My Data Story

Ayda has just gotten out of bed. She's a part-time dental receptionist, but luckily, today is her day off. Today, her to-do list only holds three items: go for a walk, buy groceries, and call her sister later this evening.

Still, these activities can take up most of Ayda's day. She's used to getting around her flat, so her partial blindness isn't a barrier to washing up and getting dressed, but running errands is another story.

Ayda is one of some 45,000 persons with disabilities that is known to the Singapore government.

This demographic expands to around 100,000 people when including those that experience difficulty completing basic activities.

These basic activities are defined as 'seeing, hearing, mobility (walking or climbing steps), remembering or concentrating, self-care (washing all over or dressing), and communicating (understanding or being understood)'. (asset)

Ayda first goes for a morning walk near her house, having memorised the well-trodden path. This doesn't mean she won't run into obstacles: an enthusiastic kid on a scooter, a stack of folded boxes meant for the recycling, a carelessly-left bicycle.

At the supermarket, the music, interspersed with constant announcements, makes it difficult for Ayda to concentrate. On good days, she can read packaging if she focuses her vision, but the exercise usually leaves her with a migraine after.

Back home, Ayda unwinds by catching up with her sister, who tells her about their cousin's wedding next year. She'll have to book a flight to Penang, which means making a call to the airline's customer service... but not before she has painstakingly checked and confirmed all her trip details. Every update is another long conversation with a customer service agent.

Ayda's day looks a little different, these days. The same to-do list that used to take six hours on a good day can now be ticked off in under three.

She's been looking forward to her morning walk all week. Her new smart cane beeps to let her know if there are obstacles in the way, so she hasn't fallen or twisted her ankle in a while. Today, Ayda walks with more confidence.

Her new peace of mind lets her take in the birds chirping in the trees around her. She's changed her route to the park near her house–even the air smells different, that close to the greenery.

Groceries can be bought from the comfort of her own home: the screen reader on her computer lets Ayda fly through rows of items, expertly triangulating the brands and products she wants.

Gone are the days of squinting at packages while trying to block out noisy announcements. After reviewing her cart, Ayda pays through an online wallet. The groceries will show up at her doorstep over the weekend, so she can spend a leisurely Saturday afternoon putting them away.

Her phone buzzes to let Ayda know her sister's calling. This time, her cousin's having a baby shower, and the whole family's invited. But Ayda isn't dreading the booking process–her screen reader guides her through the booking flow, so even updating her flight details is a breeze.

This is where you use data to explain the reasons behind the shift in the scene. For example in the negative example above, one factor behind the dwindling numbers could be due to the rise in gated communities that these roadside sellers cannot access and sell to. And this problem is further worsened by new governmental policies such as anti-hawker street clean ups and implementing mandatory licenses which can be expensive and complicated to obtain.

/da

/data

Or in the positive example of Kaki Lima adopting mobile technologies, you could explain factors such as effective campaigns by food delivery apps to onboard Kaki Lima as a key segment in their list of vendors, or that getting mobile phones and subscribing to a mobile plan is now affordable to most people, including roadside sellers.

This is where you begin rounding up your story by conveying what this change would mean, and what are some call to action or next steps you might want to encourage.

For example, the complicated process to obtain a license coupled with the fact that there have been more strict anti-hawker policies could mean that these roadside sellers will diminish even faster than before. Locals have already begun to feel nostalgic about Kaki Lima, and speak about it as though it is a thing of the past. However, there have been efforts and initiatives to protect and support the Kaki Lima in the recent years, like a particular program that helps these sellers with the necessary paperwork, for instance.

Alternatively in the positive example, you could say that how the Kaki Lima was supported to evolve in tandem with the changing digital economy signals how important and valuable this culture is to the people. The Kaki Lima might continuously evolve, but it will definitely still be around in the many years to come.

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