Wong Eng Geng
Photographer, Designer Researcher, Experience Designer, Writer, Adjunct Lecturer, 


A designer whose profound passion for photography informs his distinctive approach to research. A graduate of the National University of Singapore’s Division of Industrial Design, he leverages photography as a potent storytelling medium, capturing the essence of people and environments while seamlessly merging the worlds of photojournalism and design. 

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while with brief.

COMMUTE: Exploring Singapore’s Commuting Culture Through Observation-Based
Design Research


client
Singapore Design Week
2024
in collaboration with Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SBS Transit
supported by DesignSingapore Council
curated by Hans Tan

role 
Ethnographic Research
Interaction Design
Experience Design
Industrial Design
Exhibition Design


project context
At Singapore Design Week, we brought the art of design research into the public eye with COMMUTE, 
an interactive exhibition in collaboration with DesignSingapore Council, Land Transport Authority (LTA), SBS Transit and Hans Tan Studio. 

Located at Bencoolen MRT station, the heart of 
Bras Basah.Bugis Design District, COMMUTE showcases the personalities and routines of Singapore’s MRT commuters, transforming the everyday commute into a unique lens for observing human behaviour. 

By inviting people to participate in a personality quiz, both physically and digitally, we encouraged the public to experience design research first-hand, showing that anyone can learn something valuable from simple observation.


Bringing Design Research to life during Singapore Design Week 2024 As a design research-first studio, we believe in making complex ideas approachable and engaging. COMMUTE centres on a personality quiz, an embodiment of observation-based research that invites commuters to find their place within seven unique “tribes” we identified during our research. Each tribe, such as the E-Citizen, Workaholic, or Reflection Gazer, represents different commuter behaviours, turning subtle habits into relatable characters that capture the diversity of Singapore’s commuting culture.

The quiz is available in two formats: a digital version, accessible online, and a physical version at the MRT station itself. The in-station experience takes the quiz one step further, immersing visitors in the design research process through hands-on interaction.





Marrying design research, observation, and interactionAt the exhibition, we created a nostalgic, exam-style quiz experience that’s both analogue and digital. Visitors fill out OAS-style quiz sheets using a marker, selecting answers that reveal their commuter tribe. 

Once completed, they scan their quiz sheet at a custom-built computer vision scanner, which identifies their personality type and displays the result on-screen in real time. 

It’s an engaging, tangible experience that lets visitors feel like active participants in the design research process, instead of passive observers.



Stamping a personalised mementoTo complete the experience, each visitor can stamp their quiz sheet with a custom two-part stamp featuring the character of their tribe. 

This stamped quiz paper becomes a takeaway, a personalised memento that reflects their role in Singapore’s commuting ecosystem. 

By transforming these observations into a playful, hands-on activity, we aimed to make design research memorable and accessible, sparking curiosity and encouraging participants to see their daily commute with new eyes.


Observation as a gateway to Design ResearchCOMMUTE isn’t just an exhibition; it’s an invitation to explore design research through simple acts of observation. 

By focusing on the small details of commuting, we show that design research doesn’t always require sophisticated tools or complex methodologies. It often starts with noticing the little things. 

This quiz-based experience allowed the public to learn about design research in a way that’s both intuitive and interactive, highlighting how observation can reveal meaningful insights about the world around us.


Leaving with new eyesWe hope that COMMUTE leaves visitors with a renewed appreciation for the subtle routines and personalities that make up Singapore’s MRT culture. 

By demonstrating that anyone can engage in design research simply by observing, COMMUTE bridges the gap between professional practice and everyday experience, showing that design research is as much about curiosity as it is about process.

In the end, design research isn’t just for studios—it’s a perspective for anyone willing to look a little closer. After all, some of the most meaningful insights are hidden in the everyday moments we often overlook.


COMMUTE ran for the entirety of Singapore Design Week 2024