Japanese Technology by FUTUREK SG Takes Singapore’s Street Food Culture Closer to the People

Launch of digital platform WAK WAK HAWKER for all things hawker-related

SINGAPORE
– Media
OutReach – 9 February 2021 – FUTUREK SG PTE. LTD., a digital creative agency
that works with the latest technology from Japan, launches a new website
service, WAK WAK HAWKER (WWH). The platform aims to provide locals and
tourists with a comprehensive guide to Singapore’s hawker culture and
information at their fingertips.

 

Singapore’s First Dedicated Digital Platform
for Hawker Centres

 

WWH bridges information of hawker centres
across the country to become a database which users can quickly access to
decide their next meal.  With hawker
centres being hallowed in the Unesco list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity in 2020, WWH aims to preserve their legacy by promoting the
historical, cultural, economic and social value of this national asset.

 

Users can easily access information about
hawker centres and individual stalls (distinct shops helmed by hawkers), as
well as a Search feature that locates hawker centres from nearby landmarks and
filters stalls based on food category. The UX/UI design of the platform was
only achieved after extensive research of gourmet and food websites around the
world. The team had only one goal in mind — “How will the platform help users
to decide where and what to eat?”

 

The platform is enhanced with insights from
everyday Singaporeans who view hawker culture as a way of life. Whether they
are diners, hawkers themselves or hawker centre owners, get a glimpse of their
world through article content based on interviews with these personalities.
Along with data about hawker centres and hawker stalls, these feature content
are updated regularly.

 

Mr Akiyasu Takaseki, Chief Operating Officer at
FUTUREK SG and leader of the WWH development project, shares “I often frequent
hawker centres since moving here because I found this idea of dining
intriguing, and almost disjointed, from my preconception of Singapore as a
modern city-state.”

 

“The first time I ever ordered food from a
hawker centre, I struggled with understanding the menu, deciding what to order,
and communicating with the hawkers since some of them only speak Mandarin.
While this ritual gave me anxiety, I found that locals could easily chat up
“aunties” and “uncles” at the hawker stalls while ordering their food using a
colloquial language that was a mix of English and Mandarin. They would even order
dishes that were not on the menu! There was obviously a “hawker literacy gap”
between the locals and me.”

He continued, “After a few months, some of the stall
owners started to show interest in me and we started chatting. From these
conversations, I learned of the dedication to their craft, their passion for
cooking and got insider information such as hidden menu items and new dishes
that they were experimenting with.”

 

As Mr Takaseki delved deeper into hawker
culture and the people behind it, he discovered the magnitude of their
significance in the historical and cultural landscape of Singapore. He launched
the production of WHH with the hopes of sharing the magic of hawker centres
with people everywhere, regardless of their level of hawker literacy.

 

“WAK WAK” means to “walk around” in Singlish
(colloquial Singaporean English) and “excited” in Japanese. WAK WAK HAWKER was
coined to mean exactly that — for users to walk around hawker centres and get
excited.

 

“I hope that people try a new hawker cuisine or
explore new hawker centres with the help of the platform. Many Singaporeans may
not be aware of the full significance of hawker centres, so I hope that it serves
both foreigners and Singaporeans and enables them to appreciate hawker culture
even more.”

 

Key Features of WWH

 

Besides specialising in hawker culture as a
gourmet information platform, WWH has some other key features in terms of
functionalities.

 

1.     
Foodie
meets high-tech design

The UX and UI design are intended for users to easily
access hawker information they need. The team analysed gourmet websites and
implemented their findings with the reliable technical capabilities of the
engineering team.

 

2.     
Accurate
information backed by on-the-ground research

Who knows hawker centres
better than the “aunties” and “uncles” at the stalls? Local university students
were activated to interview these profiles across hawker centres to consolidate
accurate data.

 

At the time of the launch as of 9th February
2021, WWH has information on about 20 hawker centres and about 1,000 stalls
across the island. Data is constantly being updated.

 

3.     
Harvesting
data, one review at a time

WWH allows users to leave a review of up to 300
characters and to give a rating based on 5 stars. By amassing information from
the public and providing rating indications, the platform is given more
credibility and relevance.

 

More in-house services under WWH are in the
midst of development.

 

To visit WAK WAK HAWKER, please visit: https://wak-wak-hawker.com/en *

*Only for smart devices

 

Website: https://wak-wak-hawker.com/en