At this stage, my proposed research question was:
"How might independent international travel become a transformative experience for autistic adults?"
I explained that my research had naturally split into two areas.
The first explored autism and travel, including themes such as sensory overwhelm, uncertainty, accessibility, inclusive tourism and the barriers experienced by autistic travellers. The second explored transformative travel, particularly backpacking culture and the idea that travelling independently can contribute to personal growth, confidence, identity and independence. One of the most interesting observations I had made was that these two bodies of literature rarely overlap.
My tutor responded positively to the overall direction of the project and felt that the combination of travel and autism was becoming increasingly focused and interesting. However, he highlighted an important issue with my proposed research question.
Rather than asking:
"How might independent international travel become a transformative experience for autistic adults?"
He suggested that this question assumes a level of causality that cannot easily be demonstrated through research. In other words, it asks whether travel causes transformation, which would be extremely difficult to prove within the scope of a Master's project. Instead, he encouraged me to think about the project in a different way.
Rather than beginning with transformation, my tutor suggested starting with an existing social phenomenon. This completely changed how I was thinking about the project. Im going to focus on one barrier rather than attempting to redesign the entire travel experience. This has encouraged me to stop thinking about designing a broad solution for autistic travellers and instead begin identifying which single barrier offers the greatest opportunity for meaningful design intervention.
Following my tutorial, I have refined the direction of my project. Rather than attempting to explore whether independent travel itself is transformative for autistic adults, I am now focusing on understanding the barriers that may prevent autistic adults from accessing these experiences in the first place.
How might design reduce barriers preventing autistic adults from accessing transformative independent travel?
I see this as a working research question rather than a final one. As my research progresses, I hope my primary research and written interviews will help identify the most significant barriers experienced by autistic adults during independent travel.
If a clear theme emerges, such as sensory overwhelm, uncertainty, navigation or travel planning, I expect the project will naturally narrow towards that specific area. This means the evidence gathered through both my literature review and participant responses will directly inform the final design direction, ensuring that the project responds to a genuine need rather than an assumption.