Go-along or “moving interviews” - Entorn Urbà i Salut

Through in-depth interviews carried out “in motion” in the daily environment of the person who is interviewed, capture their perceptions, reflections, memories and values linked to elements or aspects of the physical environment that they travel through every day. These elements may be insignificant or invisible for people from outside this environment.

Go-along, or “moving interviews”, take place in the interviewee’s everyday environment.

The interviewer accompanies the interviewee while they conduct the interview, which in turn is fed by the stimuli that appear when they are touring the neighbourhood.

There are different types of go-along: with a predetermined route, on foot, by bicycle and by car, among others. The “natural” modality, in which the interviewee leads the route and determines both the route and its duration, has proven to be the version that has the greatest potential to empower the person and allow the interviewer to access the most everyday aspects of their day-to-day life.

The interview can be recorded and transcribed and then analysed and coded for content analysis, and complemented with photography, route mapping and other similar techniques.

Unlike other qualitative techniques such as participant observation or interviewing, the “moving interview” or go-along has the potential to access some of the significant, reflective aspects of the experience lived in situ.

It is suitable for areas that are undervalued or unconsolidated and subject to future transformations, as it can shed light on elements or aspects of the environment that are apparently conventional or even insignificant but are nevertheless valued by the local population that travels through it daily.

It allows a sensitive approach to place and its meaning, revealing people’s links with place, and with the potential to include or respect these aspects for the design of future transformations.

As it is a qualitative technique, it is well complemented by the use of quantitative techniques (e.g. surveys) and the use of quantitative indicators.