Tracklines: Final Design Treatment 2006/07 A Banff New Media Institute / ART Mobile Lab project in collaboration with the Mobile Digital Commons

Network (MDCN), supported by Canadian Culture Online (CCO)

Tracklines Project History

Tracklines is a location-based storytelling experience (ie, mediascape) designed to be delivered on

wilderness trails in Banff National Park using GPS-enabled mobile phones. Tracklines is also software

application created with the Mobile Experience Engine (MEE) locative media platform developed by the

Mobile Digital Commons Network (MDCN), 2005-2007.

The Tracklines project was funded in its first year of development by Canadian Culture Online as part of

the Mobile Digital Commons Network, Phase II grant allocated under the New Media Research Networks

Fund. As part of this grant, the project fulfills the 2006/07 Global Heart Rate deliverable defined as:

“Complete one installation of a mobile experience in Banff National Park”.

An initial draft treatment for Tracklines was developed by Angus Leech on behalf of the MDCN in June,

2005, with significant contribution of ideas (particularly in the area of information visualization) by then-

MDCN designer Greg Judelman. This core idea was later developed by Angus Leech into a full conceptual

treatment in Spring, 2006. The concept was then produced by the Banff New Media Institute / ART

Mobile Lab design and engineering team between Summer 2006 and February, 2007 using a rapid

prototyping approach that included frequent technical testing in the field to ensure the stability of the

application and troubleshoot unexpected challenges, as well as a rigorous program of user testing. This

iterative design process resulted in a fully-functional Beta prototype finalized in March, 2007.

Significantly, during Summer 2006 the BNMI entered into a

special partnership with the Banff EcoIntegrity Project (BEP),

an initiative of Banff National Park / Parks Canada, in order to

collaborate on one “layer” of locative content for Tracklines.

That summer, the BEP hired a Content Writer (an experienced

Park naturalist) to join the BNMI design team and co-author

the narrative script for what would eventually become

“GEOLOGY: A Walk Through Time”. During the subsequent Fall

and Winter periods, the BNMI team developed this script into

a full multimedia experience design for GPS-enabled mobile

phones, and built Tracklines as a working prototype

application using the Mobile Experience Engine (Java2ME /

Nokia version) co-developed across the MDCN.

In Fall 2006, the BNMI team also collaborated with researchers from across the MDCN (notably the

Evaluation Mobility Useability (EMU) group from Concordia, and OCAD’s Paula Gardner) to develop a

series of user integration research protocols, and to conduct a series of rigorous evaluation field tests

with volunteer public participants. This research aimed to integrate potential members of the Tracklines

audience into the design process. Field tests used participant observation and other ethnographic

strategies to evaluate early iterations of the Tracklines prototype for useability, design integrity,

audience receptivity, and overall appropriateness with respect to audience and location contexts. Data

from these public field trials was used to improve the design of Tracklines in subsequent iterations, and

proved invaluable.

In March 2007, production was completed on a final Beta version of Tracklines. This prototype

represents:

A widely field-tested and technically stable software application.

An experience design template that has proven effective on the Hoodoo Trail through technical

and audience testing.

One fully completed content “layer” entitled “Geology: A Walk Through Time”.

An extendable architecture that will, upon future development, permit the addition of

expanded interactive functionality to the existing experience template, and also allow Tracklines

to house multiple content experiences or “layers”, accommodating different story genres

and/or walking locations.

A locative experience which has been thought through from start to finish with respect to the

target user’s experience.

Broadly speaking, as a research initiative, Tracklines represents a locative design experiment that, over

the 2006/07 term, has served to generate a significant body of knowledge in the field of mobility

research. The project has functioned to:

Drive technical development/rapid prototyping of the MEE locative software in directions

appropriate to trail-based activities and applications.

Generate significant audience research data concerning the potential of locative media in

National Parks and other outdoor/wilderness/cultural/heritage environments.

Generate significant design insight in the area of wilderness-based locative media, particularly in

terms of experience design, sound, graphics, interface design, information visualization,

location-based narrative, and sustainable design practice.

Explore system cognition issues as they pertain to trail-based media experiences.

Expose cultural practitioners such as media artists, designers, and teachers (via live

demonstrations and design workshops) to a functional prototype that reveals the potential of

locative media experience delivered in remote locations, and demonstrates the capacities of

the MEE as a locative design platform.

Project Synopsis: A Path of Stories Tracklines is a trail-based mobile media

installation; an information-rich guided

interpretive strategy in which hikers

employ GPS-enabled smart phones to

navigate a landscape seeded with

location-based stories related to local

environmental contexts. Tracklines is

not a game, per se. Instead, it is more

closely related to a museum audio tour

or sound walk, and as such the project

falls more properly within the

emerging genre known as the

“mediascape”. Think of it as a kind of

"walkumentary" combining elements

of traditional documentary, land-based oral storytelling, and trail-guiding with new trends in mobile

digital media delivery. A stroll of imagination in which single users or groups (2-3 maximum per phone)

explore Banff trails through an open-ended, non-linear mode of geo-cached information access.

The objective of Tracklines is very simple: take a walk, enjoy the hike, and find a number of location-

based stories and media hotspots scattered along the trail. In addition to its obvious entertainment

value, Tracklines is conceived as a learning experience that will open doors of perception concerning

select aspects of natural and cultural history, location-based narrative, and other topics appropriate to

the augmented experience of place. Tracklines also acknowledges that location-aware technologies may

present an opportunity to explore the very old relationships between landscape and memory,

storytelling and sound, in exciting new ways.

Often, knowledge and observation of human and natural history is

the principle take-home experience sought by visitors to Banff

National Park, while a sense of having bonded with either the

mountain environment or its people in a meaningful way can prove

the most elusive. As a self-directed guided experience, Tracklines

addresses these issues by creating an opportunity for hikers to

physically immerse themselves in alpine environments while

accessing place-based stories about subjects of interest. In this way,

it is hoped that users will interact more intimately with the living

landscape of Banff, perhaps achieving a heightened "sense of

place" through narrative engagement - perhaps even a longer

lasting sense of participation, dialogue, and exchange with wild

places. Ideally, visitors will also return home with a greater sense of

the place where nature, culture, and technology intersect.

Technology: Next Generation and Context-Aware

The Tracklines project utilizes

mobile phones (Nokia N70),

Bluetooth-enabled global

positioning systems (GPS), and

a software application created

with the Mobile Experience

Engine (MEE) locative media

platform.

Smart phones represent the

next generation of widely

adopted mobile devices, and

the Tracklines project seeks

novel ways to extend the

capabilities of mobile phones

toward new contexts of use,

particularly wilderness areas.

Meanwhile, locative media requires location-aware technology, and at present the only locative

technology feasible for use in Banff National Park is GPS. However, most models of mobile phone do not

incorporate reliable built-in GPS functionality. Thus, Tracklines utilizes small external GPS units which

connect to the mobile phone via Bluetooth wireless. GPS technology is used to detect location-based

"hotspots" (sometimes referred to herein as “story points” or locative “regions”). When a hiker enters

or exits a hotspot, their GPS unit will automatically take notice and communicate with the mobile

phone, triggering media content or interaction scenarios as defined by the Tracklines application.

The Mobile Experience Engine (MEE) was designed and developed by MDCN engineers in 2005-2007. It

is a software development platform for creating advanced context-aware applications and media-rich

experiences for mobile devices. This unique platform enables mobile experiences to be rapidly

prototyped for a high quality, stable end

product. The MEE is specifically designed for

creating location-based and context-aware

experiences using GPS, Bluetooth, and other peer-

to-peer platforms. For more information on the

MEE and ongoing efforts to open source the

software, visit www.open-mee.org .

Target Audience: For Those About to Walk Broadly speaking, the Tracklines project is directed at an all-ages audience comprised of both locals and

visitors to Banff National Park who share a common interest in hiking – and in having their trail-walking

experience “enhanced” via locative media storytelling. This potential audience is demographically

diverse, ranging from adult tourists seeking basic natural history information, to families seeking content

of interest to their children, to locals who “know it all” and are looking for something fresh and diverse

that reflects or expands their more nuanced perspective.

Obviously, no single content experience will satisfy all of

these interest groups equally, so Tracklines puts forward

a very simple and accessible interactive design

“template” capable of accommodating multimedia

content of multiple genres. The template can be filled

with whatever stories, information, or media are deemed

appropriate to any chosen place and target audience:

that is, the design is adaptable to multiple communities,

interests, and also locations. In fact, by using the “Layer

Selector” function of Tracklines (explained below), hikers

on a pathway can even switch on-the-fly between

different guided walks mapped to the same trail system,

selecting whichever genre of content seems most

interesting and appealing. Potentially, there’s something

here for everyone – the primary limitations being the

phone’s built-in media storage capacity, and the

designer’s narrative imagination.

Topography: The Hoodoo Trail Although Tracklines is designed to be adaptable to almost any system of trails, content development so

far has focused exclusively on the Bow Valley / Hoodoo Trail in Banff National Park. (Hereafter referred

to simply as the Hoodoo Trail.) The reasons for this are multiple: The Hoodoo Trail is situated right next

door to The Banff Centre, home of the BNMI’s ART Mobile Lab, and is therefore extremely convenient

and accessible as a locative media test site. The trail is also one of the most popular day-hikes in the

vicinity of Banff townsite, and is frequented by both locals and first-time visitors to the Park. It is thus an

ideal spot to conduct public field trials and audience research. Located within easy walking distance of

downtown, the Hoodoo Trail has two easily accessible trailhead access points – one near the Banff

Centre, and one near the Tunnel Mountain campground and Hoodoos on the outskirts of Banff. The trail

itself is an easy hike, and accessible year-round to hikers of all levels – yet it is also very beautiful,

featuring a broad variety of terrain and habitat (from forest to open meadows to green glacial streams),

frequent encounters with wildlife of all kinds, and spectacular views of the surrounding Rockies.

As a site for locative media installations, the Hoodoo Trail also has some interesting geographic

properties that make it unique. At 4-5 km from end to end, its scale is ideal for certain types of locative

experience - not too long and not too short. The pathway features occasional branches linked to a

central trunk trail, yet is bounded closely on one side by Tunnel Mountain and the steep banks of the

Bow Valley, and on the other side by the Bow River. Thus, the valley naturally “funnels” hikers along a

small corridor in which it is nearly impossible to lose one’s way. There are plenty of natural stopping

points and viewpoints which lend the path a kind of ideal “architecture” containing many obvious nodes

for situated locative experience. Overall, because of how all of these properties work together to define

its character, the Hoodoo Trail provides an appropriate testing ground for many different kinds of

locative media experience - from storytelling, to scavenger hunts, to orienteering and adventure. There

is also a unique “feeling” to be experienced in this place – despite the trail’s close proximity to town, and

its location directly across the river

from the busy Banff Springs golf

course, the area feels remarkably

wild and isolated, and walking here

feels like a genuine escape. Because

both trailheads begin at high points

on the trail and then descend into

the forested valley, this sense of

getting away from it all is perhaps

accentuated, as though one were

travelling but a short distance

downward into another, semi-

mythical world in which narrative

experience and time-travel to other

eras or dimensions may seem

entirely possible.

Interactive Design Summary 1: Start-Up Phase and Layer Selector (non-locative) The Tracklines application is comprised of two distinct “phases” – the

“Start-Up Phase”, whose functions are not location-specific, and the

“Locative Phase”. We’ll begin the present design discussion by describing

the Start-Up Phase.

Tracklines has been designed primarily with simplicity and useability in

mind. In support of this, the application is set up to automatically start

when a hiker powers up their mobile phone. Soon after the phone is

started, the hiker will briefly see a loading screen, and then the Tracklines

application will default to its “home screen”, the Layer Selector.

As mentioned above, Tracklines represents a simple locative interaction “template” capable of

accommodating multimedia content of multiple genres. This template can be filled with any stories,

information, rich media, or MEE interactive scenarios that suit its general architecture and are deemed

appropriate. Tracklines content is organized according to a “layer” concept. That is, hikers on any

particular trail are given the option of using the Layer Selector menu to choose between a number of

possible thematic hikes set up for that locale – for example, the choices might include a guided geology

walk, a wildlife walk, a nighttime

ghost story hike, a “walking

poem”, or a fanciful storytelling

walk aimed at families with

children. Each thematic hike is

conceptualized as a different

layer of locative media content

superimposed like invisible

stratigraphy on the same

geographic space – in this case,

the Hoodoo Trail landscape.

Every individual hike layer

contains its own distinct number

of hotspots, distributed in

unique locations. Each layer can

be set up to access not only

different narrative content, but

its own unique combination of

interactive options as well.

As previously mentioned, hikers

choose between different content

layers using the Layer Selector,

which is essentially a graphic menu

controlled using the mobile

phone’s joystick. Users toggle the

joystick to highlight different

thumbnail images on a simple belt-

style menu – each thumbnail

represents a different content

layer and is accompanied by a

simple title or text description.

Once a person or group uses the centre joystick button to select a layer of

content that suites their interests and tastes, the action first triggers an

introductory movie (essentially a pre-hike tutorial designed to introduce the

layer’s narrative theme, and convey any special instructions not included in

accompanying flyers or maps), then starts the Locative Phase of the experience

by loading a specific bundle of locative hotspot content to be discovered on the

trail. (Note: hikers also have the option to skip the Intro movie if they wish.)

The Layer Selector will initially be used by hikers mustering at the trailhead to choose an appropriate

thematic hike, but because this menu is not location-dependent, it can also be used by hikers already on

the path to shift “on-the-fly” between different layers of content. For example, imagine a family who

has begun to explore the Geology hike, but then realizes that its content is of limited interest to their

seven-year old. That family may choose to immediately switch to a more appropriate option – for

example, a wildlife walk or children’s adventure story. Shifting gears is easy – the Layer Selector is

always immediately accessible to hikers simply by pressing the zero (0) key on the mobile phone’s

keypad. A new layer can then be selected, or pressing the pound (#) key will return the hiker back to

where they were in the previous content layer, without having to watch the movie again.

Though the Tracklines Layer Selector feature is fully functional, to date only the content layer “Geology:

A Walk Through Time” has been fully scripted and produced as a content experience. This thematic hike

was created for Banff’s Hoodoo Trail through a special exploratory partnership with Banff National Park.

Interactive Design Summary 2: How the Locative Phase of the Experience Works

Non-linear Narrativity: As a locative

storytelling experience, Tracklines

represents a kind of sound-based

navigational guide inviting hikers to

explore the landscape according to the

rhythm of their own curiosity, by moving

from story to story in a fluid, non-linear, and interactive way. The narrative arc of the hiker's experience

is shaped primarily by the individual stories themselves, and by the unique pathway that the hiker

follows while traveling from point to point along the trail.

Wowee, it’s a MAUI: As a locative media experience, Tracklines' content essentially forms an invisible

layer of information mapped overtop the real physical landscape. Each available story is associated with

a specific GPS map coordinate, referred to here as a "story point" or “hotspot”. The hiker finds this

content while walking the trail by using their phone and Bluetooth GPS unit to access a subtle “Minimal

Attention User Interface”, or MAUI, which guides the hiker to story points using location-based feedback

(or “geo-feedback”) provided by ambient media signals emitted by their phone speakers and screen.

Stated more simply, the hiker finds their way from one story-point to the next by "listening" to ambient

sound and visual clues that inform them whether they are getting "warmer" or "colder" with respect to

a given story point as they

walk. Moving closer or

farther away from a story

point will trigger changes in

the quality or intensity of

ambient sounds playing

through the mobile phone’s

speaker - sounds sensed

peripherally by the user while

they are engaged in other

sorts of activities that require

their undivided visual

attention, such as hiking or

watching for wildlife.

Sixth Sense Navigation: As experience designers, our challenge is to provide hikers

- our Hansels and Gretels, as it were - with a reliable trail of breadcrumbs to follow

through the forest as they search for story points. Tracklines proposes a system in

which these breadcrumbs manifest as fields of sound clues mapped to the physical

landscape and triggered by GPS proximity. It may be helpful to imagine the outdoor

terrain as having been inundated by an imaginary and responsive musical fluid of

different densities trapped inside the shapes of mapped polygons or “regions”.

Walking physically through the fluid, crossing the edges of boundaries into areas of

different density, causes the soundscape, or "score", to change. Hikers interpret these changes in sound

as indicators of their proximity to the story points (eg, "It’s getting louder, so I must be getting

warmer...") and find their way accordingly.

Locative technology in this interaction model is used primarily in an orienteering capacity, and works

unobtrusively alongside the user's five senses by effectively adding a "sixth sense" or "story sense". The

intention has been to create a phone-based guided experience that is "augmentative" rather than

"immersive"; one that avoids distracting the user's attention from his or her natural surroundings, and

instead creates an intuitive navigational tool that is phenomenologically integrated with the user's full

range of outward senses while exploring trail environments. Audio feedback here essentially provides a

form of "eyes-free" interface in which users do not ultimately need to look at a digital screen to access a

map or other navigation tool - if desired, destination story

points may be located solely on the basis of ambient sound

clues. (In the future, tactile feedback in the form of phone

vibration may contribute to this eyes-free system as well.)

This "sound-tracking" experience, pleasurable in its own

right, is also subtly integrated as a component of Tracklines'

narrative structure. In a sense, these soundscapes

themselves implicitly embody a narrative. Like the storied

“songlines” or “dreaming tracks” of Aboriginal Australia, they

represent an auditory mnemonic tied to the land as visual

mnemonic - a sequence of interactive audio clues which

users follow in order to "remember" where the story points

are located, and thereby find their "way through" the

landscape and the stories. In a sense, the user "becomes" the

song, the story, and ultimately the place as they navigate an

open-ended narrative defined by a collection of story points.

Non-Visual Tactics: As the above description suggests, Tracklines intentionally under-emphasizes

graphic screen-based content while elevating the role of audio as a form of ambient information display,

interface, and evocative agent. The importance of re-thinking the kinds of image-focused interaction so

typical of other forms of digital media is obvious in outdoor trail-based situations in which, for reasons

of both safety and enjoyment, hikers are compelled to resist immersion in visual displays and virtual

interactivity, and keep their eyes and hands free to do other things.

In order to further reinforce this non-visual imperative,

Tracklines hikers are provided with an armband to carry

their GPS unit, as well as a mobile phone carrying case with

a handy belt clip. These accessories allow hikers to fasten

mobile devices to their clothing and then forget about them

(until their phones broadcast a signal which alerts the hiker

that a story point has been reached – see below).

Graphic Reinforcement: While it remains intentionally minimal, there is in fact a significant visual

component to the Tracklines MAUI, consisting of subtle graphic images which “grow” on the hiker’s

phone as they approach a story point, providing extra visual reinforcement for people who are less

comfortable with using sound alone to navigate, or who are otherwise more visually oriented. In

essence this represents a subtle form of location-based information-visualization, and has proven to be

an interesting avenue for research and exploration.

Music of the Spheres: As the accompanying diagrams show, story point hotspots consist of spherical

GPS locative regions defined by a series of nested concentric circles (usually three rings of consistently

increasing radius, but story

points can in fact be

programmed to have any

number of rings, of any

diameter). Entering the

perimeter of each region will

cause a different suite of

media to play on the mobile

phone. Typically, the outer

donut-shaped rings contain

ambient audio and visual

content only, while the inner

disc-shaped region represents

the central story point

containing graphic menus,

storytelling content and - in

future iterations of Tracklines

- possible activities, mini-

games, guidebook content,

and other interactive options.

(See: Expandable Story Points)

Once the hiker enters the central story point region, a “hook” sound

plays to attract their attention and gently alert them that they have

found something interesting - a new story – and should look at their

phone. At this stage, the screen image on the phone resolves fluidly

into a simple graphic menu that presents the hiker with a choice:

either stop and listen to a location-based story, or simply move on.

Choosing “Play Story” will allow the hiker to access story point

content, and in the future may also serve as a portal allowing them

to engage in deeper screen-based interactivity. (See below for a Use

Case Example which explains more fully how story point content is

experienced in the present Tracklines iteration.)

Loaded Breadcrumbs: When Theory Confronts Reality

The Tracklines MAUI described above has been proven to work very well in public demonstrations and field

trials – but its confirmation only goes so far. To date, the tactic has been used primarily on linear trail systems

where hikers are naturally directed along a narrow pathway, as opposed to through open areas such as fields

or meadows. Implementation of Tracklines in real trail environments has in fact shown that, unless hikers are

specifically instructed to go looking for hidden content off-trail, the navigational aspects of this “treasure

hunt” for story points works best if the central regions of the hotspots are placed along the pathway in

“bottlenecks” or other locations where they “can’t be missed”. Story points situated entirely off-trail, or

which have only their outer rings overlapping the pathway, have been almost universally overlooked by

hikers, who have apparently either failed to realize that they were actually meant to be “following” ambient

sound clues, or else assumed that all findable content would be located on the main pathway. Even

presented with obvious clues (such as audio signals that gradually build but then fade away again as hikers

brush the edges of spherical hotspot rings and then pass them by ), participants tested in field trials have

rarely concluded that they may be missing something, or headed off-trail to search for content. This may

reveal both core trail-use patterns and behaviours among hikers, as well as some probable limitations to the

MAUI strategy as articulated in this treatment. Nevertheless, it also serves to highlight the somewhat

nuanced and always interesting character of MAUI research.

For more information about MAUIs, see: SIMON HOLLAND & DAVID R. MORSE, “Audio GPS: spatial audio in a

minimal attention interface”, Computing Department, The Open University, United Kingdom. Available at:

http://www.cis.strath.ac.uk/~mdd/mobilehci01/procs/holland_cr.pdf

Use Case Example: Walking the Walk

The following is a step-by-step explanation of how the Tracklines experience works from the point of

view of the end user:

Hikers start the experience at the trailhead with a

mobile phone, Bluetooth GPS unit, and a velcro strap.

The hiker also has a pamphlet containing simple

tutorial instructions (how to use phone controls, etc.)

plus a basic map of the trail area and how to get to it

(for each available content layer, the map indicates a

“zone” along the trail within which the hotspots for

that layer are located – however, in most cases the

map will not show exactly where the individual

hotspots are, as part of the fun is finding them). The

GPS unit is attached to the hiker’s arm, backpack, or

another suitable location using the velcro strap, and turned on to attain GPS lock. The phone is either

held in the hiker’s hand or attached to a piece of clothing using the clip on the phone’s carrying case.

Once GPS lock is attained, the hiker turns on the mobile phone. The Tracklines

application automatically starts when the phone is powered up, begins

communicating with the GPS device, and after a brief loading delay, the hiker

will see the Layer Selector screen appear. The hiker then uses the phone

joystick to toggle the Layer Selector menu and select the desired walk from the

available content options.

Once a content layer is chosen, a short Introduction movie loads and then plays

on the phone’s screen. This prelude animation serves to orient the hiker by

introducing the content layer’s narrative and delivering basic system cognition

details and other important information (What is this walk about? How long

will it take? Where do I attach the GPS unit?). Once the movie is finished, the

user is prompted by a screen menu to either replay the movie or start hiking. If

they choose the latter, the screen defaults to a simple trail map or other

“placeholder” image that is ever-present throughout the hike whenever the

hiker is not within a locative hotspot region.

Note that hikers can actually begin a Tracklines layer from any location along the trail using the Layer

Selector. They do not generally have to be situated at the trailhead to watch the Introduction or begin

the experience. In fact, in the case of Banff’s Hoodoo Trail, there are actually two trailhead access

points, one at either end of the pathway, which have to be accommodated by the design. For this

reason and many others, story points for “Geology: A Walk Through Time” have been intentionally

scripted so they may be experienced in any order without disrupting the narrative integrity experience.

However, in the future some layers of storytelling content may be designed to be more “linear” than the

Geology walk, and may require hikers to start at a particular trail location so that content hotspots will

be experienced in the appropriate order.

Once the hiker starts walking down the path toward the content

“zone”, the location-aware phase of the experience has begun –

thanks to their GPS unit, the hiker will now be able to access

hotspot content when it is encountered on the trail. At this

point, they needn't stare at their mobile phone's screen display

at all - in fact, they can clip the phone to their belt, or even stow

it in a pocket - because the navigational signals for Tracklines

are delivered primarily in the form of ambient audio.

The trail is, of course, peppered with "story points" where the

hiker will be prompted to enjoy the view and listen to a

narrative related to the area. First-time Tracklines users will not

initially know where these hotspots are located - however, at

least some of these story points will be located on areas of

the trail where they “can’t be missed” by hikers, as long as they

remain on the main pathway. (Other story points may be

hidden in more out of the way areas, like” easter eggs” waiting

for more curious and adventuresome hikers.)

When a hiker, trundling down the trail, eventually brushes the

edge of a story point (ie, enters a spherical perimeter typically

30 metres in radius from the central story point coordinate)

they begin to receive a series of gentle auditory signals. For

example, if on a wildlife walk, they might hear a quiet vocal call

or other sequence of sounds associated with the wildlife

species highlighted at the upcoming story point. As the player

continues to "sniff the trail", gradually approaching the story

point, the animal calls get louder and more urgent (likewise,

the sounds grow fainter again and eventually disappear if the

player moves away). Should the hiker take the opportunity to

glance at their phone, they will now also see an ambient visual

cue - perhaps an abstract graphic (eg, a partially-drawn image of the animal) or something more

obviously representational (eg, the outline of an animal hidden among the forest) - which gradually

grows more visible and distinct on the screen as the player gets closer to the story point.

When the hiker finally comes within 10 metres of the

story point’s centre, they receive a more insistent audio

prompt or “hook” signaling that it is time to look at their

phone. By this time, the image on their cell phone screen

has resolved fluidly into a selectable graphic menu. The

hiker can now use the phone’s joystick to either “Play

Story” or “Move On” and keep walking.

If the hiker selects “Move On”, then the story point simply

deactivates itself and defaults to the placeholder screen.

Audio feedback and menu hooks will no longer play as

the hiker walks around inside the hotspot area. However,

the content for this story point will become active and

accessible again if the hiker walks outside the boundaries

of the story point (past an outer perimeter called the

“reset zone”) and then walks back toward the story point.

(See “Context-Aware Hotspots” below.)

If the hiker selects “Play Story”, then a new screen

graphic appears and an audio narration begins to play. (In

future iterations, we may also use video. To date, placing

video at each hotspot has exceeded the memory capacity

of the mobile phones.) As part of the narrative, the hiker

also receives simple suggestions about how to best enjoy

the experience, such as “You’ve found the Raven's

outcrop. Why not find a comfortable place to sit down

and admire the view while I tell you a story...”

Once a hiker has paused and listened to the story all the way through (eventually, pause/play/ffwd/rwd

controls will be implemented in order to allow greater playback control, but these are not yet active in

the present iteration), another screen menu appears and prompts the hiker to either replay the story by

choosing “Play Again”, or else simply “Move On”. Moving on will again deactivate the story point’s

locative audio-visual content, which will automatically re-activate once a player moves outward past the

reset zone. (This feature prevents hikers from having to listen to the same

repetitive audio content while leaving the story point area. Again, see

“Context-Aware Hotspots” below.)

Once a hiker exits the vicinity of a hotspot,

they are free to continue walking the trail

and accessing other story points. They are

also free to re-visit any previous story

point and access its content as many times

as they like.

There is no set limit to the number of story

points that can be set up on any particular

trail – the only limit is the storage capacity

of the phone’s memory, the attention span

of the hiker, and the length of the trail

(story points are quite large and cannot

presently overlap).

As a content delivery strategy, Tracklines is

generally open ended. As mentioned

briefly above, hikers do not need to access

story points in any particular order, or find

every available story point, in order for the

content experience to be meaningful

(though more linear narrative

compositions are possible).

Context-Aware Hotspots:

Tracklines hotspots include a number of subtle interactive

“fail safe” features designed to compensate for unpredictable

user behaviour and movements while accessing story point

content. For example, if a hiker listens to a story all the way

through but forgets to key “Move On” when the follow-up

screen menu appears, then walks away from the area, the

screen will automatically default to the placeholder image

once the hiker leaves the hotspot’s outer perimeter or “reset

zone”. Or, if a hiker begins walking while the narration is still

playing and subsequently leaves the hotspot’s reset zone, the

story will play to the end and then default to the placeholder

image without triggering the replay menu.

The purpose of these fail-safe features is 1) to

compensate for the extra complexity introduced when

screen-based interactivity also has to take the user’s physical

movement through space into account, and 2) to make the

screen-based interactions in Tracklines adaptive and

responsive to the unpredictable behaviours and physical

movements typical of people using nature trails. Our

intention is to privilege the hiker’s impulse to move and

explore the trail spontaneously, without ever being forced to

worry about interrupting the smooth flow of their experience

by forgetting a menu choice, or accidentally transgressing an

unseen locative boundary at the wrong moment. Our design

philosophy recognizes that people typically hike because they

want to focus on the mountain environment, on their friends

and family, or on their personal inner dialogues - not on

negotiating with technological devices. Thus, any design that

ignores this factor by forcing people to seriously modify their

behaviour in order to avoid device-frustration, or otherwise

conform to a technological imperative, is probably doomed to

failure (at least, when it comes to appealing to first-time

locative media users in a wilderness trail context).

In the case of Tracklines, putting the hiker first

means integrating the media design as seamlessly as possible

with cultures of trail-use and the contingencies of place. We

wish to avoid creating locative designs that view the media

experience itself as paramount, or that “digitize” outdoor

activity by channeling behaviour in unnatural or undesired

directions. Instead, our goal is to make technology less

intrusive (in fact, as invisible as possible), reduce phone-

based anxieties, and create an experience that remains

seamless, enjoyable, and compatible with the general goals

of hikers. Ultimately, the design of Tracklines aims at

providing hikers with a secondary enhancement or

augmentation to their experience – never at becoming the

main point of the hike itself.

For more information on these fail safe interactive

features, see the Tracklines technical specifications attached

as an addendum.

There is no time limit, and there is no “end” to the story-walking experience – users simply explore the

trail and its embedded content for as long as it proves compelling. Once the hiker has visited as many

story points as they desire, they simply log off the mobile device, or return to the Layer Selector screen

and select another content layer.

While wandering the trail, hikers may also encounter “boundary hotspots”.

These are small, single-ring hotspots that warn hikers when they are getting

“off track” and leaving the content zone. These alerts take the form of simple

audio loops and still images which play automatically when hikers enter their

perimeter. Boundary hotspots are of two types: Generic Boundaries are

situated on side pathways that branch off from the main trail and may

confuse the hiker – these offer a simple warning, such as, “In case you were

wondering, this is a side trail – the stories for the Geology walk are located on

the main pathway.” Zone Boundaries are located on the main pathway, and

offer a similar notification to hikers when they are entering or exiting the content “zone” for the

Tracklines layer currently loaded onto their mobile phone.

Summary of Innovations: 2006/07, a Year in Review The Tracklines application developed in 2006/07 represents the

following locative media innovations:

A fully functional locative experience based on the MEE

application. In fact, the first full mediascape application to

be created with the J2ME version of the MEE, which was

developed at BNMI to support it.

Significantly extends the locative media content delivery

capabilities of next generation mobile phones.

With other MDCN projects, one of the first locative media projects developed for mobile phones in Canada.

The first fully operational mobile phone and GPS-based mediascape to be developed in Canada specifically for a wilderness trail environment. Essentially, among the first guided trail walks of its kind, and one of very few mobile projects worldwide exploring non-urban territory.

The first locative mediascape to be extensively audience-tested and evaluated for useability and audience appeal in a Canadian National Park setting. Represents Parks Canada’s first venture into locative media.

Participatory design innovations include: new user testing protocols for trail-based public field trials, and a growing body of research data on usability, audience receptivity, and market potential of locative media in National Parks.

Key design innovations include: - “Layer Selector” expandable interactive architecture - “Sixth Sense” experience design concept and minimal attention user interface (MAUI). - Sound Navigation and Information visualization concepts, assets, and research. - High quality audio and graphics optimized not only for

mobile phone speakers and screens, but for appropriate

integration in wilderness environments (a challenge

requiring exploration of design fields such as sound

ecology, biomimicry, and sustainable design).

- Expandable, context-aware hotspots.

- Narrative content uniquely adapted to Park locations,

audiences, and trail-use patterns.

- Outfitting strategies for mobile devices (eg, velcro

armbands) and phone keypad controls adapted to the

contingencies of outdoor experience (eg, cold weather,

gloved fingers, keeping eyes and hands free).

- System cognition / orientation materials (flyers, maps).

Credits and Acknowledgements

Tracklines Software Application:

Tracklines is an original application created using the Mobile Experience Engine (MEE)

software developed by the MDCN. The present Tracklines prototype has been produced using

the Java2ME version of the MEE (optimized for Nokia N70 phones) developed at the Banff New

Institute in 2006/7 by Rupinder Deol.

Tracklines was created at the ART Mobile Lab, a division of the Banff New Media Institute,

between March 2006 and March 2007. The project was undertaken as part of the Mobile Digital

Commons Network (MDCN, Phase II) supported by Canadian Culture Online / Department of

Canadian Heritage through the New Media Initiatives Network Fund (2005-2007).

Original Tracklines Concept: Angus Leech with Greg Judelman

Tracklines Logo: Original Concept: Davide Di Saro

Graphic and Animation Design: Christopher Quine

ART Mobile Lab: Lead Artist / Producer: Angus Leech

Mobile Applications Engineer: Rupinder Deol

Interaction Designer: Christopher Quine

Audio Designer: Davide Di Saro

Banff New Media Institute: Director and Executive Producer: Susan Kennard

Program Manager: Cindy Schatkoski

BNMI Coordinator / Field Test Support: Becky Green

Guest Contributors and Researchers:

Parks Canada / Banff National Park: Sarah Hoyt (Content Writer: Geology: A Walk Through Time prototype)

MDCN / EMU: Kim Sawchuk

Barbara Crowe

Andrea Zeffiro

MDCN / OCAD: Geoffrey Shea (audio/experience design support)

Paula Gardner (audio/experience design support + Evaluation support)

Martha Ladly (design consultation)

Bruce Hinds (design consultation)

City University of Hong Kong (Summer Engineering Assistants, 2006): Yeung Sze Yi (Lawrence)

Lau Ka Fei (Rex)

GEOLOGY: A Walk Through Time

Banff Design Team: Concept and Script: Sarah Hoyt and Angus Leech

Lead Experience Designer / Producer: Angus Leech

Graphic, Animation, and Interaction Design: Christopher Quine

Audio Design: Davide Di Saro with Geoffrey Shea

Engineering / Site Implementation: Rupinder Deol

Voice Narration: Emily Paige, Davide Di Saro, Angus Leech

Evaluation Team: Barbara Crowe, Paula Gardner, Becky Green, Angus Leech, Kim Sawchuk, Andrea Zeffiro,

Banff design team

Partnership Agreement: Banff National Park GEOLOGY: A Walk Through Time was produced as a Beta content prototype of Tracklines

through a special partnership between the Banff New Media Institute (Banff Centre) and the

Banff EcoIntegrity Project (Parks Canada). As stipulated in the Terms of Reference for this

partnership, ownership of any copyrighted intellectual property associated with this content

prototype (narrative texts, audio, visuals) developed through this contract, shall vest in the

Crown. This ownership extends to narrative and branded content developed by Parks Canada

specifically for the prototype, and also to final multimedia files (jpeg, mp3, etc) developed

specifically for the demo - but it does not extend to broader aesthetic, interactive or design

concepts developed by the Banff New Media Institute for the Tracklines project, media source

files used to create the final multimedia files (eg, original sound recordings), nor any portion of

the software platform (Mobile Experience Engine, etc.) used to run the demo prototype.

Furthermore, the BNMI retains a series of non-exclusive rights and licenses to use and promote

this content, as defined by the Terms of Reference document.

Parks Canada Representative: Ann Morrow, Coordinator, Banff EcoIntegrity Project, Banff

National Park

Special Thanks: Michael Andereggen, Faisal Anwar, Kieth Archer, Luke Azevedo, Banff Centre Department of

Music and Sound, Neil Barrat, Tahira Baulackey, Ken Bautista and Hotrocket, Darrick Baxter,

Daryl Beatty, Heather Belot, Marc Bernier, Liliana Blanco, Jeff Bolingbroke, Jennifer Cameron,

Daniel Canty, Slavica Cepercovich, Susan Clarahan, CEE, Jon Cohrs, Sameena Darr, Patricio

Davila, Juan Delgado, Lakvir Deol, Kesar Deol, Chantal Dumas, Maria Frangos, Genevieve

Godin, Michael Heimbinder,, Deborah Hession, Julia Heyward, Hong Kong Cyberport,

Hewlett-Packard Mediascape team, Morag Hutchison, Eleanor Jones, Geoffrey Jones, Christina

Kargillis, Susan Kennard, Chad Kerychuk, Marie-Claude Landry, Maria Lantin, Learning

Through The Arts, Ken Leung, Janice Leung, Kurtis Lesick, Paula Levine, Cheryll L'Hirondelle,

Susan Macaulay, Lindsay Macdonald, MemeCo, Mobile Adventures, Ahasiw Maskegon-

Iskwew, Jo Morrison, Jennifer Nadwodny, Glenda Nalder, Anton Nazarko, Steve Nichols,

Maeve O'Rourke, Emily Paige, Leanna Palmer, Mike Pelletier, Simon Pope, Julian Priest, Munju

Ravindra, Mark Resch, Tadzio Richards, Cindy Schatkoski, John Scully, Kim Shepard, Lily

Shirvanee, Wendy Tokyark, TR Labs, Stephanie Tofolo, Marit-Saskia Wahrendorf, Lori Ward,

Fiddian Warman, Jennifer Wemigwans, Pam Wilson, Steve Woolard, Andrea Zeffiro, Jan

Christoff Zoels, and all the participants who came out for our evaluation field tests and

demonstrations.

Mobile Digital Commons Network (MDCN) Phase II

Host Institution: Concordia University

Department of Design and Computational Arts

1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W., VA 244

Montreal, QC

H3G 1M8

MDCN II Principal Investigators: Michael Longford (Concordia University)

Sara Diamond (Ontario College of Art and Design)

MEE / MDCN Mobile Applications Engineers:

Lead Engineer

Tom Donaldson

Banff New Media Institute / Java2ME version

Rupinder Deol

Concordia University

David Gauthier

OCAD

Sukhmeet Singh

Jagmit Singh