With the app update 2.16.7, we have made a few changes to our map styles.

Various map styles are available to you in the Bound settings. The style you have selected will be displayed to the players in your Bound in Find spot elements and on the map in the menu in the app. Note: Only one style per Bound can be selected.

Important: All styles from Stamen (Terrain, Toner and Watercolour) will be replaced by alternatives from OpenStreetMap.

Note: The style "Google Melanzani" is no longer selectable for your Bounds. You had set this style for your Bound? Don't worry, it will still be displayed to your players.

As a general rule, players with older versions of the Actionbound app will be shown OpenStreetMap Bright if maps are not available.

The preview in the Bound Creator also only ever shows OpenStreetMap Bright.

The following styles are available until further notice:

• Google Maps Aerial

• Google Maps

• OpenStreetMap Basic (new)

• OpenStreetMap Bright
• OpenStreetMap Liberty (new)
• OpenStreetMap Positron (new)
• OpenStreetMap Toner (replacement)
• OpenStreetMap Darkmatter (new)
• OpenStreetMap Qaunt (new)
• OpenStreetMap Klokantech 3D (new)
• OpenStreetMap Fiord Colour (new)
• OpenStreetMap High Contrast Pattern (new)

Want to know how to choose from the different styles? Then take a look at our manual in the article on map styles. There you will also learn how to create a track visible on maps for your players.

Have fun trying it out!

Time and again, we at Actionbound are confronted with a question from our users. "Is Actionbound actually barrier-free?". Here is the blog post that answers the question and offers tips and tricks on how to reduce barriers. So we are not completely barrier-free, but our software still offers starting points on how to easily reduce barriers and design content that is suitable for the target group.

Let's take a closer look at this:

Actionbound can be used to create individual routes, rallies and games. The content is filled in by the creators in our Bound Creator. The players then play the Bound on their mobile devices. Depending on the target group, it is important to prepare the content in such a way that it is understandable and, of course, fun.

Actionbound is for EVERYONE! Inclusion is an important part of our society that aims to provide equal opportunities for participation and development. This also applies in the field of digital learning.

Here are some specific application tips:

READING

The contents of the Bounds can be read aloud by the players. At the beginning of the Bound, a person can be selected to read the contents to the group. Or there can be a game master responsible for reading.

A good option for solo players would be to read the text out loud and, for example, create practice videos with creative tasks. This way, you can review the reading success in the results afterward.

Unfortunately, there is no built-in read-aloud function in the app. However, the texts can be recorded by the creators of the Bound during the development phase and integrated into the individual elements as audio files. This allows players to listen to the texts while reading them. If necessary, the texts could also be narrated by professional speakers. This way, the Bound becomes an immersive auditory experience.

In general, when it comes to texts, it is advisable to pay attention to the following:

• Simple language
• Short sentences
• Paragraph breaks after each sentence
• Not too many sentences in one element
• Highlight words and sentences using Markdown formatting

With our extra feature, the Bound Styler, you have the option to customize fonts and background colors. If you are interested in this topic, get more information from our sales team.

LISTENING

Engage your players' senses and allow them to perceive your content auditorily. Give their eyes a little break and use the option to upload audio files. Don't just record texts, as mentioned above; use sounds or music as well.

Enhance your audio recordings with sound effects and music. Use the option to insert sounds in quiz tasks. For example, you can ask what sound is being heard or have players respond with sounds. You can find many licence-free sounds on the internet for free download. Alternatively, you can easily record sounds and voice messages with your smartphone and upload them to your media library. Give this option a try!

Making it even easier with audio files: Have you heard of our native audio player? We've written an entire blog article about this feature. With this setting, you can, for example, adjust the playback speed. Additionally, you have the option to continue playing the files while in standby mode. No more interruptions. If you're interested in this topic, click here.

PRESENTING & CREATING

Use pictures, illustrations, videos, audio files etc. when designing your Bound. Be creative in the design and avoid walls of text. Present your content to your target group. Or almost (even) better: Let your target group generate the content! Use the Task element and let your players get creative. How do they see the city? What is their favourite place? With photo and video tasks, you can address your players directly and involve them in what you want to convey. When the Bound is finished and the files are uploaded, you as the creator can find the files in your settings. Create a collage from the pictures and let the experience resonate.

TRY OUR INCLUSION-BOUND

Want to see what a Bound could look like? Then take a look at our example Bound. Here, the character Sidney Simple guides you through the Bound and explains the individual elements with a focus on inclusion. Download the Actionbound app for free and scan the starting code at the bottom of the page.

Have fun trying out and developing your Bound idea. We always appreciate your feedback. Do you have an exciting Bound project? Feel free to reach out to us! :)

Our IT has conjured up something new again: You can now have your Bound sections played randomly.

You can easily select this in your Bound settings. You can find them in your dashboard on the left side at the third position (wrench) directly above the button with your results of your Bound. Just click on it and then you can set the Stages order to Random on the right side.

Don't forget to update your Bound version after the change. You can do this in your Bound profile under "Publish".

If you want all your players to have an intro and outro, you can also set this. This is useful if you want to explain the rules of the game or welcome your players in the intro. The same is true for the outro. Here you can say goodbye to your players, say a few final words and for example refer to further bounds of yours. How to handle the intro and the outro separately you can find here: Just set a checkmark at Intro and/or Outro and the first and the last Stage will be played in any case.

The Stages in between can be played randomly in game mode. Your players won't know what will happen next. Surprise guaranteed.

The random sequence of Stages is useful for smaller quiz sections, for example, or if movement tasks have to be solved per section. In a group it is especially fun to work with the random Stages order, because you can be surprised together which tasks have to be solved.

Try the following: Additionally limit the playing time and set the task of completing as many sections as possible in 15 minutes. Let's see who can do the most!

Small tip: If you create a rally with GPS coordinates, you should make sure that the paths work for all Stages combinations.

Small disclaimer: If your Bound is downloaded and saved, then the order will not change the second time you play. If you want to reshuffle your Stages, it's best to download your Bound again. Then the Stages will be reshuffled.

Have fun trying it out!

Actionbound was created as tool to digitise the classic scavenger hunt and make it more intuitive. The fact that you can do this easily with our software is probably well known, but it's not the only thing you can put together with our software. Have you ever tried to develop Bounds that can be played from anywhere? No matter if sofa or forest, city or country. Here we provide you with a few simple tips and tricks on how you can create a location-independent Bound.

The classic Escape Game

Yes, it's true. Actionbound can also be used to create Escape Games. You don't need GPS coordinates for this. Important: Make notes at the beginning. What is it all about and what should happen in the individual sections? Where should the players "puzzle" their way out of? Does the Bound only work for one person, or does it need a team? Our Stages help you to structure your location-independent Bound. In each Stage, the players could, for example, puzzle their way through rooms or question fictitious people. For example, one puzzle could be solved per Stage. Just try it out. It always makes sense to start with simple puzzles and then increase the difficulty as the game progresses. Another tip for Actionbound pros: If you build Switches into your Escape Game, you can develop different paths. In any case, you should test, test, test beforehand.

A quiz to test one's knowledge

The quiz format is often used in education. You can create simple quizzes with Actionbound. The format is very suitable, for example, to check homework or to introduce a new topic. Tip: Too simple quiz questions will quickly bore your players and make the game experience monotonous. Try to pimp your Bound with creative questions and use photos and audio recordings to convey your content. Your quiz Bound should last no longer than 20 minutes in total to keep the game fun.

One Bound - different locations

Would you like to use Actionbound to bring places to life for players, even if they can't visit and discover them on site? Simply create a Bound that can be played from anywhere. Stages will help you structuring your Bound. Create a fictional character, for example a guide, who accompanies the players from place to place. Level up your Bound by adding different media like audio recordings. Use quiz questions to test your players' knowledge. Actionbound tip: Let your fictional character interact with your players. Questions like "Where are you right now?", "What does your environment look like?", "What places do you like to visit?" make your Bound more lively and you will get many different reactions, no matter where the Bound is played. Just give it a try.

Have you ever created a location-independent Bound? Can you still play it? We are always happy to receive links on our social networks.

There are new features to try out again! Change the Bound language while playing directly in the app, have your texts translated in the Bound Creator or end a Bound after the playing time has expired.

Since last year, it has been possible to offer a Bound in multiple languages with the premium feature "Multilingual Bounds". Now we have added even more functions to the feature.

In the app, players could previously only choose one of the translations stored in the Bound settings when starting the Bound. Now changing is also possible while playing the Bound!

This is how it works: Use the menu in the app to select a language from the translations stored for a bound. And you can continue playing in Spanish, for example.

Tip: As a creator you not only have the possibility to use known languages, it is also possible to create a fantasy language or to store your texts in different language levels or Special English.

Also new: Thanks to our DeepL extension you can add translations of your texts with one click.

This is how it works: Add a translation to your Bound in the settings. Click on the translate icon in the upper right corner of the translation tool and be patient for a moment

The translated texts will be inserted directly into the individual fields (or elements). You will also find your media and formatting, such as paragraphs and Markdown commands, in the translation.

Note: Make sure that the media you use, such as images or videos, are understandable to players of any language. Both the license information and any images or language in videos should be provided to your players in the language of their choice. If you want to include a medium in another language, it is best to include it in the Bound Creator so that you can first cut it out of the primary language in the translation tool and then paste it into the translation at the desired location.

You made minor adjustments in the primary language? THose concerned elements are marked with an exclamation mark (!). Adjust the translation, by clicking on the translation icon to the right of those concerned elements.

Data protection notice: The data sent to DeepL is processed on German servers and deleted directly after translation at the provider.

You can find the currently available languages of DeepL here.

Timing is everything - Limit the playing time of your Bounds

We recommend that you give your players an indication of how long a round of your bound will take. In the Bound settings under playing time you enter the corresponding time (in minutes).

Now select one of the two modes. Playing time as a recommendation gives your players orientation without further consequences, as before. Playing time ends Bound, on the other hand, imposes a time limit on the entire Bound. After the time limit has expired, players can still complete the current element, after which the Bound is ended and the ranking is displayed.

This way you can give your players an extra motivation boost or increase the fun of the game with a little bit of pressure. You decide!

Note: The playing time is a licensed feature. Check out our new feature overview here.

It is still possible to add a time limit to quiz elements.

If you are interested in the features, please contact our sales team at sales@actionbound.de.

The university in all its shapes and colors is quite complex and multifaceted. For first-year students in particular, both the building itself and the whole surrounding area can seem very overwhelming and intimidating. This is exactly where Actionbound comes in: Just in time for the start of the semester, there are tips and tricks on everyday university life and how to use Actionbound.

The interactive campus tour

Where is the cafeteria? Where can I borrow books? Where can I find the Unicafé and where is the Audimax? You can tell that the semester is starting again by the small groups of first-year students walking across campus and being guided from one station to the next. But not all students have time on the scheduled day or take longer to find certain places on the sprawling campus. Many universities are already using Actionbound to make the start of the semester more interactive and time independent.

Fun and games can be used to interactively explore the campus. Unlike a guided tour, the locations are discovered by the students themselves. Actionbound tours can of course also be created for groups. This is ideal for student councils, for example, or for rallies on campus.

Here are a few selected examples of campus tours with Actionbound:

• Click through the Campus Tour of the South Australian Institute of Business & Technology (SAIBT). Campus Tour SAIBT

• The Technical University of Munich offers a tour of the campus in Garching. There is a lot to discover in this area. Campus Tour TUM

• The Geisenheim University of Applied Sciences in Hesse also developed a tour for English-speaking students. Click here to check it out.

Scientific papers, seminars and co.

You are preparing a seminar paper or your thesis and you are still missing the whole part with the surveys? No problem. Actionbound can help here, too. You can easily insert your surveys into our software and your testers can start the bound via QR code. You can view the results on your account and easily integrate them into your work.

Bounds can also be used for presentations or group work. You want to introduce to a new theme or convey content in a playful way, then just try to build a Bound. It's super easy and fun on top of that. Bounds can also be designed explicitly for groups and do not necessarily have to be location-dependent. You can also create location-independent bounds. Just give it a try!

Some scientific articles on the Actionbound learning method have already been published. A list of the articles can be found here.

Create your everyday life with Actionbound

Studying does not always mean sitting in seminars and looking for books in the library. For most students, it is the first time in their own flat or shared flat, or alone in a new city. Have you ever thought about bounds that might add value to your free time? How about a flat-rate Bound? Elements in the Bound-Creator can be assigned with switches. These are then played, for example, on different days of the week. Who has to clean the bathroom and the kitchen when? Who lives in your flat anyway? The boring flat cleaning plan was yesterday - with Actionbound you can make it more digital and much more fun. Or how about a pub quiz or city tours especially for students? Or weekend trips with the circle of friends or or or.

Try our campus tours bound

Actionbound fits perfectly into the university context. Want to see what a Bound could look like? Then take a look at our example Bound. Download the Actionbound app for free and scan the starting code at the bottom of the page.

Have fun trying out and developing your Bound idea. We always appreciate your feedback. Have you ever built or played a Bound specifically in this theme area? Feel free to reach out to us and to link us to our social networks.! :)

Wouldn't it be nice to have a Bound available in different languages without having several QR codes? Imagine creating a Bound in the Creator and then be asked for the language when starting the Bound in the app. Fortunately, this dream has now come true.

It's finally here, our new premium feature: the translation tool!

It has never been easier to edit and offer a Bound translated in different languages. Find out how it works here:
Our translation feature can be booked for a fee on request. If you are interested, simply contact our sales team. Once booked, you will find the premium feature on your Bound dashboard in the Settings section. Your translation feature will appear directly under the estimated Bound duration. Select a primary language and add as many translations as you like.

For example: You create a Bound in your usual language – let's say English – and want to offer it e.g. in Spanish as well. So your primary language would be English and you add another language. Simply select Spanish as desired language and click on Add. At the moment, you can choose from 21 languages in total.

After adding the translation the tool will open. On the left side you will see all your Bound elements in your chosen primary language. On the right-hand side, you can enter the translated texts of your elements and copy your media, if available.

When a field is filled in, the small red exclamation mark in the top right-hand corner disappears, the element is now translated and the translation is saved. If you want, you can also download all the elements in your primary language as an Excel list, translate them there and then simply upload them again. Two possibilities lead to the same result. Your media appears in square brackets, just like in the Bound Creator.

Another very convenient feature is that the Bound translations adapt to the app language (only available for default languages). For example, if the app language is set to Spanish and a Bound with a translation in Spanish is selected, it automatically suggests the Spanish version. You can also change the language again at this point. Nice!

Even more possibilities: Create several versions of your Bound at different levels of difficulty. Your primary language would be Easy and your additional languages would be Medium and Hard. At the beginning of the Bound, your players can choose which level they want to play.

You want to offer your Bound in a language that is not available? No problem! You can also easily add a new language. So, how about a Bound in Elvish?

Do you have any questions about the translation feature and/or would you like to try it out? Just contact our sales team at sales@actionbound.com or call +49-30-12083317.

Have fun trying it out!

We now offer two new ways for you to use uploaded media more individually: an image editing feature and a native audio player.

Editing images

Do you want your images to be larger or smaller? Or maybe not left aligned? All this and much more can now be done easily with our improved settings. Simply insert your desired image from your media library into the Creator. Now just click on the cog in the Bound preview and you have a whole range of new possibilities at your disposal.

Choose section:
If you only want a certain section of your image to appear in the element, you can easily select your image section here.

Replace:
If you click on Replace you will end up in your media library. This makes exchanging pictures even easier.

Width:
Choose how wide you want your image to be. Simply drag the slider from left to right and the width of your image will change accordingly.

Alignment:
Choose between four options where you would like to place your picture should in the element. Do you want it to be the centerpiece or should it be on the right side?

Text flow:
Do you want your text to scroll next to your image? Then activate this option.

Zoom:
Do you know the little magnifying glass in the pictures? It appears on the image once you see the item in the app. If you don't want the magnifying glass to appear, you can easily hide it here. You need a license to use this feature.

Native audio player

Until now, inserted audio files appeared only as a simple play button in the app. In addition, the file broke off when the standby mode of the device was (involuntarily) activated.

Our new native audio player gives licensed creators and their players more options. A cog appears to the right of your file in the Bound preview. By clicking this icon, you can switch on the native audio player.

Important: You must switch on the native audio player individually for each inserted audio file!

The audio file will now appear in a new design for your players and contain more possibilities:

• no cancelling playback in standby mode
• pausing, resuming and browsing through the file are now possible
• the playback speed can be adjusted (Creator & App)

The bottom line is: more comfort for everyone! Plus a little gimmick for audio puzzles when the playback speed has to be adjusted first to understand everything.

!Check out our Manual if you like to know how things work in detail. Have fun experimenting with the new features!

We are happy to announce that we have a new answer mode for the quiz in the Bound Creator: the Cloze!

Again and again we receive messages from the community with wishes and suggestions for Actionbound . We are happy to announce that another new feature has made it into the Creator!

From now on you can ask cloze quiz questions. The feature can be found in the "Quiz" element under the different answer modes. You can create as many gaps as you want. Also here you can give partial points for not completely correctly solved questions via "Locker score".

How to create your cloze task:

In your Bound Creator you will find the cloze in the Quiz element at the very bottom when you select the answer mode.

You can easily mark your gaps in your text element with curly brackets. Be careful not to put a space after the brackets, otherwise this will be part of the correct answer.

Tip: For long texts, you can specify the missing words in the task.

Have fun trying it out and we are looking forward to your feedback! Send us your cloze tasks via Instagram or Facebook! We are always happy about links.

Missions and quizzes can now be shuffled within stages

We are happy to present a new feature - randomizing elements. Within stages you can now have players play each mission oder question randomly or just one random element. Simply activate the feature in the settings of each stage and select the desired modus.

Your goal as a teacher is to inspire your students with attractive and contemporary lessons? Actionbound can help!

Using Actionbound you can easily create digital educational adventures that use the playful approach of a scavenger hunt. Your students can then use the Actionbound app to play the so-called Bounds.

Create your own Bounds according to your wishes and the demands of your lesson planning. You can combine a variety of different elements– quizzes, tasks, media, GPS-coordinates, QR-Codes, and many more. You don’t need to be able to program– in fact, the Bound creator at www.actionbound.com has received a number of accolades for its ease of use.

Versatile and Interdisciplinary

The method is suitable for all subjects. It’s perfect for field trips, but is also ideal for working on projects– students can create their own bounds for different themes, which the other pupils can then play. You can also use Actionbound to create a customized tour of your city or town for your students. Examples of other use cases include botanical tours, local history tours, historical political tours, or mathematical journeys of discovery.

„In an educational setting, the digital scavenger hunt is especially interesting,as the borders of the educational space of the school are broken and the pedagogy extends into the everyday lives of the students. In terms of the content, Actionbound is a tool with lots of potential applications. So long as a spirit of discovery promises to contribute to student success, Actionbound can play a role. It could be used in preparing students for a trip to a museum or for a field trip with real connection to the syllabus, such as a courthouse scavenger hunt or identifying plants."

Regional Academy for Continuing Education and Professional Development Actionbound Background and Introduction (German)

„Cooperation in groups also develops students’ social skills. Using tablets really motivates students.“

Schreiber, Ch. & Schulz, K. (2017) Actionbound – virtuelle Schnitzeljagd. Mathematische Aspekte in der Umwelt spielerisch entdecken. Mathematik differenziert, 1/2017, 22-25

„Actionbound is a contemporary tool that shows the potential of smartphones in educational settings in an impressive form.“

Baier, F. & Gottein H.-P. (2016) Mobile Learning am Beispiel Actionbound. Pädagogische Hochschule Salzburg, Hochschulschrift - PHScript 10 Schwerpunkt MEDIEN, 47-52, German

Literature as well as more information about using Actionbound in schools is available Google Google.

Try Actionbound yourself with a free 14-day trial period.

Actionbound wird bereits an vielen Schulen genutzt und wurde mehrfach ausgezeichnet.

The Teacher’s and Educational Licenses have been specially developed for pedagogical use. They’ll make it easy for you to get started. As a teacher you can use these licenses without any limitation in terms of the number of participants or the Bounds created. Your pupils can also create their own Bounds using your Teacher’s License– so it’s simple for you to protect your student’s privacy.

A new version (2.8.0) of the Actionbound app was just released.

The update contains:

• Due to popular demand, we bring a new feature: Record audio!
• Global ranking shown when finishing a Bound
• Uploaded media can be removed
• Improvement of the count down timer
• Bug fixes
• Bounds that can be started with a ticket only

We wish you lots of fun with Actionbound and are looking forward to your feedback and rating in the app stores of Apple or Google :)

Download the current version of the Actionbound app for free: