Cards with images and words that help people think about and share true experiences
In a session, participants recall an experience, using the cards to support memories and evoke conversation.
Picture cards stem from activity theory, which asserts, “the human mind is the product of our interaction with people and artifacts in the context of everyday activity.”
Cards are created with images and caption text relevant to the research inquiry, but connected to the personal accounts of participant lives.
Card sets should account for current and future product and service experiences and include blank cards for details that might emerge during sessions.
The method should be used flexibly, adding, subtracting, and editing picture cards in pretesting prior to field use and even between research sessions.
The cards can be used for sorting current products and services used and “sketching” future scenarios, which are laid out as a story unfolds.