Idea meets expertise

Octomate is a start-up at the intersection of human resources and deep tech. Always seeking to raise the bar in HR services and payment, Octomate founders had an idea that would benefit not only employers and full-time staff but also the booming gig economy.

A thriving yet largely unregulated segment, many gig workers often experience issues with compensation, ranging from red tape to incorrect amounts to delays.

Octomate believed that technology could solve this problem with a winwin solution, one that would ease and expedite HR activities for employers while empowering every kind of full-time, part-time, and project-based worker.

They were also determined to go global, to help gig workers in developing countries who live pay cheque to pay cheque. Armed with an idea and compelled by a vision of making a difference, Octomate teamed up with UXE.

Great ideas change the world. As UXE’s user experience work with Octomate proves, all it needs is the right expert, a solid partnership, and the dedication to see it through.

Building from the ground up

Octomate knew there would be two parts to the solution—a web portal for employers and a mobile app for workers; they also knew a key feature would be instant payment, which meant the inviolable level of security only blockchain provides. With these ideas in mind, they sought a partner to execute them, one that was established and had a userfriendly approach to design.

Specialising in user experience, UXE was perfectly equipped to step in. They began at ground zero—research—and pursued solutions through multiple rounds of ideation, prototyping, and testing.

Primary research centred around better understanding user requirements and pain points by gathering relevant employer, HR, and worker perspectives.

UXE then organised a discovery and ideation workshop together with Octomate to align on the user journey for both web and mobile apps. Brainstorming proved crucial to prioritising the right features.

Paper prototyping served to clearly envision the user interface, with features and functions plotted and aligned to the overall user journey as well as the specific needs of each user segment.

High fidelity wireframes were developed and the resulting interface, subjected to four to five rounds of usability testing. Multiple iterations were produced through rapid prototyping.

The resulting final interfaces, along with a stylescape that would guide subsequent segments, all came together through the dynamics of cocreation, ready to achieve Octomate’s vision of better HR management.

Enriching human resources

Together, Octomate and UXE innovated the preliminary design of an enterprise blockchain solution that would significantly improve HR management.

Employers could now rely on a one-stop portal for all HR processes, improving productivity and efficiency while driving recruitment and retention.

Workers now had a mobile app that was easy to use on the go—best of all, it featured an e-wallet that can be activated to cash out upon completion of work. Compensation could be received upon clocking out, with payments available instantly 24/7.

Stored on a blockchain, all parties can be confident in work transactions that are secure, trackable, and accessible for real-time checking and retrieval.

Supported by Enterprise Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, Octomate was featured in the Singapore Blockchain Landscape Map 2020 by OpenNodes in collaboration with IMDA for their contributions to blockchain growth and adoption. Octomate was also profiled in a blockchain ecosystem report by MAS, Temasek, and JP
Morgan.

Currently used by an e-commerce giant as well as other logistics and professional service MNCs, the company has truly gone global. With 700 downloads and 1,000 users to date, the company is confident in even more growth on the horizon. As estimates show gig workers comprising as much as half of the UK’s entire workforce by end 2020, the demand for this technological triumph will only increase with time.

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