Map-it.be is the online platform for the Map-it project, a mapping tool aimed to mediate the uncertainty that is often present in participatory design processes, as well as to engage the participants (no matter of their technical or linguistic background) in creating, criticising, and reflecting on their on-going project. The website offers not only information on the project and a guideline through how it works, but it also gives the possibility to download the Map-it toolkit on the basis of creating a free account. After your mapping session, you can also share the story in a Mapping Report.
How can I share my mapping experiences?
We are always curious about how a mapping session plays out! For that we’ve created the Mapping Reports section. There you can find examples of previous mapping sessions and by clicking Create Mapping Report you can fill out the form and send us your story. Photos and videos are more than welcomed.
How do I create a mapping kit?
First, you will need to register for a MAP-it user account. The registration of a new account is completely free of charge! Then, you can login to the MAP-it website and create your own mapping kit by clicking Mapping Tools on the top of the homepage. If you click Create New Mapping Kit in the sub-menu, you can easily create a mapping kit by following the step-by-step instructions.
If I want to upload an icon or card, can I upload any file format?
No, unfortunately not. The allowed file format for uploading icons or cards is .SVG (maximum 3MB). SVG files can be created relatively easy by using the open source software Inkscape, CoreDRAW or Adobe Illustrator.
How do I change the colors of an icon while generating a PDF?
If you created your MAP-(k)it and you are ready to download a PDF-version of it, you can modify the number of groups participating and ascribe different colours to different groups. You can do this by, first, selecting the number of groups that are participating in your mapping. Second, you can click the colour boxes to change the colours of your sticker sheets. You can also choose whether you are using pre-cut sticker sheets or normal paper and move the content to left and top of your sticker sheet.
Where do I get the mapping supplies for my MAP-it mapping?
You can buy the MAP-it publication at the Acco bookshop, which includes the booklet including a manual, some example MAP-it sessions and maps, as well as enough sticker sheets with which you can do 1 MAP-it session. If you need more sticker-sheets, please write us at info@socialspaces.be
Can you help me in organizing my MAP-it mapping?
Yes, we can! MAP-it is easy, low-tech and flexible to work with. So, it should be possible to do a MAP-it mapping by yourself. However, our researchers can guide you through the complete MAP-it process: from defining a research question to customizing a designed MAP-it kit. We are also available to moderate your Map-it mapping. If you’re interested, please contact research group Social Spaces viainfo@socialspaces.be
How to create a new icon?
You can create your own icons by uploading an SVG-file. There are 2 things to keep in mind for your SVG to make use of all the MAP-it website functionality.
1) Design shapes with the web-colour "111111" (or RGB colour R=17, G=17, B=17). The MAP-it website changes this colour to a user-custom colour when generating the sticker sheet PDF's. This allows for mapping with a different colour for each group. It's advisable to use colour "000000" for text so it doesn't change and stays readable at all times.
2) To make the text of your icon translatable by yourself and others, write "Variable" in a text field. You can later add and translate the text of your choice in the system. To make sure that every user can enter his/her own text every time a mapping kit is made, use "Input" as the text of the text field. Adding centered text-fields in Inkscape or other design software can be a challenge, since the software does some changes when saving the file. Our work-around is to open the SVG file using a plain text-editor, and to add the textfield by pasting the folowing XML tag within the tags:
Variable
Once you save the edit in the text-editor you can open the SVG file in Inkscape and you can position the text-field and save it. Inkscape will keep the proper text-definition.
