My earlier entry set out what I wanted to learn from trying Grounded during a real journey. Until then, much of my testing had involved making a feature run and checking that I could get back to where I started. Travelling with another person gave me a chance to see what they did when a change interrupted their own journey.
During the accompanied trial, the traveller read the alert and paused. They wanted to check where they were first. They chose ‘Not now’ and returned to the route, and I did not step in at that point. This was a useful moment because I had designed the return to the route deliberately. I could see it happen in the airport, where the person already had other information and decisions to manage.
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The traveller returned to the route after declining support. My notes leave open how clearly they understood the new gate and the next action.
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A journey change also raises a communication question. A traveller may want to let family know which flight they are on or where they are while they continue working out their own next step. This became a part of Grounded that needed its own design thinking. I have written separately about sending flight and location details from the app.
I had tested the return to the route myself before travelling. I knew what the button did and where I expected to end up, so those checks could only take me so far. In the airport I could see that the person wanted to establish where they were before choosing what to do. That pause matters because the sequence on screen assumes someone can move from an update to a direction, while the traveller may first need to get their bearings.
I was travelling alongside them and they had previously answered my questionnaire. They may have felt more comfortable trying the app with me there. In my next session I want to observe the same task with less introduction and record whether the person can explain where they are going in their own words. A successful tap tells me the interaction ran. Their explanation would tell me more about whether it made sense.
I was travelling with the person, and they already knew the project through my questionnaire. For a follow-up, I would give someone a gate-change task and ask them to tell me the new gate, choose a next action and continue after dismissing support. I would record where they paused and when they asked for help. I would also check what they expect the app to send if they choose to update family.
Studio Practice draft, pp. 46 and 59–60.