Contextmapping is just what the name says: making a map of the context (of use). We introduced the term 2003 to signify a type of exploratory and participatory design research which makes use of the expertise of the user and the skills of the designer. And which could be used in practice right away.

With a steadily growing group of MSc, PhD, students,  colleague academics and practitioners have worked on exploring, developing, documenting, and teaching the techniques, in Delft and elsewhere.

For more information, including publications and announcements, see the StudioLab page on Contextmapping work at TU Delft, and the Contextmapping Community page.

My own publications on contextmapping have been joint publications, together with Liz Sanders of MakeTools, Inc, and various research colleagues.