006 Behavioral Mapping

Systematic visual documentation of location-based human activity

• This is used to document observable human activities and personal characteristics, interactions, time spent at fixed locations or in transit, and details of environmental context.

• A sketch map or architectural floor plan is used as the underlay for recording observations.

• Place-centered mapping is based on observations of all people and their interactions at a specific location.

• Individual-centered mapping follows the travel and activities of specific individuals over time and location, documenting their social behaviors and interactions.

• While typically completed in real time, mapping can involve time-lapse photography or video.

• Interviews or debriefing conversations with participants help to understand more about mapped behaviors.

• In retrospective mapping, individuals chart their own paths and behaviors on a floor plan or map, revealing their motivations for actions.

See also   Fly-on-the-Wall Observation • Shadowing • Unobtrusive Measures

Courtesy of Sarah Calandro © 2011

Behavioral mapping of consumer routes in a grocery store are combined with shadowing observations and conversation to establish a picture of shopping patterns.