Personally, the most timeI’ve spent waiting without achoice is on public transport.Public transport in Melbourneis subject to far more frequentdelays and cancellations thanthe statistics suggest. Thereare a number of reasons forthis, from the ongoing weekendconstruction to sudden raildisruptions, but the lack ofexplanation and guidance oftenleaves customers frustrated. Ofcourse, there is a PA for suddenstops, but not only is thesituation not explained properly,but the reception is patchy,making it difficult to understandhow long to wait. There wasalso nowhere to be foundany visual communicationthat could be inclusive of awide range of people. Theusual information about thenext station is constantlydisplayed on the screen, but noadditional information is shared.Therefore, we developed a cutecharacter that can announcetrain delays and cancellationswith a witty apology, which isquite communicative with traincustomers. There is a rationale for choosing cuteness for this communication. In the past, so-called cute designs were visualrepresentations for specific groups, such as children. However, according to the literature review,in modern times, cuteness has become a design strategy due to the increased power of thosewho consume it and the broadening of the target audience. The emotions we feel when wesee ‘cuteness’, such as lovable, cute, cherishable, pathetic, pitiful, protective, cuddly, and soon, have the ability to make consumers feel possessive and generous at the same time. Usingthese characteristics, the appearance of cute characters can be used to properly apologise tocustomers, provide information on the current and future status of the train, and entertain themwith witty humour during the unexpected wait.

Main Character and ideation
The character’s name is ‘Korry’, a combination of ‘KO’ for koala and ‘RRY’ for ‘Sorry for the delays’. Korry looks like this. We wantedthe character to have an expressionless face, like a smiling face, so that each person interacting with the character could imaginethe koala’s expression. We also wanted to give the character a more natural feel by inserting eucalyptus branches, which Korryloves, in the background.






LED display for different situations


LED display in the train
There will be three different situations related to train delays. Normally, you won’t see Korry, but if the train is delayed, Korry will appear and report the current situation in real-time, including how late it is. At this point, the bubble is orange and will gradually turn red as the situation becomes more serious. The only time the bubble turns red is when the train stops abruptly. In this case, Korry will be shown eating or sleeping, figuratively conveying the situation to the passengers. Finally, when the train returns to normal operation, the colour of the bubble will change to yellow to match the situation, and Korry will say goodbye and disappear. This surprise appearance of Korry gives passengers the opportunity to feel a sense of welcome and affection for Korry, rather than annoyance at the sudden delay.


Myki card design



Installation for apologise
At the last terminus of the train with the most delays per year or per quarter, Korry’s apology and figure will be placed on a dummy to convey the train operators’ apology to passengers. Passengers will be able to read Korry’s apology, take a photo with him, and engage in other activities.




Lanyard Design