How-to guides

Story Trail, step by step

You don't need to be good with phones or computers to use Story Trail. These guides go one screen at a time, with a picture of what you should be seeing at each step.

Each guide stands on its own, so jump to the one you need.

Walking a trail

For anyone following a trail with the Story Trail app on an iPhone or an Android phone.

  1. 1 Walk a trail: compass view, AR view, and what the lights mean Find a trail, follow the compass, then hold your phone up and see the path drawn on the footpath in front of you. How to switch between the two views, what the little coloured lights mean, and the one thing in your pocket that can throw the whole thing off. About 5 minutes to read, then as long as the walk takes

Building a trail in Suburb Historian

For local historians putting their suburb's story on the map. If you've never used Suburb Historian before, start at the top.

  1. 1 Start a study and get your first draft From a blank page to a full draft trail: choosing a suburb, checking what the research found, and letting Suburb Historian write the first version of every stop. About 10 minutes of your time, plus 15–20 minutes of waiting
  2. 2 Build a trail by hand, without the AI Already know the story you want to tell? Find your suburb, start an empty study, and write the trail yourself: every stop, every word, every photo. About 30–45 minutes for a three-stop trail, most of it writing
  3. 3 Connect Claude to Story Trail Add Story Trail as a connector in Claude, so you can ask it to find real history walks, or (as a historian) to read, tidy and publish your own studies by chatting. About 5 minutes

Coming next

We're writing these as we go, starting with the things people ask about most:

Is there something you'd like explained? Tell us at hello@storytrail.app. The question you're asking is probably one someone else has too.