Testing

Before publishing your tour, you'll need to test it with "scratch" audio, which we generate using text to speech technology.

Testing is an important step in the process of publishing your tour because it allows us to identify the types of issues that are only obvious on the ground, when you're actually doing a tour. These might be areas where GPS accuracy is lower than expected, for example, or directions that made sense sitting at your desk, looking at your map, but turn out to be confusing when you're following them in person. Thorough tests with scratch audio also save you from the much more tedious and time-consuming job of re-recording sections of your tour.

Preparing for tests

Once the script has been edited, you can use save with text to speech to quickly add scratch audio to your tour. We'll also provide you with a test report sheet to use for feedback.

You can download the tour by logging into VoiceMap's mobile apps using the same account you're using in Mapmaker, where the tour will appear at the top of the My Tours tab. Make sure that your permissions under Settings allow VoiceMap to use your location at all times.

What are you testing for?

When you test your tour, you're specifically looking for the following:

• Directions and accuracy: Do the directions get the listener to the right places? Are there any points where you might get lost or confused?
• Location triggers: Do the audio tracks start at the right time and in the right place? Is the audio triggered too early, too late, or not at all?
• Audio length vs walking distance: Is the audio for each location the right length for the walking distance? Does the track finish before you reach the next trigger, or does it overlap?
• Descriptions: Do the things you're describing match what the listener will actually see? Have there been any changes since you wrote the script?

Providing feedback

Use the test report sheet to mark up every issue you notice. Be specific, by suggesting that the location is moved ten metres forward or five metres to the left, for example, or to a particular landmark. A track might not play at all if it wasn't triggered due to the length of the previous track. If the length wasn't an issue and the track simply isn't playing, we'll then need to troubleshoot this.

Troubleshooting

While testing you might run into the following issues:

• Some locations aren't playing audio at all
• Some tracks aren't starting when/where they should
• You receive our Lost Warning

In most cases, we can determine what the issue is if you send us a screen shot of what is happening in the app while you're out testing the tour.

Some locations aren't playing audio

If this occurs, the first step is to determine whether the track before is still playing when you reach the trigger for the problematic track. You can figure this out while on the test walk. If you're in the trigger zone for the next track and the previous track is still playing, then this is likely the reason the next one was not triggered.

In this situation, we'll need to either reduce the previous track's audio, or reposition the current track to trigger later.

Some tracks aren't starting when/where they should

If you're in the trigger zone and the previous track has finished, but the next track is not playing, send us a screenshot of the blue dot showing your actual location relative to the trigger zone. If there's a significant discrepancy between your real location and where the GPS thinks you are, we may need to enlarge or reposition the trigger zone.

You receive our Lost Warning

VoiceMap has a feature called the Lost Warning, which lets listeners know that they've gone off track and are no longer following the route line. It should only play when they've gone off track but sometimes due to GPS interference, it can play even when they're following the route line perfectly. GPS interference can be caused by tall buildings, narrow streets or bad weather.

If, while testing the tour, you hear our Lost Warning then look at the map on your screen to determine whether where the blue dot is corresponds with your current location. If it doesn't correspond and it's a block or two from your actual location, then you're probably hearing our Lost Warning because of GPS interference. Send your editor a screen shot and a detailed description of what occurred as this will help us determine the best cause of action.

In some cases, we may determine that the best cause of action is to disable the Lost Warning. We'll usually do this for tours that go through tunnels or follow a narrow, walled pathway that only goes in one direction.

Using tests and feedback

Once you've compiled your test notes, send them to your editor. They'll make adjustments to the location triggers, radii, and directions as needed, and may ask you to do another test to verify the changes.

Most tours need at least two rounds of testing before they're ready for publishing. It might feel like a lot of work, but it makes a real difference to the listener experience.