Walking and Talking
19th July 2023
Sebastian Prost led the research team for this community-based work, building on his previous experience working with Meadow Well Connected in Newcastle.
This research paper explores the value walking with people, around their neighbourhoods, while conducting an interview, to gather insights about their neighbourhoods and communities, from their point of view. The method Sebastian devised uses a prototype app, co-created with researcher Gavin Wood, called WalkYourWords, which allows people to add data to their story, as they walk. Users can take photos in any place and then tag the photos with three words to describe their feelings about the thing they photographed.
Putting these rich data sets together, GPS, photos, words, and interviews, allowed Sebastian and the team to make meaningful insights into the various, unofficial, and personal ways spaces and places are seen by the people who live in them.