Assessing Photovoice in Architectural Research: A Methodological Review

Trias Megayanti, Indah Widiastuti

Abstract


Architectural research has emphasized the lived experiences and perspectives of space users. Photovoice has emerged as a participatory visual method that positions users as producers and interpreter data. This article examines of its role, advantages, limitations, and effectiveness of Photovoice in architectural research through a methodological literature review. Scholarly studies published between 2010 and 2025 were reviewed to identify how photovoice has been applied. The analysis focuses on participant involvement, visual data collection and interpretation, ethical considerations, and the integration of Photovoice with qualitative and mixed-method approaches. The review indicates that photovoice can generate contextual, affective, and experiential knowledge that is difficult to capture through conventional methods. However, its effectiveness depends on how participant involvement, ethical considerations, analytical procedures, and researcher reflexivity. Photovoice is most productive when photographs are treated not as objective forms of spatial knowledge. The study positions photovoice as a complementary methodological approach in architectural research, particularly for understanding lived spatial experiences and strengthening user-oriented and participatory architectural research.

Keywords


architectural research, participatory methods, photo voice, spatial knowledge, visual methods

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/jare.v8i2.105640

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