In this study, Aaron is riding with his 9-year-old daughter, Hazel, as she goes to school. After dropping her off, he will continue to the train station, where he will take the train to his job in San Diego, about 30 minutes south.
In this clip, Aaron and Hazel are riding on the 101 through Leucadia, a community in north Encinitas. This section of the 101 is a north-south arterial that runs through a commercial district with restaurants, shops and small businesses.
This clip is an excellent example of how the Think Aloud Protocol puts you into the scene with Aaron and Hazel, allowing you to feel Aaron’s stress and concern trying to navigate delivery trucks and other traffic to get Hazel to school safely.
Aaron’s assessment
“One of the things about this ride is that it’s really not pleasant. The tight roadway due to construction from my house to Just peachy, the door zone from the post office south through the light at Leucadia, the exhaust belching from the work trucks getting to their sites in the morning, navigating the roundabout, navigating traffic at the school, and then sharing a tight road on Vulcan, none of it is pleasant. It wakes you up, and it is way better than driving, and gives Hazel a good start to the day, but it is stressful. It is fun to see friends and neighbors, though. I’ll watch it again with Hazel this weekend and get her thoughts.”
