FormBoard: a low-tech open-source web application prototype for visual collaboration and discussion

This contribution presents an open-source prototype for a software app that enables synchronous and asynchronous collaboration and discussion, on a shared virtual whiteboard, using commonly available tools such as shared Google Sheets spreadsheet for data storage and Google Forms as a data input mechanism, and an easily customizable web-app for the visualization, filtering, organization, and exploration of such contents. The software allows both free text and structured data, anonymous and authenticated participation, synchronous and asynchronous contribution. The contributions can be rendered as “cards” through the use of templates that can represent contents and categories textually, visually, through color, or any other visual means. While the prototype is an exploratory proof-of-concept, it has been tested in a conference where more than 70 researchers have contributed more than 230 suggestions in the context of four brainstorming sessions.