Posted by Gul Khan in Measurement on June 26th, 2008
“PetrolWatch gives drivers an easy access on the updates of fuel prices for all the 4 fuel stations. It also provides a clear guide for available discount to help drivers made better decision to save money on fuel.”
- Comment from PetrolWatch Visitor
PetrolWatch.com.sg was launched in 2005 and the last design revamp was way back in 2006. It’s due a design facelift and so, we ran an online survey from late May to early June 2008. In that short time we managed to collect over 405 responses. Overall, PW scored 6/10 in the customer satisfaction score and successful task completion rates were around 72%. Not bad for a pro-bono project by Comwerks Interactive. To everyone who participated, the team would like to say a big “thank you”! Your comments were really a big help. It gave the team a huge lift. They are currently working on the new design right now and for all the PetrolWatchers out there…
Here’s a Sneak Preview of the New Design
Your Comments Have Helped Shape The Design
Here are some of the more interesting comments from the survey, good and bad. I’ve given the Editor of Petrolwatch the chance to reply 
PetrolWatch: Unlike before, it is getting increasingly harder to receive tip-offs for impending petrol price spikes/dips. Previously, we also used to be on the fuel companies’ media distribution list. However, with prices moving only northwards, things have suddenly been less chummy. Go figure!
PetrolWatch: Actually, we do indicate the time of price changes accordingly for each brand in our NEWS section. Most of the time, all 4 brands move between 2 - 12 hrs of each other. If you look hard enough, you’ll be able to suss out the usual suspects.
PetrolWatch: Yea, its not easy calling 3000 over carparks everyday y’know? Haha! But seriously, it became quite a logistical challenge to update the prices accurately. I know we disappointed a lot of folks out there but we’re working on getting the system smarter, and more efficient. This is one of the main reasons why we’re gonna be adopting a more “wiki” styled approach for the next version. Watch out for it!
 PetrolWatch: Now we’re talking..*smug smile*
PetrolWatch: Your wish is granted! The new design will have this!
 PetrolWatch: Sounds like a good idea. We’ll definitely consider putting that in as an enhancement once the new site is up and running.
And lastly…
 PetrolWatch: No need la. The new site will be FREE to all. So no more subscriptions fees whatsoever!
Top Ten Things That People Wanted to See in PetrolWatch
- Petrol price comparison in one glance (including trends and credit card discounts)
- Location of petrol stations
- COE prices and price change over time
- Car park information (cheapest car park)
- Tips & tricks for drivers
- Car reviews & car accessory info
- Car wash info (places offering cheap car wash & vacuum services)
- More lively forums and blog (I want to interact with other drivers)
- Traffic info
- No more subscription plans! Make it free for all!
Customer Satisfaction Score (60%)
Overall, Comwerks scored 60 out of 100 in the customer satisfaction scores. We asked people to rate the website on a scale of 1 to 10. This very useful for us because it tells us where we stand right now. We’ll be measuring again after we launch the new design so that we can capture the “BEFORE” & “AFTER” results.
The Major Problem Areas
The next thing we needed to figure out was to identify the major problem areas. The biggest gripes were hard-to-find information, incomplete content and the lack of a search feature.
- The main reason why information was hard to find was because of the fact that you had to sign up to use most of the services in PetrolWatch.
- The second reason was that it was not easy to view the information at a glance. And some really information were practically hidden (e.g. Price Guru). The new designs solves all this.
- Another problem was the fact that the information was out-of-date. The guys at PetrolWatch know this and they have sorted things out to keep things ticking along nicely.
72% of Participants Could Complete the Their Tasks On the Website
Overall, the top 3 tasks that people wanted to perform on on PetrolWatch are:
- Check current petrol prices and price trends
- Check for credit card discounts
- Look for car & petrol related information (e.g. tips on fuel efficiency, car accessories, news)
We asked the visitors if they were able to complete the task that they set out to do and 72% said “YES†while 28% said “NOâ€. This showed the PetrolWatch team that they really needed to focus on getting this basic information out as easily as possible, so that people can quickly compare and get a grip on prices and discounts. It also pointed to a navigation re-design.
Look out for the new PetrolWatch in end July!
Once again, to everyone who participated in the survey, your comments really helped us a lot. The PetrolWatch team are working hard to get the new design launched. We hope you like it 
Gul Khan |
Measurement |
Posted by Krish Sreedharan in Technology on June 25th, 2008
Before I start off my rambling, I would like to narrate a short story. Once upon a time, 5 blind men wanted to see an elephant. So they all went to the zoo where, incidentally, there was one. The first man felt the trunk and exclaimed “The elephant is like a snakeâ€. The second one felt one of the legs and said “The elephant is like a pillarâ€. The third felt the elephant’s ear and concluded “The elephant is like a large fanâ€. The fourth felt its huge body and decided that the elephant was “like a wallâ€. The fifth got the tail and said “it’s like a thick rough ropeâ€.
In all, none of them had a clear idea of what the elephant really looked like. Each one perceived it to be something different. Their idea of what the elephant looked like was driven by their mental perception.
Technology is becoming a driving factor in today’s world. It cuts across geographies, industries, cultures and generations. There are very few areas in one’s life today where technology does not play a role. An extreme instance is sports – technology abounds whether it be a physical sport such as football or athletics, where the emphasis is on the capability of this wonderful natural machine know as the human body.
But despite its all pervasiveness, there is no single answer to the question “What is Technology?†– is it a driving force? Is it an enabler? Taken by itself, is it a means to an end? – Each individual would have a different answer. Just like the 5 blind men, each individual would define technology in the way he or she perceives it.
The depth to which technology influences their life would primarily drive this perception. For example, a teenager would equate technology with his computer, music player and the umpteen gadgets that he is the proud owner of – a businessman would define technology as something which makes him more efficient in business, a doctor would define technology as an aide to his knowledge and skills, and for some “gifted†souls in this world, technology means – well, nothing!!
We at Comwerks believe that Technology, if properly harnessed, is a great way to express ones-self. Having said that, we also believe that it is purely a means to an end.
We would like to know what Technology means to you!!
Krish Sreedharan |
Technology |
Posted by Keith Tan in Creative, Web 2.0 on June 24th, 2008
As an interactive agency, we’re fortunate to be in the business during a time when the Internet is aggressively stamping its authority as the most pervasive form of media ever.
The Internet is a great field leveler, enabling smaller agencies like ours to compete with the big boys with larger teams and fancier coffee machines.
Websites such as iStockphoto and to a lesser extent, Template Monster (yikes! did I say that?) have revolutionized the way the industry works. These sites sell digital media files such as website templates, icons, photos, illustrations, videos and flash animations at low prices, enabling our designers to whip up visualizations and mockups quickly and effectively.
Want an image of a sunny beach resort? Or even a 1960s retro Caribbean-styled illustration of a tropical palm tree? You can almost swear by your grandmother’s grave that you’ll find it on one of these sites.
iStockphoto is one of the pioneers of microstock photography. They became a significant enough player to be bought out by industry giants Getty in 2006. Beyond offering low cost access to their stockpile (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun!), they successfully built a large and active community of independent contributors. This enabled them to provide an unrivalled range of files for sale, at a very good refresh rate. From just photos, they now offer almost all types of digital media files. In May this year, they announced that a new stock audio service would be available in September 2008.
With the ease of browsing and shopping online, coupled with access to an amazing range of design work from designers all over the world, we may be witnessing yet another paradigm shift in the creative industry.
Keith Tan |
Creative, Web 2.0 |
