the mobile website.
NS Portal undergoes re-design
Face lifted portal with enhanced mobile service offerings to bring valued services and information closer to NS personnel
SINGAPORE– November 16, 2010 – The National Service (NS) portal has a new look. Visitors to www.ns.sg will be greeted with a futuristic colour scheme and streamlined interface that invites portal members to go beyond the expected and be surprised by an improved user experience and enhanced features.
Explaining the rationale behind the portal’s re-design, Mr Ng See Sing, General Manager of NCS Portal City said: “As a private sector partner, we play a key role in advising on how to continually improve the overall experience for users. By analysing the click-through patterns and gathering feedback from users, we re-designed the interface so that it becomes more intuitive, while providing rich media content and building a positive community experience for NSmen that goes beyond merely transacting on the portal.”
In addition to the portal revamp, NS personnel can look forward to the extension of valued services on the mobile platform in order to provide greater convenience to NSmen.
Mr Ng added: “Since we started this partnership with MINDEF five years ago, the technology landscape has changed significantly. To ensure the portal stays relevant, we not only relooked the content and channels, but also the way in which they are presented. We believe that this improved layout, both on the portal and on the mobile platforms, captures the dynamism of the users and of the portal, which will increasingly serve as a key touch point for pre-enlistees, NSFs and NSmen.”
Improved navigational interface and features
With the revamped layout, improvements have been made to the navigation access within the portal. For example, the All eServices button (see image below) allows users to access a dashboard of all NS-related eServices with one click.
Other new and improved features on the NS Portal include:
? NSTV – Catch the latest hit series “Every Singaporean Son” and other videos to stay updated with the latest developments in the five forces. This is great for those who prefer moving visuals to reading.
? NS Connect – One of the NS Portal’s key community building platforms for NSmen to connect and interact. NSmen can update and share personal online profiles, search for NS friends, stay in contact and form groups. This platform is also where the NSmen can link up with his buddies from his days as an NSF and stay in touch throughout his NS life cycle. Through NS Connect, NSmen are able connect within the units online, both during the annual In-Camp-Training (ICT) period as well as throughout the rest of the year.
Fit+Life! – New lifestyle blogs, featuring interesting nuggets of information from our NS Portal bloggers on how to Get Fit, Get Ahead and Get Her!
NS information on the move
Leveraging the ubiquity of smartphone users and providing greater convenience for NS personnel, selected NS information such as NS news and eServices can now be accessed through a mobile platform — NS Mobile. All users have to do is to launch their web browser and key in http://m.ns.sg.
Information available on the mobile platform includes:
- About Us – All about NS Portal and NS Mobile
- NS News – Stay updated with the latest developments across the forces with news feed pushed to the mobile phone
- mServices – Get BMTC ePosting Order, My Manning updates, view My NSBooklet, make overseas notification, apply for exit permit and make IPPT bookings on a single mobile platform
- NSTV – View NS videos on the mobile – a great way to stand entertained while on the move
- Fit+Life – Get the latest blog feeds from the NS Portal bloggers as they share bite-sized information on life, education and fitness among others
- NS History Browse photographs and read articles about memorable NS moments
- Fitness Kits – Everything you need to know about fitness including BMI Calculator, NAPFA Challenge Standards, IPPT Standards, 12 Weeks Training Programme for IPPT and Timetable of FCCs and SAFRA Gymnasiums and pre-enlistees
- Youngstas: Customised content catered for the young and pre-enlistees.
- Movie – Featuring the latest movie synopsis and show times to help you make movie choices on the go.
The user interface comes in two forms: icon-based which will be familiar to iPhone users (refer to image); and text-based which lists the selection of services for phones with a smaller screen. Through an optimisation process, NS Mobile will automatically detect the model of the phone in order to determine the display format.
###
About NS Portal
The NS Portal is a unified gateway for National Service (NS) personnel to access all important eServices and information online. Created to serve the NS community, NS Portal is a convenient and effective way for NS personnel to engage, interact and stay connected with Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) anytime, anywhere.
In addition to accessing eServices, MINDEF personnel can connect with their NS friends to share their experiences, stories and views through the portal’s forums and polls. Furthermore, NS personnel and lifestyle members enjoy various content and lifestyle benefits such as exclusive promotions and events. Membership for NS Portal’s lifestyle section is not limited by gender or by association with NSP. It is open to anyone who is keen on engaging with the NS community online. For more information, please visit http://www.ns.sg
About NCS Portal City
NCS Portal City is one of Asia’s leading portal solutions managers. From conceptualisation, design, development, operating to marketing, NCS Portal City’s suite of managed services enable government and commercial organisations to position their portals ahead in the crowded cyberspace. A business unit of the NCS Group, NCS Portal City was established to harness the benefits of active collaboration and integration of the services and needs of public agencies, private sector and people. NCS Portal City aims to continually leverage the reach and richness of information technology development to create a vibrant digital community, while aggressively developing business opportunities through syndication and market collaboration. Some of these portals include NS Portal, ONE.MOTORING, Public Transport Portal, Singapore 2010 Youth Olympics Games and MFA Portal. NCS Ptd Ltd is a subsidiary of SingTel, the Official Multimedia Services Partner of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. For more information, please visit http://www.ncs.com.sg.
[ad#boxlist]