I began testing how we could introduce an actual circle in our System Map back in 2015, upon seeing Moscow Metro's map being so easy to read with two circles in the middle anchoring the map.

A circle helps break the grid and can serve as a focal point on the Map. It also visually divides the map into zones for quicker identification, making the network's shape more distinct.

We added geographical elements to provide context for commuters. For example, an outline of the Singapore Island was added to signal the system spans islandwide.

The world renowned Marina Bay is served by several MRT stations and lines, which could lead to confusion. Through landmarks and water body shown on the map, commuters can better correlate stations and the bay area.

The most challenging part was people, not design.

The System Map design has remained largely similar for over 20 years. Getting buy-in for change took time.

The team conducted numerous tests and surveys to understand and address stakeholders' concerns before finally attaining approval in 2018 for launch in 2019 (alongside a new station opening to minimise wastage).

Consulting fellow designers and users

Consulting transit enthusiasts and map designers at 2018's Transit Mapping Symposium.

Testing and gathering user feedback to anticipate public responses and address them even before launch.

The map was finally launched in Dec 2019

which generated positive public sentiments.

Posts on the new map generated more positive reactions and interaction across the agency's social media platforms.

On Facebook: 2.2k positive reactions compared to average of 200 reactions.
On Instagram: the post garnered 96k views as compared to 6k typically.

Official Launch Video

I originally created this motion graphics for internal promotion, the Authority's comms team later decided to release it as part of our launch.