Visual Elicitation Metaphor Analysis — VEMA / ZMET

Visual Elicitation Metaphor Analysis (VEMA) is a qualitative technique in which participants select or create images that represent their thoughts, feelings, or experiences about a topic, and then articulate the metaphors embedded in those images during a guided interview. Originally formalised as the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) by Gerald Zaltman in 1995, the approach rests on the premise that most human thought is nonverbal and structured through metaphor, making images a more direct gateway to deep mental models than verbal questioning alone.