Description Long

Cognitive maps come in many forms, but by their very nature, they are most effectively used as mental representations of three-dimensional space. For this reason, they are applied in areas such as the planning and design of exhibition spaces, immersive brand environments, and tourist facilities. People tend to find it easier to orient themselves using prominent axes, landmarks, or other spatial cues. Rather than relying on a multitude of signposts, brief and clear messages are often sufficient to generate an internal image.

Cognitive mapping can also be used to explore, in dialogue with participants, the meanings they assign to particular terms and how these concepts relate to one another. In this sense, a cognitive map offers a simplified mental representation of our often complex reality. Crucially, depending on our socialisation, values, and individual needs, we often construct very different versions of reality – which can be made visible through spatial representation. Cognitive maps can therefore also help to clarify misunderstandings.

Preparation

• Provide materials such as large sheets of paper, markers, rulers, and adhesive tape.
• Prepare example cards to offer participants a point of reference.
• Participants are given a topic to work on.

To explore, for instance, the expectations of future users of a product, the cards can be created individually. Alternatively, the self-image of groups within an organisation can be visualised by having each team create a map.

Execution

1. Participants create geographical representations of a given topic, for example by drawing boundaries, pathways, or landmarks.
2. The maps are then discussed in order to identify similarities, differences, and new perspectives. This process can reveal simplifications, distortions, shared elements, and more. Where do new paths emerge? Where are the boundaries, the hotspots, and the points of interest or curiosity?

Hints from experience

• Participants should be encouraged to create a genuinely two- or three-dimensional geographical equivalent. The size of territories, the placement of boundaries, and the creation of connections – such as roads or rivers – can reveal a great deal. These elements offer insights into emotional landscapes, routines, and hierarchies.
• Attention should also be paid to how participants approach the sketch and how it takes shape throughout the process.

Tools list

• Paper, big, flipchart

References

Author: Thomas Duschlbauer; Title: Der Querdenker: Das Toolkit mit 30 ausgewählten Methoden (German); ISBN: 9783907100639