Overview

SPRHiN is the Malaysian government's hydrological data portal. Researchers, students, and professionals use it to request data like rainfall readings and river flow records. The existing system worked, technically. But the flows were confusing for everyone using it, regardless of their role.

Client: Malaysian Government

Type: UX rework, multi-role flows

Platform: Web portal

Users: Admin, Officer, Public

The problem

Three completely different types of people were navigating the same portal, each with different goals and different levels of patience for complexity. The system administrator had no clear overview of what was happening across the platform. The officer approving data requests was working through a process that had too many ambiguous steps. And the end users, mostly researchers and students, were struggling to understand what they needed to submit and what would happen after they did.

Admin

Manages the portal, user accounts, and data availability. Needed a clear system overview without digging through multiple menus to find basic information.

Officer

Reviews and approves incoming data requests. The old flow had unclear status indicators and no clean way to prioritise or track what was pending.

User

Researchers, students, and professionals requesting hydrological data. Often unfamiliar with the system and unsure what to submit or how long it would take.

What was reworked

Verified login with IC number

Public users log in with their national IC number or a valid government-issued ID. This added a layer of accountability to every data request without making the login process feel punishing. First-time users are guided clearly through what to enter and why.

Simplified data request flow

The request form was restructured so users knew exactly what they were selecting, what format they would receive the data in, and roughly how long approval would take. Progress was made visible at every step.

Officer approval dashboard

Officers got a clean queue with clear status labels, request summaries, and a straightforward approve or return flow. No more navigating back and forth between screens to understand what a request was asking for.

Admin overview panel

The admin view was rebuilt to surface what actually mattered at a glance: pending requests, active users, data availability status, and any flags that needed attention. A full picture without the noise.

What made this project different

Government UX has a reputation for being overlooked. The assumption is that users have no choice but to figure it out. SPRHiN pushed back on that. The people using this portal, students writing dissertations, researchers working on flood modelling, professionals building infrastructure reports, have real deadlines and real stakes. A confusing portal is not just an inconvenience. It is time they do not have.