Connecting the dots for seamless journeys to work: From lived experiences to seamless scenarios of mobility

New and enhanced mobile technologies and services are continuously changing our ways for social participation, work, play and for the many aspects of our daily lives. For example, actual virtual connections allow us to access and engage with work remotely and when needed. Thus, people’s social participation is no longer based on their ability to move from one place to another, but on the ability to establish actual and virtual connections. What does it mean for young people with mobility related disabilities in the context of transitioning to work? In this paper we report a design research approach to the understanding of the contextual dimensions of the lived mobility experiences of young people with a mobility related disability. We identified three context-led instances of people’s mobility: task (do-what), people’s mobility practice (sense-how), and the environment (be-where). We describe a scaffolded methods approach that included observations, interviews, online surveys and CIT interviews for the understanding of enabling and disabling factors impacting young people’s routine mobility experiences. A conceptual framework was produced with the use of a scenario strategy to show points of connections and disconnections in the structure of a person’s mobility experience. This approach can help identify opportunities for design interventions in transport services and for future transport policy strategies. We conclude this paper with a discussion about information values that would enable digital platforms and digitally based services to transform actual disconnected journey experiences into future seamless mobilities. As we experience the disruptions to routine mobility due to current COVID-19 pandemic, our design-led method approach addresses a significant topic and offers a scenario strategy that can help us visualise opportunities for creating seamless mobility experiences.