Play it by ear.

Play it by ear is a location-aware application for mobile phones which allows users to find out what's happening around them. Tailored for out-of-town visitors, it encourages a more spontaneous exploration of a city by focusing on the here and now.

Finding out what is happening and what to do in another city upon arrival can be challenging - especially as a tourist. People use a variety of resources, including personal contacts, other travelers and staff from their lodging, tour guides, travel guides, maps, newspapers and the internet.

Many travelers leave their loding in the morning and do not have access to some of these resources while out exploring. Many people therefore plan their days or nights in advance and are somewhat bound to these decisions. We aimed at designing an interface for a system which allows visitors to find out about and attend events while on the go.

Play it by ear loads event information from Upcoming.org and displays it either in a list or on a map, based on the user's current location. In emphasizing events currently taking place or about to start in the near future and in the close vicinity of the user, Play it by ear makes visitors more aware of their surrounding, augmenting the visual cues one gets from walking down the streets of an unknown city.

By enabling users to make decisions on the go, the application encourages users to explore their surroundings more freely and spontaneously, in other words: play it by ear.