SMRT Kindness Express
Designing everyday kindness into the commute
Despite repeated etiquette campaigns, everyday commuter behaviours such as blocking doors and not offering seats continued to affect the travel experience. Existing messages were often ignored or felt preachy, making it clear that awareness wasn’t the issue. Commuter behaviour is situational, and people are more likely to change when they recognise themselves in the moment rather than being told what to do. Research showed that visual storytelling, contextual placement, and repeated daily exposure are more effective than text-heavy reminders, pointing to the need for kindness to feel familiar and shared, not imposed.
Message + Space + Behaviour
SMRT Kindness Express transformed an entire train into a moving, immersive experience focused on commuter culture. The campaign introduced the Dotties, neutral, expressive characters designed to reflect everyday behaviours without scolding. Instead of posters and rules, the Dotties acted as mirrors, prompting quiet self-reflection through humour and relatability.
Designing behaviour at scale
Beyond the train installation, the behaviour framework was extended into a tabletop board game and network-wide roadshows featuring the Dotties and gracious commuting messages, allowing the ideas to be experienced through interaction, play, and face-to-face engagement.
Reach
The Kindness Express train reached approximately 48,000 commuters daily, translating to over 17 million impressions annually per line. As a moving installation, the campaign extended visibility beyond stations into the wider public realm.
Behaviour
By placing visual cues exactly where behaviours occur, the campaign encouraged moment-to-moment self-correction rather than rule-following. Repeated daily exposure helped normalise gracious actions as part of everyday travel.
Engagement
The Dotties’ light, relatable tone generated positive sentiment and organic sharing. Instead of feeling instructed, commuters experienced the campaign as friendly, familiar, and human, reinforcing kindness as a shared social norm.
