Questions and answers

Knowing Before Going is a web app for short video social stories about real places. A café, church, school, clinic or venue films what happens during a visit and adds the steps in words. Visitors scan the QR code at the place, or search for it, and watch on their phone, so they know what to expect before they go.

A social story is a short, simple description of a situation or activity that helps someone know what to expect. The approach was developed by Carol Gray in the early 1990s and is widely used by autistic people, families, teachers and therapists. Knowing Before Going turns social stories into short videos with the steps written underneath.

Anyone who finds new places hard: autistic people, people with ADHD, anxiety or a learning disability, people living with dementia, people with sensory sensitivities, families with young children, carers and support workers, and anyone visiting somewhere for the first time.

Yes. Watching stories is free for everyone. You don’t need an account and you don’t need to download anything.

No. Knowing Before Going works in the web browser on any phone, tablet or computer. If you use it often, you can add it to your home screen so it opens like an app.

Scan the Knowing Before Going QR code in the place’s window or on its website, or search by the name of the place, the town, or the kind of place, such as café or dentist.

Nothing plays until you tap, so sound never starts by surprise. Stories never move on by themselves. You can play videos more slowly, pause at any time, and read the steps instead of watching. There is no flashing or moving decoration.

Stories you have opened before will open again without a connection, and you can still read their steps. Videos need an internet connection to play.

£99 a year for each organisation, billed annually. There is no limit on the number of social story videos you upload. Visitors never pay.

No. Your yearly fee covers unlimited social story videos, so you can make a story for every part of a visit and update them whenever things change.

Create an account in the app, then pay by card through Stripe, a secure payment provider. It takes a few minutes and there is nothing to sign or post. You can start writing drafts straight away, and uploading videos and publishing open up as soon as you have paid.

Yes, at any time from your account, without needing to contact anyone. Your stories stay live until the end of the year you have paid for. After that they are hidden but kept, and if you subscribe again they come back with the same links and QR codes.

Yes. You get a receipt by email after each payment, and you can download every invoice from the billing page in your account. You can add your VAT number when you pay, and it will appear on your invoices.

Just a phone. Hold it upright and film a visit from the entrance onwards, for one to three minutes. Then add the steps in short sentences, and anything people should know, such as loud moments or a quiet space. We prepare the video so it plays smoothly on every phone.

Every story has its own QR code and a printable A4 poster for your window or door. Your organisation also gets a profile page that lists all your stories and appears in search. You can share the links on your website, in emails and on social media.

Yes. You can edit the words at any time and upload a new video whenever you like. Your current video stays live until the new one is ready.

Yes. Your dashboard shows how many times each story was viewed in the last 30 days, and how many of those views came from your QR code.

Any place people visit: cafés and restaurants, churches and other places of worship, schools and nurseries, GP surgeries, dentists and clinics, museums, libraries, theatres, cinemas, leisure centres, shops, hairdressers and events.