As my research developed, I recognised that understanding the experiences of autistic travellers from lived experience alone would only provide part of the picture. While autistic adults could explain the barriers they personally experience during independent travel, I also wanted to understand these challenges from a professional perspective.

For this reason, I decided to create a second written interview aimed at psychologists who have experience working with autistic adults. My intention was not to replace the voices of autistic participants, but to complement them by exploring whether professionals identified similar barriers and patterns across the individuals they support.

Why I Chose Psychologists

Throughout my literature review, many of the barriers discussed within autism and travel research related to sensory processing, anxiety, uncertainty, executive functioning and social communication. These are all areas that psychologists may have extensive knowledge of through their professional practice.

I felt psychologists could provide a broader understanding of why these barriers occur, how they affect autistic individuals and which challenges may be most significant when travelling independently.

By combining lived experience with professional insight, I hoped to develop a more balanced understanding of the issues before beginning any design work.

Designing the Interview

Similar to the interview created for autistic adults, I chose a written interview format.

This allowed participants to respond in their own time and provided flexibility while also reducing the pressure sometimes associated with face-to-face interviews.

The questions were designed to explore:

• common barriers experienced by autistic adults
• challenges relating to independent travel
• professional observations of anxiety, sensory processing and uncertainty
• strategies currently used to support autistic individuals
• opportunities where design could potentially provide additional support

Rather than asking psychologists to propose design solutions, the questions focused on understanding the problems they repeatedly observe in practice.

Creating a second interview reminded me of the importance of collecting evidence from multiple perspectives.

Although autistic adults remain the most important voices within my project, psychologists may identify recurring themes that individual participants do not recognise in themselves. Likewise, lived experiences may highlight challenges that are overlooked within professional practice.

Comparing these two perspectives will allow me to identify areas of agreement and difference, strengthening the reliability of my primary research.

Ultimately, this process will help ensure that any future design decisions are informed by both lived experience and professional understanding, rather than relying on a single source of evidence.