Why I Started QueueIn

Chapter one

Waiting should not feel like being trapped.

My mother has SLE. So for many years, hospitals and clinics have been a big part of our lives. If you have ever waited at a Malaysian specialist clinic, you know how it goes. You make an appointment. You arrive on time. Then you wait for your turn. Sometimes for hours. You never know how long it will take. You are scared to go to the toilet. You are scared to buy a drink. Because the moment you walk away, your number might be called. And you lose your place.

Illustration of a woman hesitating to leave her clinic waiting room seat, afraid of losing her place in the queue — Leaving your seat can feel like a risk.02 / 06

Chapter two

The same question, again and again.

So, what to do? Ask the nurse. Again and again. "Hey nurse, I am going toilet. Please wait for me!" "Hey nurse, I am going to buy drinks. How long till my turn?" "1 hour? Alright, I'll eat something instead. Can you call me when it's my turn?" The nurse tries her best to guess. But the guess is usually wrong. And she is busy. All day, people ask her the same question. Sometimes she forgets to call you. Can you blame her? Some days, I sat in the waiting room and watched people go in before me. But I was there first. I did not understand. I felt frustrated.

Illustration of a young woman asking a nurse at the clinic counter while other patients wait behind her — The nurse is trying to help.03 / 06

Illustration of a woman watching in disbelief as another patient is called into the consultation room before her — Not knowing makes a long wait harder.04 / 06

Chapter three

Small businesses have queues too.

The long wait was bad. But not knowing was worse. Nobody could tell us how many people were ahead of us. A few years ago, I told my partner Daniel about this. We saw the same problem everywhere. Clinics. Cafes. Restaurants. Any small business with a queue. And it felt like no one cared about small businesses. Only the big ones, like Unifi, Maxis, and U Mobile, had queue systems. What about small businesses? They have queues too! So we built QueueIn. Customers join a queue from their phone. They see their place in line. And they can walk around freely until it is their turn.

Illustration of a young woman sketching a queue flow on a napkin at a night mamak table, teh tarik beside her, while her partner looks on — A clearer queue can give people room to move.05 / 06

Chapter four

Everyone deserves to know where they stand.

We know we cannot make queues disappear. Some waits will always be long. I cannot fix that. But we believe everyone deserves to know where they stand in line. Waiting should not feel like being trapped. If QueueIn can give even one person back their freedom during a long wait, someone like my mother, then it is worth building.

Illustration of an elderly mother relaxing at an outdoor mamak table with teh tarik, checking her queue position on a phone — Everyone deserves to know where they stand in line.06 / 06