Once the first round of thematic analysis was complete, I needed to decide how the primary research would actually appear in the report.
I did not want a findings section that simply listed participant comments and then a completely separate discussion section that repeated them alongside literature.
The strongest structure seemed to be one where the participant data and secondary research could be brought into conversation with one another.
The analysis produced four recurring strands that became useful for structuring the discussion.
These were independence and control, changing support needs in response to unpredictability, environmental pressures on self-regulation, and fragmented travel systems.
I am deliberately thinking of these as interconnected rather than completely separate themes because the participant responses often overlap.
A change in airport procedure can increase unpredictability, which can increase cognitive and sensory demand, which can then affect regulation and the amount of support somebody needs.
The first strand challenged the idea that independence means doing everything alone.
Participants described wanting support while still retaining control over the journey. This connected strongly with Bhattacharya et al. and Thompson-Hodgetts et al., whose research also frames independence and self-determination around agency, choice and support rather than complete self-sufficiency.
This became one of the most important arguments in the report because it directly affects how any design intervention should behave.
The second strand concerned unpredictability and changes to expected structure.
Participant responses repeatedly described delays, altered routines and unexpected changes as difficult. This linked to the wider literature around predictability, sensory reactivity and perceived control.
The design implication is that support needs cannot be assumed to remain stable throughout the whole journey.
The same traveller may need different levels or forms of support at different moments.
The third strand concerned the sensoryscape and self-regulation.