Two Points | How does the shopping environment effect the shopping experience?
An exploration of the shopping experience through ethnographical mapping of two points
LCC, GMD, 2017
Brief This brief asked me to document the findings between two points. The points I chose were both in Brixton. One was an express supermarket and the other was an outdoor market street: Electric Avenue. Research I followed individuals on their shopping journeys, recording sounds and voices whilst noting down where they were walking and what they were buying and looking at.
Development I found that the conversations I was overhearing in each locations were very different. The ones inside the supermarket were more chaotic, fatigued parents wanting to get their children out without buying too many sweets, couples arguing about what to cook for dinner and staff members discussing the next task in the busy store. The outdoor street felt a lot more care free to be in, the shoppers were taking their time choosing vegetables and fruit and a lot of them were with friends whilst doing their shopping. The main point I noted through research, was that there was an element of human interaction lacking from the supermarkets. It was only the self-service machines asking if users could ‘remove the last item from the bagging area.’ Compared to the friendly interactions of the outdoor market vendors who would be asking if the customers ‘for a pound please love.’
Final Outcome My findings resulted in myself creating two maps, one for each location. These were to show the conversations overheard by myself, screen printed over the other layers which were taken from my sketchbooks. The screen printed A1 maps were created using scale, so the supermarket was smaller than the shopping street. The way the maps were folded mimicked the feelings one would get if shopping in each environment.
