“We’ve updated our terms”: How to make the mundane remarkable

Do you listen carefully to announcements at train stations?

Me neither. The familiar voices tend to blend into the usual hum of station noise — people chatting, train wheels screeching, escalators squeaking.

But London Underground had an idea: what if we used a child’s voice?

They recorded the daughter of a station employee who warned people to “take care on the escalator”. It worked. They reduced escalator injuries by a third at Victoria station.