The Space Card guide
Make a place for discovery.
Turn a map, photograph or floor plan into somewhere to explore together. Prepare a question, invite a discovery, and reveal a little surprise.
Start with a space. See what people discover.
Turn a map, photograph, floor plan or diagram into a place to explore together. With Space Card, you can prepare points for people to investigate, invite them to pin their own discoveries, and collect observations at the places they belong.
Imagine a park full of tiny mysteries. What lives near the pond? Where would you put a new bench? What is hiding beside the old oak tree? Each point can start a conversation.
You can use Space Card for an outdoor investigation, a museum visit, a science diagram, a workplace walkthrough, a discussion about an artwork or a collaborative design review.
Choose your way through this guide:
- Make your first Space Card: follow the park detective example.
- Set up your card: explore the editor, element by element.
- See what participants do: place a pin, answer a question and edit a contribution.
- Run the live activity: explore contributions and control the session.
- Find a setting: jump directly to the control you need.
- Solve a problem: find an explanation when something looks different.
Three things you can put in a space
| Element | Who creates it? | What is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Host-planned point | You, the host | Mark a place, share guidance or images, and optionally ask a question there. |
| Participant pin | A participant, when enabled | Mark a place of their choosing and attach their own notes or images. |
| Reveal point | You, the host | Prepare a host point that becomes visible when you reveal it or its scheduled time arrives. |
A response at a host point is attached to that existing point. It does not create another independently placed marker or use up the participant's allowance of freely placed pins.
The host's results view brings contributions together. On their own activity screen, participants explore the visible host points and their own pins and responses. Use the shared host presentation when you want the group to discuss everyone's discoveries.
Make your first Space Card: park detectives
This example uses a realistic overhead park image with a pond, a meadow and an old oak tree. You can follow it with any suitable image you already have. The AI-created park and example answers are fictional practice content.
1. Give everyone a mission
Add a Space Card to your Activity Card set and open Contents.
Set the card title to Park detectives. In Question / Prompt, write:
What can you discover about this park? Visit the pond point, then pin one discovery of your own.
In Additional Instructions (optional), add:
Look closely at the image. At the pond, describe one sign of wildlife. Then choose another place, add a pin and tell us what caught your attention.
This version works as a classroom picture investigation. For an actual park visit, replace the image with a map and adapt the instructions to the real location.
2. Choose the place to explore
Under Space source, choose Self-uploaded space, then upload your park image. Select Fit so the entire park remains visible.
You should see: the image in the planning area, ready for points.
3. Prepare the pond point
Choose Add point, then select the pond on the image. Give the point the title Pond detectives and add this Optional guidance:
Take a closer look. What might be living in or around the water?
Turn on Allow responses at this point. Change its first Field label to What did you notice? and add the helper text Look for plants, insects, tracks or movement.
You should see: a host point whose detail view contains guidance and a way for participants to respond.
4. Leave room for a personal discovery
Keep Enable participant pins on and set Pins per participant to 1. Set the participant-pin field label to My discovery and its helper text to Tell us what caught your attention here.
The pond question and the freely placed pin now have different jobs. Everyone answers at the pond; everyone also chooses one place of their own.
For a first practice run, leave image uploads off. Written observations are enough to try the whole activity.
5. Add a little surprise
Add another host point at the oak tree. Title it The final mystery, and add the guidance What might this tree tell us about the park's past?
Turn on Make this a reveal point. Leave Optional scheduled reveal empty so you can reveal it yourself. Leave responses at this point off for now; it will be a discussion prompt.
You should see: a reveal marker in the editor. Its live visibility is controlled separately when you run the activity.
6. Save and try the participant journey
Save your Activity Card set, start a practice session and make the Space Card active. Join from a second device or a separate participant browser session.
Open Pond detectives, select Respond here, type I can see reeds near the edge, and choose Submit response.
Next, choose your participant pin, place it in the meadow, open Add pin details, write A good place for pollinators, and choose Submit Space Card pins.
You should see: the saved contributions under My responses. On the host screen, the response belongs to the pond point and the meadow discovery has its own marker.
7. Bring the discoveries together
On the host screen, open Space Card contributions and inspect the pond responses and meadow pin. Open Reveal points, find The final mystery, and select Reveal.
Ask: What would you investigate next? You now have a guided observation, an independent contribution and a reveal in one activity.
Try a variation: turn participant pins off and prepare three host points with questions. You have a small exploration trail in which everyone responds at the same places.
Find a control
| I want to… | Go to |
|---|---|
| Explain the task or leave myself a reminder | Title, prompt and instructions |
| Upload an image or replace the background people explore | Choose your space |
| Choose the starting map view | Google Maps setup |
| Add, move or reorder a host point | Planned points |
| Add pictures to a point | Point images |
| Change a marker's shape, symbol or colour | Pin appearance |
| Ask everyone a question at the same place | Responses at host points |
| Hide a point until later | Reveal points |
| Connect points with a route | Travel routes |
| Change participants' pin allowance or questions | Participant pin settings |
| Control anonymity, photos or response visibility | Response settings |
| Submit, edit or delete my contribution | Participant controls |
| Search, zoom or find my location | Navigation and location |
| Explore results or manage the live activity | Host controls |
| Change Canvas/Framed, colours or supporting media | Presentation and shared controls |
Give the activity a purpose
Open the card's Contents panel for its text and activity settings. Styles selects the Space Card layout. Appearance contains shared host-presentation decoration settings.
Activity Card title
Use the title to name the activity: Park detectives, Design our library or Inside a leaf. It helps you recognise the card in your set and can also appear in the activity presentation. Keep it short; the title field has a 250-character limit.
Question / Prompt
This is the main task people should understand at a glance. Use an action and a clear goal: Pin one place where you would add a bench and explain why.
The title names the activity; the prompt tells people what to do. When a participant opens pin details, the prompt is given prominence.
Additional Instructions (optional)
Use this for the steps, examples or guidance people may need while working. For example:
- Choose a place on the plan.
- Explain who would benefit from your idea.
- Submit your pin when you are ready.
Instructions are available through Additional instructions, including the information button in Space Card detail dialogs. Closing that dialog returns to the activity. These instructions are intended for the activity audience, so put your private facilitation reminders in Personal Notes.
The editor supports up to 10,000 text characters. Keep the first few lines especially useful; participants may be reading on a phone.
| Formatting control | What it does and when to use it |
|---|---|
| Text style → Paragraph | Use for ordinary instructions and explanations. |
| Text style → Heading | Introduce a main section such as “Your mission”. |
| Text style → Subheading | Divide a section into smaller tasks. |
| Bold | Emphasise a key instruction or number. |
| Italic | Add gentle emphasis, such as an example answer. |
| Underline | Underline selected text. Keep links easy to distinguish. |
| Bulleted list | List items people can consider in any order. |
| Numbered list | Explain a sequence of steps. |
| Insert table | Add a small table, for example “Observe / Describe”. Keep it readable on phones. |
| Add link | Enter Link text and Link address, then choose Add link. Use a web address beginning with https:// or http://, or an email link beginning with mailto:. Cancel closes the link entry. |
| Remove link | Remove the link from the selected linked text. |
| Clear formatting | Remove formatting from selected text when pasted styles are distracting. |
| Character count | Shows how much instruction text you have used. |
You can paste formatted text or Markdown; supported headings, lists and tables stay within the instruction panel.
Personal Notes (private)
Put reminders for yourself here: Give everyone two minutes before revealing the oak tree. These appear in the Edauthor Controller and are not shown to participants. This is a useful place for timing notes, discussion questions and facilitation cues.
Choose your space
Space source
Choose Self-uploaded space to explore an image, or Google Maps to work with real geographical locations.
Uploaded spaces work on every plan. The current editor offers Google Maps with Pro. These are host features; participants use the activity you prepare.
Points are associated with the kind of space in which they were placed. Switching sources does not convert an image position into a geographical coordinate. Check the points for the selected source before running the card.
Self-uploaded space image
Upload a map illustration, floor plan, diagram, photograph or other suitable image. It becomes the surface on which points are placed.
Example: upload a drawing of the human body and invite participants to pin the organs they can identify. For an office workshop, use a floor plan and ask where collaboration spaces could go.
| Image-picker element | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Drop image here or upload / Upload new | Choose an image from your device or drop one into the upload area. The upload area also offers image pasting. |
| Media library | Reuse an available image instead of uploading it again. The library includes your uploaded images and the available edauthor image collection. |
| Refresh library | Refresh the uploaded-image list when an expected image is missing. |
| Show more | Load more library thumbnails when the list continues. |
| Uploading… | Wait for the upload to finish before expecting the image to be ready. |
| Change image | Reopen image selection after a space image is already set. |
| Replace image | Select a replacement file. Planned points remain at the same relative positions on the new image; inspect them afterwards. |
| Remove image | Remove the space image. When it has planned points, the confirmation explains that its planned points will also be removed. |
| Close image picker | Close the selection area. This is separate from removing the chosen image. |
The general image upload limit is 20 MB. A clear, sensibly sized image is easier to use than a very large file with tiny details.
Image display: Fit
Fit keeps the full image visible. There may be spare space around it when the image and screen have different proportions. Choose it when the edges matter: a floor plan, labelled diagram or complete park map.
Image display: Fill
Fill covers the available space and can crop the edges. It can suit a photograph with the main subject near the centre. Check that important places and labels remain visible in the participant view.
Try it: switch between Fit and Fill on a wide illustration. Notice which parts remain in view on a narrow screen.
Set up Google Maps
These controls appear for the Google Maps source.
| Element | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Map planning area | Selecting an empty place sets the starting centre when point-placement mode is off. With Add point active, selecting a place creates a planned point instead. | Centre a neighbourhood before preparing an architecture walk. |
| Starting centre marker | Shows the reference location for the initial map view. It is separate from your observation points. | Place the starting centre near the meeting area. |
| Latitude | Sets the starting centre's north/south coordinate. | Enter a supplied latitude when you know the meeting location precisely. |
| Longitude | Sets its east/west coordinate. | Pair it with the latitude for the same place. |
| Zoom | Sets how close the starting map view is, from 1 to 20 in the editor. Larger values show a smaller area in more detail. | Use a closer view for a park and a wider view for a city activity. |
| Use my location | Asks your browser for your current location and uses it as the starting centre. It also moves the starting zoom to at least 15. | Set up a local activity while standing at the meeting point. |
Use my location depends on browser location access. You can also set the centre directly on the map or enter coordinates.
Search, map/satellite view and camera controls are described in Navigation and location.
Prepare host-planned points
Host points give an exploration some structure. A point might mark a specimen to examine, a room to discuss or a question to answer.
Add point and placement
Choose Add point, then select a place on the map or image. The placement message changes to Click map to place point or Click image to place point. You can also drag the placement control onto the space.
Select the placement control again to cancel placement. After adding a point, its details are available in the editor.
Point list, selection and ordering
| Element | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Point row | Select a point in the list to edit its details and locate its marker. Titles make the list easier to scan. |
| Number badge | Identifies a regular host point. Reveal points use a star instead of a regular number. |
| Drag to reorder handle | Drag a point's handle to change the order. Regular points are renumbered, and map routes follow the planned order. Reordering does not move a marker to a new physical position. |
| Hide host pin numbers | Hide the visible numbers when names or symbols are more useful. The planned order still exists. |
| Remove Space Card point | Remove that point from the card's planned setup. For removal during an active session, see live host controls, which preserve an original setup. |
Selected point details
| Element | Explanation and example |
|---|---|
| Optional title | Name this particular place: Pond detectives or Room 3: quiet corner. The card title and point title serve different purposes. |
| Position | Read the point's current position. This field is a location readout; drag the marker in the planning area to reposition it. |
| Marker | Drag the selected marker to adjust where the point belongs. On an image, the point is attached to an image position; on Google Maps, it has a geographical position. |
| Optional guidance | Add a note, question or instruction visible when people inspect the point. Example: Look at the two entrances. Which would be easiest to find? Guidance alone does not create an answer field. |
| Add image | Attach supporting images to this point. Use a close-up, reference photograph or visual clue. |
| Pin appearance | Open the marker's visual settings. |
| Allow responses at this point | Give participants an answer form at this point. |
| Make this a reveal point | Prepare this point for a later reveal. |
The last four controls have their own sections below.
Add images to a planned point
Open Add image in a selected host point to open Planned-point images. You can attach up to five JPG, PNG or WebP images, each up to 3 MB.
Example: attach a close-up of a leaf and an older photograph of the same tree. People can open each image while examining the tree point.
| Element | What happens |
|---|---|
| Upload new | Select supported images from your device. |
| Media library | Select reusable images that meet this point's limits. |
| Selected thumbnails | Show the images currently chosen for this point. |
| Selection count | Shows how many of the five available places you have used. |
| Remove image / thumbnail remove button | Remove that image from the selection. In the point editor, the remove button removes its attachment to the point. |
| Use selected images | Apply the selected images to the point. |
| Cancel / Close image picker | Close the point-image dialog without applying its selection changes. Files already uploaded may still be available in your media library. |
Images attached to a host point, the image used as the space itself, and images submitted by participants are separate features with different limits.
Give a pin its own character
Open Pin appearance for an individual host point. Use Participant pin appearance to choose a common design for participant pins.
| Element | What it changes and when to use it |
|---|---|
| Preview | Shows the design you are preparing before you apply it. |
| Classic | A familiar map-pin outline. A useful starting choice for ordinary locations. |
| Needle | A slim stem with a marker head. Useful when a precise point should stand out. |
| Halo | A circular marker design. Try it for discussion points on a diagram or photograph. |
| Symbol → Default | Use the default marker content, such as the number on a numbered regular pin. |
| Symbol choices | Choose Love, Agree, Disagree, Fast, Great, Question, Circle, Triangle, Square, Plus, Minus, Cross or Ring. These are visual labels; choosing one does not add voting or scoring. For example, use Question to mark a puzzle. |
| Colour | Choose the marker colour. Some symbol choices supply an initial colour that you can adjust. |
| Upload icon | Use a PNG, JPG or WebP image up to 1 MB. Uploaded icons are reduced in size for the map; transparent PNG artwork works well. |
| Apply to all host pins | When available, apply this design across your host points. Leave it off to change only the selected point. |
| Reset | Put the design preview back to the default appearance. Select Apply to use that design. |
| Apply | Save the appearance choices and close the dialog. |
| Close pin appearance | Leave the dialog without applying the pending changes. |
A number can appear as a badge beside a custom symbol. Use the separate number-visibility settings if you want numbers hidden.
Participant pin colours
These choices appear in the participant appearance dialog:
- By participant or group: use the person's colour, or their group's colour in a split session. The shared shape and symbol still apply.
- One shared colour: give participant pins the chosen common colour.
- Use participant colours: in the main editor, clear the custom participant appearance and return to the default participant-colour presentation.
Uploaded artwork keeps its own colours. The pin structure and number badge follow the colour setting. A red detail drawn inside an uploaded icon will still be red.
Let people respond at a host point
Allow responses at this point
Turn this on inside a selected host point when you want everyone to answer in that place. Participants open the point and choose Respond here. After answering, they can use Edit my response.
Example: place a point on the museum's entrance and ask What would help a first-time visitor feel welcome here? Everyone's answer belongs to the entrance point.
Each participant has one editable response at each enabled host point. These responses are separate from their allowance of freely placed pins. You can therefore turn participant pin placement off and still collect answers at host points.
| Element | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Field label | Write the question the participant should answer: What did you notice? |
| Optional helper text | Offer a hint beneath the question: Think about signs, lighting and places to ask for help. |
| Add field | Add another text-answer field to this point, for example What would you change? |
| Remove field | Remove that question from the point's form. At least one field remains. |
This form belongs to this particular host point. The form under Participant pins applies to pins participants place themselves.
Use a small number of focused questions. To submit, a participant needs at least one note or an allowed image; the current form does not provide an individual “required” switch for every question.
Save a point for a later discovery
Make this a reveal point
Turn this on in a host point's details. In the live activity, the point stays off the map and route until revealed. You can still prepare and inspect it in the editor.
Example: hide a final observation task at the oak tree until the group has discussed the pond.
A reveal controls a point's visibility. It is not a scored answer reveal and does not check whether someone is physically near the point.
Optional scheduled reveal
Choose a date and time if you want a reveal to become due during the active live activity. The editor uses the date and time shown on your device. This is a calendar date and time, not “five minutes after the activity starts”.
Leave the field empty for a manual reveal. You can reveal a scheduled point early. Keep the host session running with this card active for the scheduled flow.
Star colour
Choose the colour used for the point's reveal star. A custom pin symbol or uploaded artwork can change the marker's appearance, so check the preview if you combine those settings.
Reveal points on the live host screen
| Element | What it does |
|---|---|
| Reveal points | Opens the list of this card's reveal points. A count can indicate how many remain hidden. |
| Point title and status | Identify the point and show whether it is Revealed, Hidden manually, waiting for a scheduled time, or set to Manual reveal. |
| Reveal | Show that point now, including before its scheduled time. |
| Hide | Hide an already revealed point again. A manual hide takes precedence over its schedule until you reveal it again or reset the reveal state. |
| Reveal all | Reveal all currently hidden reveal points for this card. |
| Hide all | Hide the currently revealed reveal points. |
| Hidden count | Shows how many reveal points are still hidden. |
| Close reveal points | Return to the activity. Closing the panel does not cancel a schedule. |
Revealing points and showing participant responses are separate controls. You can reveal a planned clue while keeping collected responses out of the host presentation.
Connect planned points with a travel route
Routes are available with the Google Maps source. They connect planned host locations in their configured order. They are shown on the host screen; participants see the map and pins without that route overlay.
| Element | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Connect planned points with a travel route | Turn the route overlay on or off. Prepare at least two route points; the supported maximum is twelve. |
| Walking | Request a walking route between the planned locations. |
| Cycling | Request a cycling route between them. |
| Driving | Request a driving route between them. |
| Planned point order | Reorder points in the editor when the visit should follow a different sequence. |
| Route summary | When available, shows the route's travel mode, distance and duration. |
| Calculating route… | The route is being requested. |
| Travel route unavailable | The route could not be displayed. The pins remain available for exploration. |
Example: connect three public artworks in the order you want to discuss them. Hidden reveal points are not included in the live route until they are revealed.
The interface notes that walking and cycling routes may not include clear pedestrian or cycle paths. Use the route as context for your activity and check the actual places you plan to visit.
Choose what participants can add
Enable participant pins
Turn this on to let participants choose locations for their own pins. Turn it off when you want the activity to focus on your prepared points. Host-point responses remain available wherever you enabled them.
Example: invite people to pin one favourite reading spot on a library plan. For a structured room-by-room review, prepare the room points yourself and collect responses there instead.
Pins per participant
Set the allowance for independently placed pins, from 1 to 100. The initial setting is 1.
Start small when you want thoughtful contributions. Use a larger allowance for collecting several observations. A response at a host point does not consume this allowance. Deleting an independently placed pin frees a place in the allowance again.
Participant pin questions
| Element | Explanation and example |
|---|---|
| Field label | Set the question on each freely placed pin. The initial label is Observation. Try What should change here? |
| Optional helper text | Give a useful hint, such as Describe one improvement and who it would help. |
| Add field | Add another text field to each participant pin, such as Why this place? This participant-pin form supports up to twelve fields. |
| Remove field | Remove a field. At least one remains. |
| Participant pin appearance | Choose the shared shape, symbol and colour behaviour. See Pin appearance. |
| Hide participant pin numbers | Hide the numbers attached to freely placed participant pins. This does not change their allowance. |
Question labels tell people what to write; helper text makes a good answer easier to imagine. Keep each label understandable without having to read the entire activity prompt again.
Decide how contributions appear
Show responses live
With this on, incoming contributions can appear in the host results presentation as they arrive. With it off, people can still submit; you choose when to show responses from Card controls → Show responses.
Example: ask everyone to suggest a bench location independently, then show the responses together for discussion.
This is a presentation setting. It does not close intake, erase saved contributions, hide your planned guidance or replace the separate reveal-point controls.
Anonymous activity
Turn this on to replace participant nicknames with stable temporary identities on submitted pins and results. The stable identity lets contributions from the same person remain recognisable within the activity without displaying their nickname there.
Example: invite suggestions about an office layout when you want attention on the ideas. Participants should still avoid writing their names in their answers if they want those answers to remain unnamed; the setting does not rewrite their text or images.
Allow image uploads
Allow participants to attach images to their contributions. The current editor makes participant image uploads available with Standard and Pro. Uploads must also be enabled for the card.
Participants can use JPG, PNG or WebP files up to 5 MB each. Images may be resized and compressed for faster sharing.
Example: on a real park visit, let someone attach a photo of the leaf they are describing. For a text discussion about an uploaded diagram, leave this off if images would not add useful information.
Images per pin
When uploads are enabled, choose a limit from 1 to 5 images per contribution. The initial configured limit is 3. This is separate from the five-image allowance for host-planned points.
Allow live participant locations
This setting belongs to Google Maps activities. Turn it on to offer participants the choice to share their live location. Each participant still decides whether to share and must allow the browser to obtain their location.
The host view uses participants' latest shared locations while the Space Card is active. A live-location marker is separate from a submitted observation pin. This feature should not be described as a saved journey history.
Take part: pins, answers and discoveries
Find your task
Read the card's prompt and open Additional instructions if you need more guidance. Your nickname and, where relevant, group label help you recognise your own session identity. The nickname control opens Change Nickname. An activity identity notice explains the response identity being used.
The arrangement changes with screen size and the host's choice of Canvas or Framed style. The controls keep their functions.
Place a pin of your own
| Element or action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Choose your pin | Select the pin control, then tap/click the space where it belongs. You can also drag the pin control onto the space. |
| Tap map to place / placement preview | Shows that placement is active. On touch screens, watch the marker preview so you can see where the pin will land. |
| Tap pin again to cancel | Leave placement mode without adding a pin. |
| Draft marker | A pin you are still preparing. Move it to adjust its position before submitting. |
| Add pin details | Open the draft's text fields and image attachments. In Framed style, the details can appear below the map. |
| Location | Shows where this pin belongs. On an image, its position is relative to the image. |
| Answer fields | Write your observation using the host's questions and helper text. |
| Add image | Attach a supported image if uploads are allowed. The form shows the image allowance. |
| Remove image | Remove an attached image from the draft or current edit. |
| Remove pin / Remove draft pin | Discard that unfinished pin. |
| Submit Space Card pins | Submit the prepared observation. Include at least one non-empty note or an allowed image. |
| Saving… / Submitting… | Wait while the contribution is being saved. Successful submissions appear in your saved contributions. |
| Remaining-pin count | Shows how many freely placed pins you can still use. Host-point answers have a separate allowance. |
Finish or remove your current draft before starting another pin or a response at a different host point. A draft is not a submitted contribution; use the submit button to share it.
Example answer: place your pin beside the meadow and write I would leave a strip of grass uncut so insects have more places to live.
Respond at a host point
Open a host point and read its title, guidance and any attached images. When responses are enabled and intake is open, choose Respond here.
Complete the point's questions, then choose Submit response. Your answer remains attached to the host point. You do not need to find another location or spend one of your freely placed pins.
After submitting, Edit my response opens your saved answer for editing. If you close an unfinished response form, Continue response can reopen it. Discard response removes an unfinished answer; it does not remove the host's point.
My pins and My responses
In Canvas style, use My pins to open your saved contributions. The label becomes My responses when host-point responses are part of the activity. In Framed style, saved contributions can appear below the space.
| Element | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Saved-contribution count | Counts saved contributions in this view. A separate “of … submitted” count refers to independently placed pins. |
| Contribution entry | Shows your note, location and attached images. A host-point response uses the point's title. |
| Edit submitted Space Card pin / Edit response | Open your contribution for changes when editing is available. A response at a host point stays attached to that point. |
| Save | Apply edits to an existing contribution. |
| Cancel | Abandon the current edit and keep the saved contribution. |
| Delete submitted Space Card pin / Delete response | Open a confirmation for removing that contribution. |
| Delete pin / Confirm delete | Confirm removal. Deleting your own placed pin frees its allowance; deleting your response at a host point leaves the host point in place. |
| Close my pins / close button | Return to the space. Closing this panel does not delete saved contributions. |
If the host has closed intake, wait for the activity to reopen before adding new contributions. Check the on-screen state before assuming an edit or submission has been accepted.
Open and explore an image
Select an image thumbnail to open it at a larger size.
| Viewer element | What it does |
|---|---|
| Previous image / Next image | Move through the images attached to that contribution or point. These buttons stop at the first and last image. |
| Image count | Shows your position in that image set, such as 2/3. |
| Zoom in / Zoom out | Enlarge the image or move back towards its starting size. |
| Zoom percentage | Shows the current magnification. |
| Image surface | Pan around an enlarged image to inspect a detail. |
| Reset image view | Restore the image's starting view after zooming or panning. |
| Close image viewer | Return to the point or contribution you were reading. |
Run the activity and explore contributions
Space Card contributions
In Canvas style, Space Card contributions opens or closes the floating results panel. Its count includes submitted contributions, including responses attached to host points. A contribution count is not the same as a count of unique people or visible map markers.
Example: two people each answer at the pond and place one meadow pin. There are four contributions, while the two pond answers are attached to the existing pond marker.
| Panel element | What it does |
|---|---|
| Host-planned points | Lists prepared points for inspection. Select a row to focus it. Editable host views may list prepared points that are still hidden from the live map. |
| Expand / Collapse host pins | Open or fold the host-point list. |
| Response count on a host point | Shows how many submitted answers belong to that point. Open it to read them. |
| Group heading | Organises contributions by group when group information is available. Select the heading to expand or collapse the group. Main room identifies unassigned/main-room contributions. The count is for contributions in that group. |
| Participant heading | Select it to expand or collapse contributions from a person or temporary activity identity. Its colour dot identifies the displayed colour and its count shows that person's contributions. |
| Contribution entry | Shows its point/title, note fields, time, position and available images. Select it to focus its location. |
| Collapse all pins / Expand all pins | Fold or open contribution details to make a long list easier to scan. |
| Image thumbnail / View images | Open the attached images for closer inspection. |
| Close contributions | Close the floating panel to give the space more room. |
| Waiting for Space Card pins | No submitted contributions are being shown in this view yet. Check response visibility and any active result filter if you expect saved answers. |
| Live-location count | Shows how many shared current locations are visible when that feature is enabled. These are separate from submitted observations. |
Add a host pin during the live activity
Use New pin, then choose a place on the space or drag the placement control there. In New host pin, enter Pin title (optional) and choose Add pin. Cancel closes the dialog without adding the point.
The new point uses the latest regular host pin's appearance and response-field setup. It starts without that point's guidance, images or reveal schedule. Open the card editor when you need the full set of point options.
On the first live add/remove change, the original setup is kept as an adjacent card before the live copy. Later live pin edits continue in the live copy. The save notice confirms the operation.
Remove a pin during the activity
Remove host pin removes a planned point from the live copy after confirmation. The original setup and existing responses are retained; participants cannot add new responses at the removed point.
Remove pin on a participant contribution removes that submitted contribution after confirmation. Removing an independently placed participant pin makes a pin available to that participant again.
In the confirmation, Cancel keeps the pin and Remove pin carries out the removal. Read which kind of pin is being removed.
Card controls
| Control | Purpose and effect |
|---|---|
| Stop intake | Stop accepting new responses for the active card. Useful when it is time to discuss what people have submitted. |
| Open intake | Allow people to contribute again. |
| Hide responses | Withhold submitted responses from the host results presentation without deleting them. |
| Show responses | Show the submitted responses again. This is separate from revealing hidden host points. |
| Reset Respondent | Choose a respondent and clear that person's responses for this card after confirmation. Use it when one person needs a fresh attempt. The control is unavailable when there is no eligible individual response. |
| Respondent selector | In the respondent-reset confirmation, choose whose responses will be reset. |
| Reset Card | Clear responses for the active card after confirmation. Space Card's reveal state is also reset. The card's authored setup remains. |
| Reset all cards | Clear saved responses for the active Activity Card set in the current session. This includes other cards in that set, so use it only when you want to start that set's results again. The cards themselves remain. |
| Confirm Reset | Perform the selected respondent/card reset. |
| Cancel | Close the reset confirmation without performing it. |
The Space key can toggle response visibility when presentation shortcuts are active and focus is outside editing controls or dialogs. The labelled buttons are available when you prefer an explicit control.
After resetting, check Open intake if people still cannot submit. If a reveal has a scheduled time that is already past, it can become due again while the card is active.
Choose how the Space Card is presented
Styles → Space Card style
Canvas fills the activity area with the map or image and uses floating controls and panels. It is the initial Space Card style. Open contribution or detail panels when you need them, then close them to return attention to the space.
Framed puts the space within a framed card layout, with its surrounding content arranged in panels. It can be helpful when you want a more contained view.
This style choice applies to both host and participant screens. On smaller screens, panels and controls rearrange to fit; a closed panel can still be opened from its labelled button.
The uploaded space's Fit/Fill setting controls the image itself. Canvas/Framed controls the activity layout. They solve different display needs.
Preview and save
Use the editor preview to check text, image framing and the prepared points. A preview can show prepared reveal points so you can edit them; it is not proof that they will start visible in a live session. Some map previews defer interactive Google Maps until a live session.
Select Save in the card-set editor to persist your edits. Where the editor offers save choices:
- Replace existing Activity Card set: save over the set you are editing.
- Save as new Activity Card set: save a separate copy.
- Cancel: leave the save-choice panel without choosing either option.
Unsaved changes means there are edits still to save. If you try to close the editor, Keep Editing returns to the work and Discard & Close discards those pending edits. The Saved! status confirms a completed save.
Use a practice live session to check the participant journey, reveal behaviour and collected responses before relying on them in a group activity.
When something looks different
| What you notice | What to check |
|---|---|
| I cannot find Google Maps. | Check Space source and the host's map access. The current editor labels Google Maps as a Pro feature. An uploaded image is another available space source. |
| The planning area is empty. | In Self-uploaded space mode, upload an image first. |
| A host point disappeared after switching source. | Image positions and geographical positions belong to different source modes. Return to the appropriate source and inspect its points. |
| The replacement image has points in odd places. | Existing points keep their relative positions. Move them to match the new image. |
| Participants cannot place pins. | Check Enable participant pins, intake, the remaining allowance, whether saved pins are still loading and whether a draft needs finishing. |
| A point has guidance but no answer button. | Enable Allow responses at this point and provide its fields. Also check that the point is visible and intake is open. |
| I answered a point, but I cannot see a new marker. | That answer belongs to the existing host point. Open the point or My responses. |
| I cannot submit an empty pin. | Add at least one note or an allowed image. |
| I cannot add a photo. | Check card permissions, plan access, image count, file type and the 5 MB participant-image limit. Host-point images have a separate 3 MB limit. |
| I have used all my pins. | Review or edit existing pins. Deleting one freely placed pin restores a place in your allowance. Host-point responses do not use that allowance. |
| People submitted, but the host view looks empty. | Check Show responses and any active result filter. Open Space Card contributions. A preview is different from a live results view. |
| I can see a reveal point in the editor. | The editor shows prepared content. Check its visibility in the live activity. |
| A scheduled point remains hidden. | Check its date/time, whether it was hidden manually, whether this card is active in the running host session, and any reveal error. You can use Reveal manually. |
| The route is missing on participant phones. | The route overlay is provided on the host screen. Participants still see the map and points. |
| The host route is unavailable. | Check Google Maps mode, the route switch and the supported point count. The points remain usable if route calculation fails. |
| Locate me does not work. | Check browser location permission. You can still navigate the map and place a pin manually where placement is enabled. |
| I want everyone to see a photo, but it only appears for the host. | Check whether it is supporting media with participant visibility off, or an Appearance background, which is host decoration. |
| A panel covers the space on a phone. | Close the details, image viewer or contributions panel, then reopen it when needed. Closing a saved-contributions panel does not delete its contents. |
Useful limits at a glance
These are the values in the implementation reviewed for this draft. Plan availability and limits should be rechecked when the guide is published.
| Item | Current value |
|---|---|
| Activity Card title | Up to 250 characters |
| Additional Instructions | Up to 10,000 text characters; formatting also has a separate size limit |
| General host image upload, including the uploaded space | Up to 20 MB per file |
| Host-point images | Up to 5; JPG, PNG or WebP; up to 3 MB each |
| Participant images | Configurable 1–5 per contribution, initially 3; JPG, PNG or WebP; up to 5 MB each |
| Participant image access | Standard and Pro, with uploads enabled for the card |
| Uploaded pin icon | PNG, JPG or WebP; up to 1 MB; reduced to a small map icon |
| Freely placed pins per participant | 1–100, initially 1 |
| Fields on freely placed participant pins | Up to 12 text fields; the host-point response form is configured separately |
| Responses at one enabled host point | One editable response per participant, separate from freely placed pins |
| Google Maps access | Pro in the current editor |
| Map setup zoom | 1–20 in the editor |
| Travel route | 2–12 supported route points |
| Initial source and layout | Self-uploaded space; Canvas; Fit |
| Initial anonymity / location sharing | Anonymous activity off; live participant locations off |
Take the idea somewhere else
- Museum detectives: upload a floor plan, prepare exhibit points and ask “What surprised you here?”
- Inside a leaf: upload a diagram and invite participants to pin a structure and explain its job.
- A better library: collect proposed quiet zones, reading corners and accessibility improvements on a plan.
- Look again: use a photograph or artwork and ask everyone to pin a detail other people might miss.
- Neighbourhood stories: use Google Maps to collect observations about places and discuss them on the host screen.
Start with one clear task and a small number of points. Add questions, pictures and reveals when they help people notice, explain or discuss something worth exploring.