The influence of locative media use in an urban environment on spatial perception and cognition

Locative media utilize actual physical location as an important interaction parameter. Consequently, factors such as the users' spatial abilities and spatial knowledge, usually related to their cognitive maps come into play and may be manifested in the form of map-like representations. This paper extends previous work on the implications of locative media use for spatial perception and cognition by presenting results from a field research that utilized a location-based multi-user communication system in the city of Athens, Greece in order to study the perception of the urban environment and the formulation of spatial cognitive structures as a result of the system's use. The users' spatial representations were assessed by a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods which primarily consisted of questionnaires, focus groups, and sketch mapping, i.e. map-like sketches of the activity area, made by the users themselves after taking part in the activity.