Sara-Jane Bittner

Paper and digital forms are widely used to collect user information across multiple domains, such as research, healthcare, and education. However, both types still lack application and follow-up interpretation: Paper forms need to be digitised meticulously to be analyzed or shared with team members efficiently; in comparison, digital forms cannot convey handwriting and might require technical literacy. We present the FormTwin data collection tool—an alternative to online forms, which allows for the efficient reuse of existent paper forms while providing the convenience of digital forms. FormTwin can digitise a wide range of forms with the integrated form annotation application. Then, it combines two input channels: A stylus on a tablet and a digital smart pen on plain paper, which duplicates the input on a mobile application in real-time. We aim to improve the efficiency and accessibility of data collection for practitioners with a modular system that combines both the digital accessibility of digital forms with keeping the needed technical literacy low and retaining the quality of hand-drawn sketches.