SpARklingPaper: Enhancing Common Pen- And Paper-Based Handwriting Training for Children by Digitally Augmenting Papers Using a Tablet Screen

Educational apps support learning, but handwriting training is still based on analog pen- and paper. However, training handwriting with apps can negatively affect graphomotor handwriting skills due to the different haptic feedback of the tablet, stylus, or finger compared to pen and paper. With SpARklingPaper, we are the first to combine the genuine haptic feedback of analog pen and paper with the digital support of apps. Our artifact contribution enables children to write with any pen on a standard paper placed on a tablet’s screen, augmenting the paper from below, showing animated letters and individual feedback. We conducted two online surveys with overall 29 parents and teachers of elementary school pupils and a user study with 13 children and 13 parents for evaluation. Our results show the importance of the genuine analog haptic feedback combined with the augmentation of SpARklingPaper. It was rated superior compared to our stylus baseline condition regarding pen-handling, writing training-success, motivation, and overall impression. SpARklingPaper can be a blueprint for high-fidelity haptic feedback handwriting training systems.