Obstacles and Outcomes

As is almost always the case when launching a technology, the You Are Here project demonstrated that real people will always do something different with your system than what you expect. Fortunately, however, this guarantees that the effort will be a true learning experience.

This was certainly the case for You Are Here, as our public launches and installations highlighted some key design limitations of the system. While the technical hiccups were relatively easy to address, user expectations proved a thornier problem. As we discuss in more detail in the next section, clearly and effectively signaling both the presence and purpose of the You Are Here nodes to unfamiliar audiences remains a significant challenge.

Technological Limitations

Our initial design for the You Are Here project included the idea that it would be both open-source and inexpensive, as well as predominantly offline. While we did modify some of these original goals in order to improve accessibility, we also discovered during launch that some of the technology that was fine for a prototype had to be replaced once the You Are Here unit was placed in a public “production” environment.

We discovered one such situation during the launch event for our Tompkins Square Park unit, as attendees told us they were having trouble connecting to the network, or that they were able to connect but then were quickly “booted off.” After team members Sarah Grant and Dan Phiffer did some fast analysis, it became clear that the source of the problem was a piece of software called HostAPD, which stands for Host Access Point Device. This open-source software is designed to let any Wi-Fi card act as a router. In a typical case, someone might want to use this so that their phone can connect to their laptop’s Wi-Fi adapter and share its internet connection. In the case of You Are Here, the unit relied on the HostAPD software to transform the Wi-Fi card that came with the Raspberry Pi into a router, which is what creates the actual You Are Here network that listeners and contributors connect to.

Unfortunately, however, while HostAPD worked effectively for a handful of devices, it would block or drop users when it was overwhelmed—a common issue with similar projects.³⁶ As a result, we ended up removing HostAPD and instead connecting a small, physical access point³⁷ to the You Are Here unit, which was able to successfully manage more connections.

Usage and Interaction Limitations

Similar to other offline projects, the biggest hurdle that You Are Here faced was user expectations around unknown, open Wi-Fi networks. While our monitoring of the You Are Here devices was intentionally limited, we noted that many users who connected to the network often logged off after only a few seconds, presumably discouraged that it did not provide a way to connect to the internet. Especially at the High Line location, a heavily trafficked tourist destination, this pattern of use was particularly evident. This highlights the fact that using familiar technologies in an unfamiliar way requires carefully tested and calibrated messaging to a degree that was ultimately out of the scope of this project. While our host partners were extremely generous in letting us install the You Are Here units on their premises (which included mounting brackets into a wall behind the main door at the Blind Barber), they understandably stopped short of allowing us to mount posters in the window that described the project and how it worked. While we did leave bright, graphic postcards at both locations and surrounding businesses, these would only be accessible during business hours and to patrons of those particular enterprises. Moreover, web and social media efforts to raise awareness about the project—such as blog posts and Twitter promotion—have an obviously limited reach. While they may activate and intrigue our existing online networks, by design the project requires physical proximity to a particular location. It is easy to imagine how a Venn diagram of these audiences may never overlap.

By far the most successful engagement we found with the system was during our launch events. As team members explained the project’s design and intent to attendees, we found that many people were intrigued and inspired by the idea. At the Blind Barber, for example, an employee who happened to be present during the unit’s installation excitedly shared with us how he wanted to involve musicians who would be performing in the park the next day by having them contribute their stories and songs. While this was unfortunately before some of the technological glitches were completely resolved, it indicated a kind of enthusiasm that we believe many would share if they understood the purpose and possibilities of the project.