Capturing past experience: the Expert Scan visual mapping process

Abstract

This paper describes and reflects on the development and application of the Expert Scan, a semi–structured visual mapping process, which can be used to record historical interview–based accounts of industrial, organisational and technological change. The process has been applied and refined through 13 interviews with experienced professionals in commercial inkjet in the UK. It has been found to offer significant advantages over the non–visual interview, including improving interviewee engagement and providing opportunities for real–time evaluation. Post–interview, data obtained from the Expert Scan can be synthesised with other scans or used as an input to future–oriented roadmapping activities.