Supporting Experiment — Sarah Thompson Interview
Following the toolkit naming conventions, this file is named exp-04a-conversation-sarah-thompson-2025-02-24.qmd.
General Info
- Title / Observation Type: Interview with Sarah Thompson, Professional Woman Commuter
- Date: [24 February 2024]
- Location / Setting: Outside Queens–Midtown subway route, New York
- Team Member(s): Nile
- Modality: Interview (exploratory)
- Linked Primary Experiment: Diamond 2 — Find and Validate Pain for Professional Women Commuters
1. Clarify the Unknown
Most Urgent Unknown: What pains or unmet needs do professional women face during their daily commute?
Other Urgent Unknowns:
- Are these pains related more to predictability, safety, or control?
- What is the most salient stage of the commute?
- Are the pains different for professional women and college students?
- Are these pains related more to predictability, safety, or control?
2. Experiment Type
3. Modality and Fit
- Modality Chosen: Guided conversation interview using the Conversation Guide
- Why it fits: Allows uncovering of personal stories and emotional triggers around commuting, rather than surface-level or hypothetical responses.
4. Design
- Source of Evidence: Professional women exiting/entering subway stations
- Collection Mechanism: Halo Alert Conversation Guide (story-first + emotional probes)
- Sampling Strategy: Walk-up interviews of commuters during morning/evening transitions
- Sample Size Goal: 2–5 interviews (Sarah = first participant)
5. Execution Notes
- Approached Sarah leaving Astoria station during morning commute.
- Rapport established; she described a full door-to-door journey.
- Interview lasted ~20 minutes, recorded with consent.
- No major deviations, though follow-up questions leaned heavily into emotional triggers (e.g., frustration during reroutes).
- Sample bias: early-morning commuter, professional context, not representative of all demographics.
6. Results and Data Summary
Representative Evidence (Excerpts):
On rerouting:
“You develop this sort of rhythm in your daily routine, and unexpected changes, even small ones, can throw you off… I wasn’t familiar with the detour route, which made me slightly anxious.”On crowded trains:
“I do find myself becoming more vigilant… It’s not outright fear, but there’s definitely a sense of wariness… My pulse quickens if someone brushes against me.”On personal discomfort:
“The most uncomfortable part is overcrowded trains — personal space disappears, and getting off at my stop becomes nerve-wracking.”On safety routines:
“Whenever I’m commuting late, I send a quick text to my roommate or close friend. We even set up a system — if I don’t check in by a certain time, she knows to reach out.”
Themes Identified (from notes):
- Predictability matters (disruption = frustration + anxiety).
- Vigilance over belongings in crowds (heightened alertness, not fear).
- Discomfort tied to situations (overcrowding, darkness) rather than locations.
- Coping routines create a sense of control and connection.
Link: Exp 04.a Full Transcript — Sarah Thompson Interview
7. Knowledge Updating
- What do you now know? Commuters balance efficiency and safety, but psychological security (control, predictability, connection) is as important as physical safety.
- Confidence level: Moderate — consistent with expectations but revealed richer emotional nuance than hypothesized.
- Assumptions updated: Originally assumed “safety risk” was primarily physical (theft, assault). In reality, feeling safe often comes from control routines (e.g., texts, route choice).
8. Next Steps
- Interview additional women at different times (late evening, early morning, non-rush hour).
- Cross-validate with observational notes at stations.
- Cluster across multiple transcripts to draft a pain hypothesis around predictability + reassurance.