The Service Design Behind SG60 NDP: How They Thought of Everything

The Digital Foundation

The journey begins months before the actual event with the ballot system. Rather than a simple lottery, it's designed as an engagement touchpoint that builds anticipation. The notification system is comprehensive: SMS confirmations, email reminders for ticket collection, attendance reminders—each communication timed strategically to reduce no-shows and last-minute confusion.

Even the ticket design serves multiple functions. Beyond access control, the reverse side contains a detailed map and instructions, eliminating the need for separate information handouts that inevitably get lost or create litter.

Physical Wayfinding and Flow Design

The crowd management system demonstrates sophisticated understanding of human behavior patterns:

• Strategic volunteer placement at every decision point

• Progressive information disclosure—you're told only what you need to know at each stage

• Multiple confirmation touchpoints without feeling redundant

• Directional signage complemented by human guidance, accounting for those who don't read signs

The bag check process is streamlined to avoid bottlenecks, with multiple lanes and clear queue management. The NDP pack distribution happens after security, preventing bags from becoming a security concern while ensuring everyone receives their items.

The NDP pack itself demonstrates thoughtful needs anticipation: snacks and water for sustenance, thunder clap kit for participation, fan for comfort, flag for patriotic expression, face stickers for engagement, and even sunscreen for protection. It's a comprehensive care package that addresses every conceivable need during the 3-4 hour experience.

Additionally, the LED wristbands distributed separately transform individual attendees into part of the visual spectacle itself. You're not just watching the show—you become part of the lighting design. The LED return process after the event was surprisingly smooth, though one can imagine many attendees being tempted to keep them as memorable souvenirs.

Behavioral Design Elements

The pre-show briefing serves a practical function, informing participants what to expect for the live telecast elements. More impactful was the thunder claps integration—providing immediate feedback loops where you hear your collective impact as part of the show itself.

This creates community building that enhances the main event experience beyond passive observation.

Human-Centered Execution

What stands out is the human infrastructure. Volunteers aren't just crowd controllers; they're experience facilitators:

• Consistent positive energy maintained throughout the entire journey

• Micro-interactions (high-fives with children) that create memorable moments

• Clear communication at every transition point

• Redundant guidance without being patronizing

The volunteer briefing process must be extensive, given the consistency of experience across hundreds of touchpoints.

Exit Strategy as Experience Design

The post-event crowd dispersal reveals sophisticated planning:

• Staggered release by sections to prevent crushing

• Continuous wayfinding maintains the experience quality until the very end

• Positive closure with volunteers saying goodbye, ending on a high note rather than logistical chaos

Systems Thinking at Scale

Managing 27,000 people requires predictive design thinking:

• Anticipated pain points addressed before they manifest

• Redundant systems ensuring no single point of failure

• Scalable processes that work regardless of crowd size

• Continuous feedback loops between different operational areas

Lessons in Experience Design

From a service design perspective, several principles emerge:

Proactive Communication: Every potential question is answered before it's asked.

Layered Redundancy: Multiple channels ensure information reaches everyone (visual, audio, human guidance).

Emotional Architecture: The experience is designed to build pride and community connection, not just deliver a show.

Invisible Orchestration: The complexity of coordination is hidden from users—it just "works."

Systemic Excellence

This level of execution doesn't happen overnight. It represents iterative refinement over decades, with learnings from each parade incorporated into the next. The service design acknowledges that for many attendees (like me), this might be their only NDP experience, so it needs to be flawless.

What's remarkable is that Preview 1 isn't treated as a rehearsal or work-in-progress—it's the full production with iconic celebrities like Kit Chan and Benjamin Kheng, and appearances by senior government officials including newly appointed Minister of Defence Chan Chun Seng. The "preview" designation is purely logistical; the experience itself features the same caliber of participants as the main event.

Design at National Scale

What impressed me most was witnessing service design principles applied at national scale. This isn't a private company optimizing for profit—it's a government creating a shared national experience that builds social cohesion while managing massive operational complexity.

I can't speak to how the system evolved over previous years, but what I experienced was undeniably world-class execution—a Disney-equivalent experience from entry to exit, delivered at the scale of national infrastructure.

The SG60 NDP demonstrates what's possible when you approach large-scale events as designed experiences rather than operational challenges. Every touchpoint was considered, every interaction purposeful, every transition smooth.

As someone experiencing this system for the first time in 2025, I can only conclude: they've thought of everything.