Interview (Autistic Adult - Travel experience)

Participant: Female, 18–24

Question

What does independence mean to you?

Participant

“Having the support to be able to develop and grow in independence.”

Reflection

This is a really useful definition because it challenges the idea that independence means doing everything alone. For this participant, support can actually enable independence.

This is important for my project because a design intervention should not remove support, but potentially make it easier for autistic adults to access the right support while still having control over their own journey.

Question

Can you tell me about an international trip you have taken? Were there any parts of planning or travelling that you found particularly difficult?

Participant

“I find airports very overwhelming - large crowds, lots of noise, large areas, confusion in where to go and finding it stressful & over-stimulating regarding the overall process. I find it intimidating asking staff for support due to previous occasions where I felt like I was treated like I was stupid for asking simple questions. I find it overwhelming also being sat so close to strangers at times.”

Reflection

This response identifies several barriers happening at the same time: crowds, noise, scale, navigation, sensory overload, social interaction and physical proximity.

The participant’s experience of being made to feel “stupid” when asking for help is particularly important. It suggests that staff behaviour can make an already stressful environment more difficult and may discourage autistic travellers from asking for support in the future.

This strongly connects to the idea that airport accessibility is a combination of both environmental design and human understanding.

Question

Have any barriers affected your confidence, independence, or willingness to travel internationally?

Participant

“I struggle with navigating my way round the airport and find it stressful with the sensory overload in the area. I need everything to be prepared and organised and when the structure is changed such as change in location of the boarding area, I find it very stressful. I rely on people to help with finding different areas.”

Reflection

This response strongly highlights predictability and navigation. The participant is able to prepare for a journey, but unexpected changes such as a gate change can make the situation much more difficult.

This suggests that independence can be affected not only by the original journey, but by how well a traveller is supported when plans change.

A useful design opportunity could therefore involve clear, real-time guidance when airport information changes.

Question

What have been the biggest challenges you've experienced while travelling internationally?

Participant

“Mainly navigation of the area, changes to routine and sensory overload.”

Reflection

The three barriers identified here — navigation, unexpected change and sensory overload — are recurring themes across both my literature research and the interviews so far.

The fact that these themes are appearing repeatedly is important because it may help me narrow my project towards the areas that have the strongest evidence.

Question

If you could change one thing about international travel to make it better for autistic adults, what would it be and why?

Participant

“More training for staff regarding autism, having a safe and quiet area for waiting, more structured signage, more support in navigation. Being patient when I am trying to understand rather than being responded with judgement. Having more time to process everything, I feel like some of the process is very rushed which I understand because it is busy, but I do find the whole situation very stressful. Making it more clear if I am on the correct train or not as I find it hard to identify due to the automated signs hard to understand and it changes too quickly.”

Reflection

This response contains several potential design opportunities:

• better staff understanding
• quiet waiting spaces
• clearer signage
• navigation support
• more processing time
• clearer transport information

The point about information changing too quickly is particularly interesting from a graphic-design perspective. Accessibility may not only depend on what information is shown, but also how long it remains visible and how easily it can be processed.

This makes cognitive accessibility and information pacing an important area for me to consider.

Question

What has helped make travelling easier or more enjoyable for you?

Participant

“Travelling with someone who knows the airport and understanding the routine. Apps which help me understand what platform or area I need to be waiting in. Having my music or loop earplugs in situ.”

Reflection

This reinforces three types of support:

• human support
• digital/navigation support
• sensory regulation

The participant is already using apps to understand where they need to be, which again suggests that digital technology could support greater independence.

However, the reliance on someone who already understands the airport also suggests there may be an opportunity for design to make unfamiliar airports feel more predictable and understandable.

Question

Imagine there were no limitations on cost or technology. If you could introduce one new service, system or support to improve independent international travel for autistic adults, what would it be and why?

Participant

“An app to explain more clearly where the different areas are, maybe with a navigation system to follow. Having specialised people around for support if it gets too overwhelming or needing support to understand certain things. Maybe having a safe area for waiting.”

Reflection

This is the second interview where a participant has independently suggested an app.

The participant specifically imagines:

• clear airport information
• navigation
• access to knowledgeable staff
• safe waiting areas

This is particularly useful because it suggests the app may work best as part of a wider support system, rather than as a standalone digital product.

It could potentially connect the autistic traveller with the physical airport environment and trained staff.

Question

Which parts of the airport journey do you find most difficult, and what information or support would make them easier?

Participant

“All which is mentioned above. More organised signage, having understanding people available to support autistic people through the process. Safe and quiet areas separate from the noise and crowds.”

Reflection

Again, the participant emphasises that airport difficulty is not one isolated problem. Information, staff support and the sensory environment interact with each other.

This supports the idea that the final design may need to operate as a connected system rather than addressing only one stage of the airport journey.

Question

Is there anything else you would like to share about your experiences of international travel?

Participant

“When I am getting stressed about going through security, it’s not because I am guilty, it’s because I find the whole process overwhelming and invasive at times.”

Reflection

This is one of the strongest responses from the interview.

It provides direct primary evidence that airport security can be both overwhelming and invasive for an autistic traveller. It also raises an important issue around how visible anxiety may be interpreted by security staff.

This makes me think more carefully about communication at security. A traveller may need a discreet way of communicating that they are autistic, overwhelmed or need additional processing time without having to explain themselves verbally in an already stressful situation.

This also strengthens my interest in security as a possible focus, although I still need to compare this with responses from other participants before deciding whether it is the strongest area for intervention.

Overall Reflection

This interview strongly reinforces several themes already emerging from my research:

• Support can enable independence rather than reduce it
• Sensory overload is created by crowds, noise and physical proximity
• Navigation and unfamiliar airport layouts create dependency
• Unexpected changes can significantly increase stress
• Information needs to be clear, structured and available long enough to process
• Negative staff interactions can discourage people from asking for help
• Quiet spaces and opportunities to regulate are important
• Apps may support navigation and predictability
• Participants want access to trained, understanding staff
• Airport security can feel overwhelming and invasive

One of the strongest emerging ideas is that design may need to support the traveller when the planned journey stops going to plan. Preparation is clearly important, but real-time changes, unclear information and unexpected interactions appear to create some of the greatest difficulties.

This interview also strengthens the possible direction of an app, particularly one combining navigation, clear information, support requests and access to quiet spaces, while reinforcing that the physical airport environment and staff training remain equally important.