Compare where to place a bench in a small courtyard

Sit at each spot at the time the courtyard is busiest. Keep track of what you can see, where the shade falls and how easily a second person passes.

Trial a movable bench facing a planter along one public courtyard edge. End with one practical observation based on the route as used and one point to check again. Include enough scale in the sketch for the reader to judge whether the feature affects a whole block or a narrow section. Take a comparison photograph only where you can stand without obstructing other people.

A pleasing outlook can coincide with a narrow point when passers-by walk around seated people. A route can have one clear approach and another that gives a substantially different view. Draw one arrow for each plausible direction and put the landmarks beside the arrow they serve. This helps another person recognise which parts of your observation apply when they approach from somewhere else.

Stand and turn as you normally would. Look for doors or narrow corners that become awkward when someone else occupies the seat.

A chair leg may sit in the route used by someone approaching from a doorway. Give the observation an approximate extent. A short line can show the interruption of one paving joint, while a wider area may require several notes. Prepare a rough scale from a known object or a measured distance on a safe part of the route if estimating by eye leaves too much uncertainty.

Shift the seat closer to a fixed wall and repeat the departure test. Give each observation a reference point easy to find from a public route. A visible doorway, a junction or a fixed seat can be more useful than a vague estimate. Write down where you stood and which way you faced so another visit gives you a comparable view.

Record both the view and the free path during an ordinary busy period. Look back along the route after passing the point you intend to describe. Signs, shadows and obstacles can be clearer from a direction opposite to the one you first chose. Record which viewpoint revealed the detail and keep the earlier view if it explains why a visitor would initially miss it.

Bring only the information you can record without disrupting the route. A rough sketch and an image taken from a clear public position can preserve different details. Add the time, direction and landmark as soon as you finish the observation so anyone using the record can connect a feature to its place. Use the next visit to answer a specific question from the first one. Record how the observation itself changed alongside what was different about the site. Two visits taken at different hours can reveal something helpful about use, even when they are too different to support a direct comparison of the layout or surface. Draw the space swept by knees or a walking aid near the end of the bench. That can be more useful than measuring the seat alone. Keep the short-term conditions with the permanent features. Weather, an event and doors opening during a busy period can affect what you notice. A separate time note lets you compare layout and use even when the two visits feel very different on arrival.

Mark the preferred position with a sketch of both the view and the clear space around it. Observe from the position a visitor can realistically reach, including any place where two routes meet. If a busy area makes close observation inconvenient, stand farther away and note the limits of what you can judge. A clear field record includes both the useful comparison and the parts of the space you could not inspect.