"How can we increase public’s knowledge of actionable steps to assist commuters in need?" This challenge statement marks the start of the design collaboration between the Land Transport Authority and NTU School of Art, Design and Media (ADM) as part of the Caring SG Commuters initiative in August 2021.

 

After brainstorming and refining, ADM undergrads Megan, Jasmine, Hubert and Si Xian designed “Corie and Friends”, a set of characters representing the various commuters that we may come across during our daily commute on public transport. These characters include:

 

Corie and friends designed by students

Source: NTU ADM

 

• Corie who represents caring commuters like you and me – caring, helpful and always ready to assist others in need.

 

• Maggie who represents commuters with developmental or intellectual disability. Some ways to offer assistance to them include:

• Allowing time and space for them to recompose themselves, before attempting to communicate with them.

• Seeking to understand their current situation first and showing empathy.

• Assessing the situation and asking if and how they require help before providing it.

 

• Rorie who represents commuters with dementia. Some ways to offer assistance to them include:

• Proactively reaching out to them in a gentle, friendly manner if they seem lost

• Providing clear and simple instruction to help them comprehend the information you are conveying

• Accompanying them to their destination, if possible.

 

• Harrie who represents deaf or hard-of-hearing commuters. Some ways to offer assistance to them include:

• Waving your hand to get their attention if they do not respond.

• Understanding that they are not ignoring you as they may not hear you.

• Using visual or text on your phone to communicate.

 

Interested to see how the characters were developed? Megan, Jasmine, Hubert and Si Xian kindly shared their initial sketches of Corie and Friends, which were done while they were trying to perfect the characters.

 

Initial sketches of Corie and friends

Source: NTU ADM

 

So where did the team get their inspiration from?

 

"We started off by defining our problem statement as how we might increase the public knowledge of actionable steps they can take to assist commuters in need. Through that, our objective was to empower commuters to have the confidence and courage to step up and help others in need by breaking down the resource guide into bite-sized information to make it even more accessible to them. Coupled with design thinking, we were inspired to ensure that our work could connect with our commuters emotionally through a relatable personality seen in our day-to-day commute. Ultimately, we hope to contribute towards building a caring commuter culture in Singapore."

- Megan, Jasmine, Hubert, Si Xian

 

Students from NTU ADM (left to right):
Megan Tan, Jasmine Goh Jia May, Loi Xin Zhe Hubert, Pang Si Xian

Source: NTU ADM

 

The videos of Corie and friends have been posted online and the posters put up at public transport nodes since the start of October 2022. Do keep a lookout for them during your daily commute! We hope you found the simple tips useful in helping you help other commuters, on your way to school, work and play.

 

  

Caring Commuter Week Poster

Source: Land Transport Authority

 

Give time, give care, give a hand, and give thanks are ways you can help to make someone’s journey more enjoyable and joyful. As what Jasmine had said, a little help goes a long way.

 

"I learnt that a little help goes a long way and that we can always make a difference in someone’s day if we care to approach them when they need help. We can all afford to be a little more gracious in our own ways."

- Jasmine Goh

 

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