Contextual interview: Agneev Guin

The frequent ferry rider Swede

A: Hello, my name is Agneev. May I know yours please?

E: Emelia.

A: Nice to meet you Emelia. Me and my friends are conducting a short interview as a part of a School project to improvise this ferry ride for you and others. Would you like to help us with the same? We would also like to record the conversation in case you don't mind.

E: Sure. I would love to.

A: So Emelia, you seem to be traveling with your family. Would you tell us a bit about your family.

E: Yes, me and my husband. We have 2 kids and we are going to Skansen.

A: How often do you travel here?

E: On the ferry on this route?

A: Yes.
E: Once every other month. Something like that.

A: How old are your kids?

E: Three and six.

A: Do they love the ride as well.

E: Yes.

A: Are they more eager about traveling by this route or is there some other reason

E: Well its nice to not take the underground, not take the bus as its quicker as it is the quickest way to go to Djurgarden.

A: So you go to Djurgarden for visiting the zoo?

E: Because of Skansen.

A: Skansen, okay. How do you generally come till here? Where do you stay?

E: Live in Stockholm so we come from home.

A: Do you use the car to commute till Slussen?

E: No, we take the underground.

A: Do you check the ferry timings?

E: No, its quite regular so not required.

A: Do you see the beauty while in the ferry or just like to sit and travel?

E: Depends but its usually many people so you try to find a space, with the pram.

A: Do you have any problem with the pram?

E: As you can see the crowd, it becomes pretty hard.

A: In the buses, you can tie the pram but here you need to take care of it.

E: Yes.

A: Do you stand on the outside?

E: From time to time, yes. With the kids you are afraid that they might fall. So usually are inside when we have the kids.

A: Do you own the SL card?

E: Yes.

A: Is it a monthly pass?

E: Yes. A monthly pass.

A: Do you use social networking sites like facebook or twitter?

E: Facebook yes.

A: So do you share your experiences?

E: In general yes. But not of the ferry.

A: How often do you interact with strangers in the ferry?

E: Quite often. Almost every time.

A: That’s interesting. Anything that you suggest might be improved

E: That’s a good question. There could be toilets. There are no toilets which could be annoying.

A: Have you come across anyone having sea-sickness?

E: No. It’s a short ride.

A: Do you feel you need any kind of information while on the ride?

E: Sometimes. There are 2 stops and sometimes it stops at Skeppsholmen and when I want to go to Skeppsholmen I don’t get to know when to get down. Sometimes its just by demand and I don’t know what to do. So I don’t know whether its stopping at Skeppsholmen or is it directly going to Djurgarden. That’s something that I don’t like.

A: Do you look out to know?

E: Ya I usually ask as it’s not that often that I go to Skeppsholmen. When I need to, I look out for the helpers but they are generally not easy to find. They are not that many. It’s a bit of a trouble.

A: I don’t see any lifeguards here. There’s just one driver and everyone else is just traveling.

E: Yes. Exactly.

A: So for this monthly ride, is it like you like to travel with your kids?

E: Yes. It’s something that we like to do as a family. It’s not for work or business. It’s also when we have some visitors staying or with tourists or when we like to spend time with the kids.

A: Do you like to sit inside or does it depend on the crowd and weather?

E: It’s mostly the weather deciding and also you don’t have much space to put the pram outside. So we stay inside when we have the pram with us. It’s also safe inside compared to outside that they don’t climb onto something and fall into the water. I personally, when I’m on my own I prefer to stay on the outside.

A: When I traveled, it was like an empty ferry and I was standing in the front with the water splashing all over.

E: Really? (She was surprised that the ferry could be empty.)

A: Does everyone got to Skansen?

E: Grona lund and Skansen. You can see they are going to Grona lund(As she pointed at 3 young jolly girls). We are more of the modest people going to Skansen. But that’s the 2 main attractions.

A: Other than these, there is the Abba museum.

E: Yes, there’s the Abba museum. People also go walking along the Grona lund. There is the Vasa museum and the Nordiska museet also.

A: On the generally note, people travel by tram or ferry?

E: People take the tram as well. But if people are coming from the south of town, then they prefer to take the ferry.

A: We reached our destination. Thank you so much for your time.

E: Thank you and good luck with your project.