It was rerlative easy to create threads and pockets, yet if all the fields were not filled in, in accepted the thread and pocket but did not add it as all fields were not complete.

It was easy to view pockets and threads but the random shapes and colours to identify them was annoying.

The map was good, but a context-aware system would be better, taking some of the task away from the user. It would have also been nice to zoom in and out.

Overall, I felt the software was an excellent idea and had great potential, although a bit slow at its current stage of development.

The main problem in creating the thread was the virtual keyboaard is very slow. Also the location is not clear when you create the location. you have to know the area well in order to create the thread where you wanted to. The idea of creating your own information relating to the location is very good but at the moment the technology is still hard to use for me. If it is automatically create the thread where I located at that time, it will be easier to use.

The low temperature made typing very tedious, and coupled with the slow response rate of the iPaq, authoring a pocket was not that great. I would also like to be able to author a pocket for any visible location on the device (not just the center). It was annoying having to click on a new location in order to center on it, and then having to wait for the system to respond and render the map so that you can create a new pocket. Accessing the pockets was fairly easy, just a case of clicking on an icon. A few times however the system became unresponsive, or returned a page with no content for a specific pocket.

As with all electronic maps, the map facility provided was not that great. Having said that, however, it was quite nicer than other electronic maps I've seen. A zoom facility may be an improvement on the whole system.

I didn't actually follow a thread.

While using the technology on the street, a couple of people gave me a strange look. But I guess that was because I was holding an iPaq on one hand and a printed map on the other.

I found that my messages were not related to each other, but having said that, I just realise that all my message were part of the same thread. I guess this is just an interface feature (I'm not sure whether or not I could have created multiple threads).

It would be nice to "comment" or contribute to someone else's thread. For instance there was a thread about locations for buying alcohol, but I found out that the person had forgotten to mention a really cool place for bying alcohol. It would be nice to contribute to his thread, rather than having to create a new thread from scratch.

I can't say that the system has really influenced my own ideas about public authoring. A feature I would like to see is the ability to find and trace friends who are physically next to me (this is location aware after all). The fact that the author of a thread is right next to me made no difference whatsoever - I think it could have.

Very cold day made me reluctant to take the device out of my pocket or even my hands out of my pockets... urban tapestry weaving may be a seasonal pursuit!

the response time of the device and the lack of feedback from the interface meant that i didn't want to type very much, and it was hard to know whether i had suceeded in posting.

It was a shame the picture capture wasn't working as that would have been easier to quickly author a more visual thread.

the 'thread' metaphor was fun, as choosing an 'angle' like we did: "temporary delights" meant that you went looking at the area in a certain way, through the filtering influence of the thread.

suggestion: no need to be 'live' online to the serevr and just collect stuff locally, opting to upload/connect when convenient (like in a nice warm coffee shop!!!)

Once the software is mature, and the UI is quicker and has more positive feedback (and the weather is warmer) i could see it being lots of fun to author and read...

The individual marks (red squares for me) were a nice feature, as it felt less anonymous.

Are the links between them user specific of thread specific? I only created one thread so I'm not sure.

Threads were a nice way of focusing wanderings.

It was disappointing that the picture upload wasn't working as it's a quick, low-effort way to contribute ;-)

A more accurate way of positioning would be helpful. The place cliked on the screen wasn't always where yourt post ended up.

Good fun though.

I found the map sharp and clear, but took too long to scroll,
perhaps shortcuts to certain places of interest, and a GPS or location based 'I am here' option would be good.
Map crashed on us twice
Problem creating threads in high density pocket areas - pocket didn't appear
We felt OK using this tech on the street in Bloomsbury, might not feel secure in some other areas/at night
Very cold day meant metal body of ipaq difficult to hold - plastic mobile phones might be better
Overall it was really interesting to have been part of this project - this has great potential for the future, especially when pictures, video and voice are added to the mix.

Difficulties: finding my location on the map on the device. Sometimes, people's threads helped me find my way
Network: although seemingly working, I still couldn't post my text.
The technology seems not to be there yet for public authoring to be a seemless experience, but we can already see many interesting uses.
I liked trying to use this in the street (despite the cold), it made me want to find interesting places to annotate:
my threads were mostly related to memories of the place, even the most ordinary ones, like wanting to go into a park that's inaccesible to have lunch!
I also felt I wanted to relate to people as opposed to particular locations - maybe regular visitors of a place. In this context, I enjoyed reading others people's postings, the more personal (i.e. not just info on the British Museum) the more interesting they were!

I would like to have created some playful thing (a story for others to follow or clues to discover locations or even objects) for others to enjoy, but I would need much more time to produce something worthwhile and complete.

I found it easy to make pockets and threads. The map can be improved with GPS or street names to help orientation.
I wanted to create a gastronomic route of the area (great restaurants and eateries) but I couldn't post my thoughts (e.g. at the Old Amalfi restaurant) because of transmission problems.
I found the experiment really interesting, but I would like a more expanded and reliable network coverage for the next iteration!
Overall, a really nice experience.

As well as being extremely cold we found it quite difficult to navigate our way through the map. we crashed a number of times and each time the system reset the map to the original starting point and it was difficult to find our current position. it would be useful if you could have a drop down of street names where you could choose and the target would reset to this position. A history of way points would be also quite useful

We think the concept is great and as time progresses it will certainly be a great product.

thanks
jason

I like the idea of place-based blogging, recording thoughts (some random) as you walk about the city... As far as this trial went, we could see the potential of the idea but the cold weather inhibited us from doing much authoring. The network was also a bit ropey so the device did crash a few times. The concept is very interesting, would be keen to take part in future trials.

I like the idea of place-based blogging, recording thoughts (some random) as you walk about the city... As far as this trial went, we could see the potential of the idea but the cold weather inhibited us from doing much authoring. The network was also a bit ropey so the device did crash a few times. The concept is very interesting, would be keen to take part in future trials.

Did you find it easy to access the pockets that you created?

Well, it was pretty easy to make pockets and threads, not so easy to position them exactly where you want.

Did you follow a thread? What was the experience like?

It was easy enough to access other people's contributions - not that I managed to tap into any of the more fictional ones's which I would have like to - filtering would obviously be the way of categorising into user interests.

What did you think of the map? Could you find your way around?

The map was not easy - no names and no GPS - this means that you could approach it in a random way which has its own quality but I wanted an overview, a higher resolution/ granulation of location. Very hard to pinpoint where I was, and it was a real drag (literally) having to pull my marker back to where I thought I was.

How did you feel using this technology on the street?

The way it is at the moment I felt it was more of thing to do stationary - perhaps this is a question of practice and use. As it stands I can immagine annotating and reading from home or the 'office' or something but rarely on 'in the field' - an audio interface to free the eyes from the iPAQ could help in this respect.

What was your experience of reading pockets/content created by other people?

Not difficult, but in danger of crashing the system when there are too many in one spot. It was much easier to navigate in 'my threads' mode as opposed to 'all threads'. As I said above - I would appreciate the possibility to build up personal filtering for types of threads available.

Did any of these influence your own ideas for public authoring?

Yes...

using the pda to add threads and pockets was difficult. I found it easier to write paper notes also because I was more often then not disconnected to the network. I would be nice if my personal track was something I could come back to and add to. I suppose for now its all one thread with many different pockets.

I couldn't get back to finding my previous pockets. Did I have a personal symbol or colour? will i be able to find these again in say a few mon ths time.

No, I didn't have the tiome today to follow a thread. Would be nice to as I read one pocket which intrigued me.

The map with no street names was nice to navigate once I knew where I was in relation to the map. A trail of where I've been would have helped me and would have meant I could add packets at a later time.

It was fun carrying the device on the street. People looked and wondered what I was doing. But it wasn't very different from writing a text message while walking on a busy pavement. And anyhow I could always stop for a minute and make notes. I had a camera with me. It woulkd be nice to link pictures to pockets, maybe linked by temporal proximity.

I created a personal thread. What I was before me, and my thoughts. Memories of the places I walked through. I continued my personal thread with a more shared thread, asking people at a party to contribute their thoughts of the time or location or what was on their mind. It was fun to involve more people.

I'd have to give it another go. Different day , different thread, I suppose.

I was nice to read a random thread. Made me want to follow it. It was mysterious and promising.

In some way the other threads to influence, but not sure how.

I was interested to read other pockets, but reading further pockets in that thread didn't flow, not least because of the slow scrolling required. (Neither could I read the name of the poster on the iPaq device, but understand that this is possible with the Ericsson device.)

I was aware that when posting a pocket I was intensely focused on the device and unaware of the activity of people around me. (And no doubt looked a little strange to them.) This dynamic seems to contradict the spirit of the project. Would it make sense to allow the 'tapestry maker' to post a photograph at a spot and compose their pocket later, on the device or via a PC?

It is clear that very quickly threads would build up and require some kind of filtering or searching to allow the reader to find relevant, interesting or recent pockets. I understand that the project plans to address this issue. This will be needed sooner than might be expected.

Perhaps delivery of pockets might be pushed to readers who pass a spot at which they are located (providing they match a pre-configured profile). They would require a GPS or location-aware phone, and the ability to display images on the device. Pockets may have to be delivered as multiple SMSes.