Conversation Guide

Halo Alert Commuter Interviews

Context: These interviews were part of the Halo Alert team’s early exploratory experiments during Diamond 2: Understand an Unmet Need. The team focused on professional women and female university students who commute via walking and public transit.


Before the Conversation

  • Protocol: Engage women commuters outside urban/suburban metro stations. Aim for natural, conversational tone rather than a rigid questionnaire.
  • Resources: Notebook + recorder (with consent).
  • Introduction:
    “Hi, my name is Nile. I’m working on a student project to better understand people’s commuting experiences. I’m not selling anything — I’d just love to hear your perspective. The conversation will take 15–20 minutes. Is it okay if I ask a few questions, and possibly record for accuracy?”

Opening and Rapport

  • Exchange names, age (optional), and commuting origin/destination.
  • Ask about the shape of their commute (walking, subway, bus, etc.).

Story-First Questions

(Anchor to specific past commutes.)

  1. “Tell me about your last commute.”
    • Probe: “What stood out about that day?”
    • Probe: “What was different from your usual?”
  2. “What’s the most hectic part of your commute?”
    • Probe: “How do you feel in those moments?”
    • Probe: “What do you do to manage the chaos?”
  3. “When do you feel uncomfortable during your commute?”
    • Probe: “Can you tell me about a time when that happened?”
    • Probe: “What did you do to handle it?”
  4. “Are you ever concerned about your belongings?”
    • Probe: “What goes through your mind in crowded spaces?”
  5. “How safe do you feel, personally, during your commute?”
    • Probe: “Can you describe a time when you felt unsafe?”
    • Probe: “How did you respond in that moment?”

Emotional Triggers

(Probe when you notice body language or emotion.)

  • “I noticed you paused there — can you tell me more?”
  • “Why was that stressful for you?”
  • “What would I not expect about that experience?”
  • Use 5 Whys to dig into root causes: “Why was that important to you?”

Example tied to Sarah: “It seems like you were frustrated by the detour, even though you arrived fine. Why did that throw you off?”

Example tied to Emily: “You mentioned feeling tense walking home at night. Why does the lighting or quietness affect you so strongly?”


Closing

  • “Has your commute changed over time? How?”
  • “What routines or habits help you feel safer?”
  • “Who else should we talk to who might have different commuting experiences?”
  • Thank them sincerely and explain: “Your experiences will help us better understand commuting challenges. We’ll never use your name, but your story helps us see patterns.”

After the Conversation

  • Debrief immediately: What surprised us? What patterns did we hear?
  • Document: Store transcript + notes in the Supporting Experiment template.
  • Feed into analysis: Later cluster insights into themes (predictability, vigilance, connection).