[8] Research study participants are usually asked to collect a set of pictures that represent their thoughts and feelings about the topic of interest.
[6] The pictures that participants collect are important non-literal devices for uncovering deeply held, often unconscious, thoughts and feelings.
The goal of the ZMET interviews and analysis is to uncover the relevant fundamental structures that guide people’s thinking about a topic.
These deep structures are unconscious, basic orienting frames of human thought that affect how people process and react to information or a stimulus.
The architectural firm Astorino translated this into a "Transformation Corridor" that connects the main parking garage to the central lobby.
[6] ZMET has been used in academic and not-for-profit environments to study a range of topics including perceptions of climate change,[12] the experience of attending a county fair, mountain biking,[13] how women recover from substance abuse,[14] the relationship between video game players and their avatars,[15] how Americans were dealing with the economic crisis,[16] and the value of an insight in the workplace.