Soundscape experience activities and mapping

This paper presents Soundscape Experience Activities and Mapping (SEAM), a new method for exploring how older adults perceive and relate to their indoor acoustic environments. With global ageing, populations are increasingly choosing to age in place, creating opportunities to enhance older life through the intentional design of supportive home soundscapes. Through a mixed-method approach combining Ecological Momentary Assessment with Cultural Probe methods, we engaged eight older adults (age 56-76) in Belgium to document their domestic soundscape experiences. Reflexive thematic analysis constructed four patterns of meaning: personal agency in shaping acoustic environments, temporal routines structured by sound, sound-memory associations fostering place attachment, and social presence through acoustic monitoring. Within this study context, sounds functioned as spatiotemporal anchors, structuring daily routines while fostering place attachment through memory. This exploratory design research offers situated insights for soundscape interventions that support independence, while highlighting methodological considerations for situated soundscape research.