1. Clarify the Unknown
- Most Urgent Unknown: How do students and young women navigate safety, sociality, and mobility late at night on campus?
- Context: Campus transitioning into night; mix of students leaving classes, social groups, and late-night commuters.
2. Raw Observation Notes
- Group heading for social activity, laughing, some isolated.
- Three women walking alone with backpacks and textbooks, focused but glancing around nervously.
- Group of three women laughing, close together, relaxed.
- Solo woman brisk with headphones, eyes ahead, occasionally checks behind.
- Two women with dog, conversing, ensuring pet is secure.
- Woman on bench scrolling phone, waiting, checking surroundings.
- Woman exits campus building, hoodie up, walks under streetlights, quick pace.
- Cyclist with backpack, steady pace, careful navigation.
- Jogger with reflective gear, earbuds, nodding to others.
- Person near campus map comparing phone and map.
- Two women walking side by side, one reassuring other who clutches bag.
- Woman at bus stop under light, checks schedule, reserved.
- Student with stack of books leaving library, chooses well-lit path, cautious.
- Solo woman eating snack, relaxed but scanning shadows.
- Two women leaving study group, deep in discussion, purposeful stride.
- Woman exits campus, shifts demeanor to alert, quickens pace, avoids dark areas.
3. Emerging Patterns & Surprises
- Visible frictions:
- Anxiety about safety in darker or isolated areas.
- Navigational uncertainty (maps, routes).
- Managing mobility while carrying heavy loads (books, bags).
- Workarounds:
- Sticking to lit paths, hoodies up, brisk walking.
- Walking in pairs/groups for safety.
- Using pets, music, or phones as comfort/distraction.
- Social dynamics:
- Groups feel relaxed and expressive.
- Solo travelers visibly tense, often scanning surroundings.
- Small rituals of reassurance (friends calming each other, nods to joggers).
4. Next Steps
- Explore how late-night students perceive campus safety and what tools they use to cope.
- Test whether group-walking apps, buddy systems, or lighting interventions reduce anxiety.
- Interview students about trade-offs between independence, convenience, and safety measures.