HelpMeRead:
Making Government Letters Speak Your Language

Initial Problem Statement

Elderly Singaporeans who are not proficient in English face significant challenges in understanding government correspondence. This leads to feelings of disempowerment, frustration, and dependence on others. There is a need for a simple, accessible solution that enables elderly individuals to understand letters from government agencies in their preferred language or dialect with minimal effort, such as scanning a QR code or taking a photo.

Research Findings

Demographics

As of 2024, elderly individuals make up 19.9% of Singapore's population.
In 2023, 53% of those aged 65 and above could not read in English.

Interview Insights

Research conducted with six elderly Singaporeans aged 68-86 (across both genders) revealed that language barriers result in:

Inaction
Reliance on family members
Feelings of helplessness

Voice of the Elderly

Role	Age/Gender	Quote
Housewife	70F	"I struggle with English and fear making mistakes. I just wish there was a simple way to understand what the government is telling me without constantly relying on my family."
Retail worker (part-time)	69F	"I don't understand English well, especially when the government asks me to go online. I don't know how to do it."
Taxi Driver (part-time)	70M	"English is a hurdle. Studying was a luxury back then. I don’t know if a letter is important until I understand what it says."

User Preferences

Role	Preferences	Role	Preferences	Role	Preferences
Interviewee 1	Prefers audio: "Hands-free, don't need to focus so much on small text. More straightforward. Sometimes hard to read."	Interviewee 2	Prefers intuitive design: "No learning curve required. Prefer to read, but if there is audio, it’s a bonus. Chinese is good enough."	Interviewee 3	Prefers dialect: "Only read-aloud in dialect is good as that is my main language."
Interviewee 4	Prefers simplicity: "Must be easy to use. Text and speech (dialect is a plus) to help understanding."	Interviewee 5	Prefers simplicity and audio: "Yes, must be simple and easy. Read out. Chinese is sufficient for me."	Interviewee 6	Prefers accessibility: "Must be easy to use with big font. Need to be able to translate to Chinese."

Refined Problem Statement

"How might we enable elderly Singaporeans with low English literacy to confidently understand government correspondence on their own?"

Our Solution: HelpMeRead

Try it out at:

Key Features

Multi-language Translation	AI-powered Summarization	Audio Playback
Supports multiple languages, allowing elderly users to read translations in their preferred language.	Summarizes the key intent of government letters for better comprehension.	Converts translated summaries into audio, enabling users to listen in their preferred language.

How it works

Future Development

Feature	Details
Dialect Support	Identify potential dialect LLM models for translation.
Voice Localization	Implement more "Singaporean" voice options for: - Chinese - Bahasa Melayu - Tamil
Karaoke-Style Word Highlighting	Synchrony between the spoken words and the highlighted text, for ease of following.

Project Team


John	Jun Hua	Xunmao	Georgia	Rongkai	Zoe
JFAC, GDT	JFAC, GDT	PMOC1, PSD	JFAC, GDT	JFAC, GDT	DEP

Initial Problem Statement

Research Findings

Demographics

As of 2024, elderly individuals make up 19.9% of Singapore's population.

In 2023, 53% of those aged 65 and above could not read in English.

Interview Insights

Research conducted with six elderly Singaporeans aged 68-86 (across both genders) revealed that language barriers result in:

Inaction

Reliance on family members

Feelings of helplessness

Voice of the Elderly

Role	Age/Gender	Quote
Housewife	70F	"I struggle with English and fear making mistakes. I just wish there was a simple way to understand what the government is telling me without constantly relying on my family."
Retail worker (part-time)	69F	"I don't understand English well, especially when the government asks me to go online. I don't know how to do it."
Taxi Driver (part-time)	70M	"English is a hurdle. Studying was a luxury back then. I don’t know if a letter is important until I understand what it says."

User Preferences

Role	Preferences	Role	Preferences	Role	Preferences
Interviewee 1	Prefers audio: "Hands-free, don't need to focus so much on small text. More straightforward. Sometimes hard to read."	Interviewee 2	Prefers intuitive design: "No learning curve required. Prefer to read, but if there is audio, it’s a bonus. Chinese is good enough."	Interviewee 3	Prefers dialect: "Only read-aloud in dialect is good as that is my main language."
Interviewee 4	Prefers simplicity: "Must be easy to use. Text and speech (dialect is a plus) to help understanding."	Interviewee 5	Prefers simplicity and audio: "Yes, must be simple and easy. Read out. Chinese is sufficient for me."	Interviewee 6	Prefers accessibility: "Must be easy to use with big font. Need to be able to translate to Chinese."

Our Solution: HelpMeRead

Try it out at:

Key Features

HelpMeRead

HelpMeRead:Making Government Letters Speak Your Language

Initial Problem Statement

Research Findings

Demographics

Interview Insights

Voice of the Elderly

User Preferences

Refined Problem Statement

Our Solution: HelpMeRead

Key Features

How it works

Future Development

Project Team

HelpMeRead:Making Government Letters Speak Your Language

Initial Problem Statement

Research Findings

Demographics

Interview Insights

Voice of the Elderly

User Preferences

Refined Problem Statement

Our Solution: HelpMeRead

Key Features

How it works

Future Development

Project Team

HelpMeRead:
Making Government Letters Speak Your Language

HelpMeRead:
Making Government Letters Speak Your Language