INTERCULTURAL DESIGN /GROUP PROJECT
Intercultural Design /Group project
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2.2.2026 -20.3.2025 (week 1 - week 7)
Low Xin Er / 0374596 / Bachelor of Creative Media
Low Xin Er / 0374596 / Bachelor of Creative Media
Intercultural Design / Group Project
Table Content
- Task 1 Project Proposal
- Task 2 Field Study
- Task 3 Final Project
Task 1 Project Proposal
Task Requirement
Week 1 (4/2/2026)
Form a group and draft the topics around the requirements
Draft of topics
Top 3 from me：
- Sunway city development culture(micro city/transportation system)
- Malaysia Airline (system problem)
- Pedestrian culture (walker unfriendly)
- Taxi culture
- Plane delay culture
- Airport development (manual > auto vs Singapore)
- Shortcut culture (mental maps vs official maps)
- Battery life (taxi/payment/maps/phone call)
- Pedestrian culture &Road bunch (less care about older)
- Different way of local n tourist (transportation inconvenience/ tourist unfriendly)
- Sunway city development culture(micro city/transportation system)
Week 2 (11/2/2026)
Final 3 ideas
1.Sunway City Development
Problem statement:
Although Sunway functions as a well-planned micro-city with integrated transportation, pedestrian bridges, and private shuttle services, this level of coordination is not consistently found in other parts of Kuala Lumpur. The contrast highlights uneven urban development and raises questions about accessibility, inclusivity, and reliance on privately managed infrastructure.
2.Carpark system
Problem statement:
Although parking spaces are provided in SS15, insufficient capacity and inefficient usage — such as double parking and motorcycles occupying car spaces — disrupt traffic flow and reduce accessibility. This reflects weaknesses in parking management compared to cities like Singapore, where stricter regulation and system design improve efficiency despite limited land.
3.Transportation visual instruction
Problem statement:
Although Malaysia’s integrated transit map uses distinct colours for different rail lines, the physical station signage does not consistently reflect those colours. This makes the network harder to navigate, especially for first-time or non-local users, and weakens the visual relationship between the system map and real-world wayfinding.
In-depth research on the topic & start planning the proposal slides
Week 3 (18/2/2026)
Division of labor in designing the proposal slides
Fig.presentation slides
Fig.sketches of urban city transportation system
I was incharge of the ideas for the development of the Sunway City transportation system, including the design rationale and drafts for solving the problems.
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Week 3 (20/2/2026)
Final proposal presentation using Canva
Intercultural Design Task1 by Group 18Task 2 Field Study
Week 4 (28/2/2026)
There were three groups in total:
- Group A: Offline observation
- Group B: Survey of relevant populations
- Group C: Comparison Case study （Japan & Malaysia）
Group C: Comparison Case Study (Japan & Malaysia)
Floor Graphics System
Visual Hierarchy
Multilingual Support
Line Identity System
Week 5 (1/3/2026 - 3/3/2026)
I collected online resources on the principles of visual design for Japan transportation systems and compared them with the Malaysia approach, identifying specific differences. I also found substantiated and effective references to support the Japanese design. After simplifying and organizing the information, I imported it into the presentation, using photos and layout to make the content easier to understand.
Week 5 (4/3/2026)
We presented our progress to the professor, highlighting a key issue: the survey lacked data on the age range and gender of those who filled out the forms. Regarding our Task 3, the professor suggested we focus more on the line identity system of the transportation system.
Week 5 (6/3/2026)
I waited until all the other group members had finished their projects before we discussed the overall overview and conclusion of the assignment together to ensure that all the details were covered and the direction was correct.
Intercultural Design Task2 by Group18
Each visual wayfinding design has its own important modifications and design elements; therefore, we selected several key types of visual wayfinding for our design.
Key Types of Transportation Visual Wayfinding:
- Overhead signage
- Wall/poll graphic
- Floor graphic
Main improvements focus on: information hierarchy, simplified information, directional markings, route-specific colors, and placement
fig.sketches of floor graphic design with real station mockup
Week 6 (13/3/2026)
fig.using adobe illustrator to design floor graphics
The above information will be the main focus of our design work, providing practical suggestions for the visual wayfinding design of the Masjid Jamek station in Malaysia.
fig.visual references from japan for floor graphic design
fig.Task 3 Intro & Overview
I also compiled a list of negative directional signage designs from Japan that I referenced, and selected key designs. I was very familiar with the direction of this Task 3 assignment, so I took the initiative to write down our team's process from drafts to concepts to the final decision.
Week 6 (14/3/2026)
Week 6 (14/3/2026)
I discovered some design flaws that could be improved, so I kept creating multiple versions, and even found design loopholes during my review after I thought the design was finished. For example, the original design of the ground-level route indicators was bidirectional, but this actually required more information to indicate the direction of each route. It would have been better to focus on one direction and design the return route separately.
fig.adobe illustrator
fig.adobe photoshop, real Masjid Jamek station picture mockup
fig.showcase of floor graphic final design (for my part)
Week 7 (19/3/2026)
We completed our presentation slides and assigned our respective parts to explain, and recorded videos to explain our ideas, processes, and works.
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| fig.zoom record screenshot |
Intercultural Design Task3 by Group 18
Reflection
Task 1
Initially, when I learned the assignment focused on Malaysian transportation, I could identify several areas for improvement based on my initial impressions. However, upon further investigation, I realized these issues weren't entirely unnoticed; rather, the solutions implemented were often incomplete. For example, potholes on sidewalks are difficult for ordinary citizens to address; they can only report them to the government for repair. However, the government struggles to cover every corner of the country, leading to inefficiency. Our assignment aimed to identify social problems for which we could provide concrete solutions, ultimately making transportation more convenient for the people of the country.
Task 2
We chose transportation visual instruction and was responsible for comparing the traffic visual design systems of Japan and Malaysia. From various reference images, I could see that Japan's language is more accommodating to foreign tourists and beginners, even though subway stations might appear colorful and not particularly modern. In contrast, Malaysian traffic signs largely remain in Malay with limited English, making them unfriendly to foreign tourists and beginners. While Malaysian transit stations appear cleaner and more modern, the trade-off is a lack of route information, seemingly forgetting the original purpose of a transportation system, a case of putting the cart before the horse. After understanding these issues, I also paid more attention to these details in life, as if I had taken another step closer to society.
Task 3
As this assignment neared its end, we were tasked with designing a traffic signage system that could serve as a practical reference. I gradually realized that having specific and clear rules made the design more standardized and easier to standardize. For example, all the colors used in the design were based on the traffic routes, and the font was the standard Malaysian traffic font. We didn't need to rethink what colors would serve what purpose or what font would be more suitable, saving a lot of time. We used the saved time to study traffic signage designs abroad, compare them with Malaysia's situation, and determine why we couldn't achieve the same results, identifying the specific influencing factors and differences. I discovered that it wasn't just a difference in weather or culture; more importantly, Malaysia doesn't have the high tourism volume of other developed countries, nor does it have a complex subway system. Therefore, instead of spending money on improving traffic signage, it's better to focus on other more pressing national issues. Sometimes it's not that Malaysia doesn't know how to learn from other countries' strengths, but rather that these details of improving lives don't match Malaysia's current level of development. What I want to do is to help Malaysia develop as much as possible, no matter how small the contribution. As a citizen, I hope I can do my part.
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