Method: Mapping

Published in

Ocean Industries Concept Lab

6 min readFeb 20, 2020

In this chapter we present the mapping techniques we recommend to use throughout the field study process. We use mapping a lot, as a way to collect data, describe and analyse operational scenarios, and as a support to design reflection.

Example of use of mapping technique: exploring potential design questions before a field study using a GIGA-mapping technique.

Maps are efficient ways to represent a lot of information in a limited space, so they are very useful in the field study process, for example when you need to communicate field insights to a part of the team that has not been with you on the field.

When we work with the study of workplaces and user experiences, we use three main types of mapping, depending on what information we are working with, and how we structure the information:

Layout mapping: a spatial description of a workplace. For example: the position of all the systems present in a work station.
System mapping: the components of a system, and the relations between the components, organised in the form of a network.
Timeline mapping: a sequence of events structured along a timeline. For example: scenario mapping, journey mapping.

In the next paragraphs, we describe the different mapping techniques we use. We have compiled a list of references for further reading at the end of the chapter.

Layout mapping

This is a spatial form of mapping, where the locations of users or systems are represented on a map that indicates their position. This type of mapping is useful when you are familiarising yourself with a new context. We use it as reference map when we want to document visually a space: we take photos of the whole space, of all its details, and then we can index each photo in relation to the map.

Giga-mapping and ZIP analysis

The technique of Giga-mapping was developed by Birger Sevaldson in Norway through his work on Systems Oriented Design. At the Ocean Industries Concept Lab, we use Giga-mapping to explore how systems work, find out what we know and don’t know about the inner workings of the system, and what parts of the systems would benefit from a design intervention.

Giga-mapping is used together with the ZIP analysis technique, which helps isolating specific parts of the map you are building:

Z = Zoom. Used to identify areas or points where you need to do more research.
I = Innovation/intervention. Used to identify ideas or solutions to a problem.
P = Potential. Used to identify areas with potential for improvement.

Example of GIGA Mapping and ZIP analysis with the use of coloured post-its. The pink post-it indicates that the map itself is a zoom on a specific aspect of a larger problem, yellow post-its indicate potential for improvements, and green post-its gather ideas for design interventions to develop.

Journey mapping

This type of mapping is used to represent the experience of a user, from the perspective of the user. It shows what a user does during a specific moment in time, and it is usually structured along a timeline. User journey (or customer journey) mapping is used extensively in service design to switch between how a service is designed, and how it is experienced by its user(s).

We use journey mapping when we focus on the experience of one or several users. I personally like to use it when I plan a field study. I usually start with an interview to map the experience of the user(s) I am dealing with, and I document the interview with a journey map. This type of mapping helps me find out what data from the field might be useful to collect. For example if my map shows the information flow surrounding the user, I can assess quickly what information does the user work with, how it is created/accessed, and what other type of information, or source of information would be useful to collect.

Journey mappings can also combine the “journeys” of several users at the same time. We refer to this type of mapping as “scenario mapping”, and we often use a specific form of scenario mapping that we call “layered-scenario mapping”.

Scenario mapping

We use scenario mapping to describe how an operation takes place. The different phases of an operation are placed along a timeline, and each phase is described using text and visuals. Because we work with a human-centred perspective, the scenario mapping will usually be represented from the perspective of the different users involved in the scenario. The scenario map is used as a basis to document and explore the experiences of these users: what tasks they engage with, what systems they use, how different users work together to execute different tasks, and how it all leads to the execution of the operation.

This type of information is useful when developing new concepts, because it provides a context in which concepts can be tested. When we come back from field studies, our lab walls are usually covered with scenario maps with concept ideas positioned at different steps of the scenario.

Example of scenario mapping on a wall at the Ocean Industries Concept Lab (SEDNA Project).

Layered-Scenario Mapping

A scenario map can contain a lot of information, and to help structuring it, we recommend to use a technique originally developed by Sigrun Lurås called “Layered-scenario mapping”. It is a systemic technique which emphasises presenting information in different layers going from an overview to very detailed information. The technique proposes a structured approach to collecting and presenting data and provides a template for sorting and presenting the data in a layered manner hierarchically, spatially, and temporally.

The layered-scenario map will represent informations organised as rows along the timeline. Typical rows of informations are: a description of what happens at each step of the scenario, who are the users involved at each step, what do the users do at each step, what systems they use, how do they communicate, where they are physically located, the information they need at that step, the function(s) of the system(s) they need, and the critical points.

Layered-scenario maps contain a lot of visual information. For example: colour coding the users, so that their involvement at different steps can be easily spotted; scenario steps that can be grouped together will be also colour coded; all kinds of visual representations of the context and the artefacts the users are engaging with; and a combination of all the above. To make it easier to read, a good part of the map introduces the context of the scenario, a summary of what happens, and introduces the different colour codes.