INTERCULTURAL DESIGN - Task 1: Proposal

on

02.02.2026 - 20.02.2026（Week 01 - Week 03)
Intercultural Design / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media 
Task 1/ Proposal
Lee Xiang Ling / 0384095 

LIST OF JUMPLINK

INSTRUCTIONS

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LECTURES

WEEK 01

This semester focuses on introducing the concept of Intercultural Design, along with its research directions and project requirements.

The course aims to help students understand the role of design and designers within broader cultural, political, and social contexts. By examining the interactions between different communities and cultures, we explore global design practices and the issues connected to them.

Culture & Design
Culture and design are deeply intertwined. We live in a visually driven world, where visual elements shape the way people interpret and understand reality. Visual design is created by people to convey meaning. It is intentional and guided by communicative purposes.

Therefore, our research should move beyond asking “What is it?” and instead question:
“Why does it exist?”
“Why does it take this particular form?”

Cultural Sensitivity
We need to understand how cultural differences, such as symbols, colors, typography, language, and values, influence design.

Cultural sensitivity is not limited to aesthetics; it directly affects functionality, usability, and overall user experience. Therefore, design is not merely about form. It is a response to and adaptation within different cultural contexts.

WEEK 02

Good design is not defined by how it looks. 
Effective design is measured by its ability to solve real problems.

If visual aesthetics are removed and nothing meaningful remains, the design has fundamentally failed.

Common Mistakes Among Students
  • Visually appealing but functionally ineffective
  • Technology-first decorative solutions that exclude the elderly or those unfamiliar with digital tools
  • Ignoring the urban context and real-life usage environment
Design as Responsibility
Design is not merely creation; it is a form of responsibility. A good design should begin with people, not with form or technology. 

An Empathy Map can be used to guide analysis:
  1. Target User
    Who are they? What is their identity, background, and context?
  2. Needs & Goals
    What tasks must they accomplish? What defines success?
  3. What They Hear
    What information influences them, and from whom?
  4. What They See
    What environment and visual systems surround them?
  5. What They Feel
    What emotions and frustrations do they experience?
  6. What They Think
    What concerns or expectations shape their thinking?
  7. What They Do
    What actions do they actually take?

Truly good design is not only functionally clear. It also resonates culturally and responds meaningfully to its social context.


TASK

Theme: Designing Urban Future 
In this project, you will work in intercultural teams to investigate urban mobility experiences within a city, focusing on how people move through the city — and where existing systems succeed or fail different communities. Through research, observation, and design experimentation, you will develop human-centered design interventions that respond to real urban challenges in the city, aligned with sustainability, inclusivity, and community impact.

Design Principles:
  • Empathy, Human-Centered Thinking
  • Intercultural Awareness
  • Community Impact
  • Sustainable Thinking

PROCESS

At the beginning of the project, each team member proposed a different mode of transportation and identified its key problems along with potential design solutions.

After discussion and voting, we collectively decided to focus on public transportation as our main direction.

This decision was based on its broad social impact and its central role in urban mobility systems. Public transportation also presents complex challenges, such as route navigation, information systems, cultural diversity, and varied usage contexts, making it a meaningful subject for intercultural design research.

The following outlines our initial proposal:


After receiving feedback from our professor, we revisited our initial proposal and engaged in further discussion and critical reflection.

We ultimately decided to focus on two key issues:
route complexity and the lack of clear bus stop signage.

These problems directly affect users’ real mobility experiences within the city. In a multicultural and multilingual context, they can easily lead to confusion and misinterpretation of information. Therefore, we refined our direction to concentrate on information clarity and navigational legibility.

The following presents our revised design proposal:


After receiving further feedback from our professor, we held another group discussion and reconsidered our target audience.

We concluded that our proposals should specifically address first-time users of Kuala Lumpur’s public transportation system, including foreign visitors, residents unfamiliar with the system, and individuals who rarely use public transport.

This group is more likely to experience confusion and anxiety when confronted with complex routes and unclear signage. Therefore, our design focus shifted toward reducing cognitive load and improving navigational clarity.

We also refined Proposals 2 and 3 into more clearly defined categories.

Proposal 2 focuses on smart information display systems.
This includes interactive kiosks or digital displays placed at key transit nodes, providing clear route guidance, transfer suggestions, multilingual options, and real-time updates to help users quickly understand their journey.

Proposal 3 emphasizes the improvement of physical maps and wayfinding signage.
By simplifying map structures, strengthening visual hierarchy, applying highly recognizable symbol systems, and positioning clear directional signage at strategic locations, users can navigate effectively even without technological assistance.

FINAL OUTCOME

Task 1: Proposal_PPT (20/02/2026)


Task 1: Proposal_Presentation Video (20/02/2026)


FEEDBACK

WEEK 01
The overall direction is feasible, but the design proposal should not involve major infrastructure changes. It needs to allow detailed design to influence people's experience.

WEEK 02
Proposal 2 focuses on the temporal aspect, providing commuters with an electronic timetable of real-time connecting services at the station; 
Proposal 3 focuses on the spatial aspect, guiding people at the station with locations and directions.

WEEK 03
None (Chinese New Year's Holiday)

REFLECTIONS

This project gave me a deeper understanding of the local transportation culture. When selecting the problem we wanted to address, I prioritized route complexity and unclear signage because it was based on my personal experience. I have often felt unsure whether I was on the correct bus, and even after getting off, I found myself confused despite checking Google Maps. That sense of uncertainty made me realize that the issue is not only about transportation systems, but about the clarity of information and guidance.

As the team leader, I also became more aware of my own limitations. At times, my task delegation and communication were not clear enough, which affected our efficiency. However, through continuous discussion and by listening more carefully to my teammates, I learned to balance expressing my ideas while giving others space to contribute.

This project helped me understand that intercultural design is not only about aesthetics, but about responsibility and the ability to genuinely understand others.