METHODS TO EVALUATE SPATIAL SETTINGS
- February 14th, 2016
- Posted in Research
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These short descriptions of methods to evaluate spatial settings are collected to give designers a quick overview about mehods for empiric research. This entry was first published on the Interior Architecture Research blog of the Lucerne School of Engineering and Architecture (HSLU T&A).
Semantic Differential
What is it?
The semantic differential measurement technique is a form of rating scale that is designed to identify the connotative meaning of objects, words, and concepts. It can be thought of as a sequence of attitude scales. [1]
Figure 1. Example of Semantic Differential measurement (picture taken from allpsych.com).
How does it work?
Semantic distance can be calculated from several answers. For instance, we can assess if the materials look softer or harder under different light sources.
Examples
In the experiment, materials under different lighting situations were evaluated in three semantic differential scales: „soft-hard“, „pleasant-unpleasant“, and „lively-sluggish“. More details on method and results can be found in our article: Influence of lighting conditions on the appearance of typical interior materials. [2]
Atmosphere Metrics
What is it?
Atmosphere Metrics is a questionnaire which allows explicit assessment of environment atmosphere or room atmosphere. Evaluation is based on affective impact of the room on the person. The adjectives in the questionnaire can be assigned to one of four areas: coziness, liveliness, tenseness, and detachment. Adaptation for the German language by Schulz, Reisinger, Gerhäusser, und Jimenez. [3]
How does it work?
The questionnaire consists of 40 (original long version) or 16 (short version) adjectives. Participants cross the answer on 7-point rating scale to indicate the appropriate answer (1 = not applicable at all, 7 = very applicable). Examples
- Coziness: „I find the room cozy “
- Tenseness: „I find the room oppressive“
- Liveliness: „I find the room stimulating“
- Detachment: „I find the room lethargic“
Examples
In a study in the area of retail design [3], atmosphere was measured in parallel with light evaluation, and psychophysiological parameters (heart rate variability). The evaluations of atmosphere had significant effects.
Geneva Emotion Wheel
What is it?
Geneva Emotion Wheel (GEW) [4,5,] is a theoretically derived and empirically tested instrument to measure emotional reactions to objects, events, and situations. The method is easy to understand and apply.
How does it work?
The respondent is asked to indicate the emotion he/she experienced by choosing intensities for a single emotion or a blend of several emotions out of 20 distinct emotion families. The emotion families are arranged in a wheel shape with the axes being defined by two major dimensions of emotional experience: high versus low control/power and positive versus negative valence. Five degrees of intensity are being proposed, represented by circles of different sizes. In addition, “None” (no emotion felt) and “Other” (different emotion felt) options are provided.
Figure 2. Geneva Emotion Wheel.
Examples
GEW can be used in Situations where emotional impact of the space should be measured. For instance, what influence has small spaces of lifts?
Eye tracking
What is it?
Eye Tracking is a method to record eye movements. Head-mounted tools allow recording eye movements in daily situations (i.e., walking, driving, cooking). [6,7]
Figure 3. Head-mounted eye tracker (picture taken from www.eyegaze.com).
How does it work?
Eye movements are recorded with the help of the apparatus – Eye Tracker. Trajectories, viewing time, and other parameters can be saved. The apparatus can follow only the direction or connect this information with scene picture. Eye movements can be captured monocular or binocular.
Examples
In a study by Joos [8] the scenes in the train station were filmed and eye movements were simultaneously recorded by an eye tracker.
References
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