Improved wayfinding signs for Circle Line after passenger feedback
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The improvements are based on feedback from passengers after a public preview on May 29 at four Circle Line stations.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
- LTA will improve Circle Line platform digital screens by enlarging terminating station and next interchange details, removing confusing circular icons, and standardising direction terms.
- Passenger feedback highlighted difficulties reading small fonts and unclear terminus info, prompting design changes to aid quick decisions.
- Wayfinding experts recommend removing redundant icons and using clearer graphics; LTA advises commuters to check interchange stations and route maps for accurate navigation.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – Train information displayed on digital screens at Circle Line (CCL) platforms are being made easier to read ahead of the opening of the line’s sixth stage on July 12.
The improvements, being rolled out progressively from July 2, are based on feedback from passengers after a public preview of the new signage on May 29 at four CCL stations – Promenade, Esplanade, Buona Vista and Paya Lebar.
Announcing this in a Facebook post on July 2, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it received positive responses, as well as feedback on how to improve the signs.
“We recognise that different commuter groups will have different preferences on signage,” it added.
Previously, icons in a circle indicating the train’s direction – either clockwise or anticlockwise – dominated most of the digital screen. Information on the terminating station or next interchange was in a smaller font near the bottom of the screen.
Services that complete the full loop were labelled “clockwise loop” or “anticlockwise loop”.
Those that serve only the branch section between Dhoby Ghaut and Promenade stations were labelled “clockwise” or “anticlockwise”.
In the updated digital display, the icons in a circle have been removed. Details about the terminating station or next interchange, as well as the colour-coded station code, have been enlarged.
The words “clockwise” and “anticlockwise” now describe the general direction of the services, regardless of whether they run across the entire loop.
Previously, some passengers and wayfinding experts told The Straits Times that they found the CCL wayfinding signs confusing.
App developer Leow, 45, who requested to be partially named, was concerned that the signs at Promenade station for trains heading towards both Dhoby Ghaut and Marina Bay stations were unhelpful.
He said the information made it difficult for passengers in a rush to tell which clockwise train to board.
Samuel Lim, founder of wayfinding advisory practice Studio Lucidus, said information that helped passengers decide which train to board – namely the terminating station and the next interchange station – was not presented clearly.
He led a project on the redesign of MRT signs that debuted on the Thomson-East Coast Line in 2020.
Stanley Tan, director of branding and wayfinding consultancy IMMORTAL, said there was no need for the icons in a circle as passengers can refer to the route maps above the train doors at the platforms.
Alternatively, he suggested using animated graphics to display the names of the next three stations, before zooming out to show the train’s direction of travel.
In its post, LTA said passengers are encouraged to navigate the completed CCL by first identifying the next interchange station in the direction they wish to travel.
They should then check the route map to ensure they are on the correct platform, before referring to the digital screen for more information about the arriving train.
The three new stations – Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward Road – that will complete the CCL loop will open their doors for a public preview on July 4.
