10 TouchPoints: design for everyday life in Singapore

10TouchPoints is a project of the Design Singapore Council, that has enlisted people in identifying things in their everyday public space that are irritating because of poor design, writes Susan Abbott in Customer Experience Crossroads.

“10TouchPoints is the opportunity for us all to positively impact our surroundings and how we live. It is a voicebox for your opinions as users to be heard as you vote for what can be better designed. For designers, it is a challenge to produce the best redesign solutions for implementation, while getting the chance to win attractive prizes and bringing your share to better living. For service providers, it is a platform to tap into users’ insights and using the best design solutions to remake and enhance existing items and services for the people!”

It’s a three phase project that invites users to identify opportunities for improved design, vote on the top 20 ideas, and then participate in the re-design process.

“10TouchPoints seeks to demystify design.
Not just about relative coolness and high prices, or what you see on the glossy pages for the hip and rich. Design makes up what is around you. Design is about the relationships people forge with things. Design is thus something we value as it has an effect on how we get to work, better communicate and the energy we save.”

The site seems to have collected many hundreds of ideas from people, often with an accompanying image. A huge number have to do with public transit irritants, like overhead handles and seating layouts on transit vehicles.