Journeying Through Sense of Place with Mental Maps: Characterizing Changing Spatial Understanding and Sense of Place During Migration for Work

Millions of people move for work yearly, but this labor migration risks social and cultural challenges, hindering migrants' integration into new communities. Software tools could support this transition, but the design space around, and the mechanisms behind, how individuals develop spatial understanding and 'sense of place' is unclear. In our study, we leverage mental maps to explore migrants' 'sense of place'. We conduct a mixed- methods study with 12 participants, spanning two sessions - one before and one after their relocation, totaling 24 data sessions. We discover that post-relocation, mental maps not only widen coverage and generalization but also decrease in cartographic complexity and accuracy, reflecting a nuanced blend of personal narratives and spatial awareness. We also find that strategies for rebuilding and reshaping 'sense of place' span a complex set of dimensions spanning personal, social and environmental challenges, post-move. Our findings lay the groundwork, and underscore the need, for 'platial' (versus spatial) understanding and tools to rebuild sense of place, and foster better community cohesion. We highlight design opportunities for creating tools, especially those capturing personal nuances, to help migrants reestablish themselves and their sense of place.