Remote research with objective measures of smartphone activity,
sleep-wake patterns and
cognitive performance

The TapCounter App and the Taps.ai management platform together enable a seamless study workflow — for behavioral smartphone use metrics, cognition and sleep; with optional cognitive tests and questionnaires to add structured context for interpretation.

Talk to our science teamSee metrics and assessments

TapCounter Participant App

Smartphone interaction data + Cognitive tests + Questionnaires
– all seamlessly collected in one app!

TapCounter passively captures high-precision timing data from touchscreen interactions and supports in-app cognitive tests and questionnaires when your protocol needs them. It’s designed for ecologically valid, out-of-lab measurement without wearables and with minimal participant burden.

  • Runs unobtrusively in the background
  • Privacy-first: no content captured
  • Supports longitudinal studies
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Taps.ai Study Manager Dashboard

Monitor, Manage, and Download – All in One Place

Taps.ai is a secure web dashboard to manage studies with ease. Monitor device activity in real time, identify issues (e.g. missing permissions or data gaps), and download data for analysis.

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Data Collection

Behavioral Measures

Capture real-world smartphone interactions for use patterns, cognitive proxies, and sleep-related behavior.

Cognitive Tests

In-app tests (PVT) for repeatable, longitudinal measurement.

Questionnaires

Deploy validated questionnaires from our library, or create your own.

Behavioral Measures

Continuous and passively collected data

Sleep & Circadian

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Sleep duration (onset / offset time)
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Circadian rhythm estimation
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Sleep interruptions
(onset / offset time)

Cognitive Proxies

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Action time (Proxy reaction time cognitive test)
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Typing speed
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Behavioral age Ref.

Digital Engagement / Smartphone Use

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Total screen time
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Social screen time
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Interaction frequency / total number of interactions
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Usage for each app category
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Social engagement index

Raw data access

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Timestamps (millisecond resolution) of all screen touches
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App labels of all screen touches
This raw data is the basis of the above Behavioral Measures. Academic researchers can request access for an additional fee.
A full list of raw data variables is available in our Privacy Policy.

Assessments

Unlimited repetitions per participant

Cognitive Tests

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Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT)
3-min reaction time test
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More cognitive tests coming soon

Questionnaires

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SF-36
10-min Health Survey
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NASA-TLX
5-min Workload Assessment
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Custom Questionnaires
Tailored to your study needs
(Setup fee applies)
Contact usTalk to our science team

How Researchers use Tappigraphy

Explore the science and latest publications.

Tracking Subtle Age-Related Changes

At CODELAB, Leiden University, researchers combine neuronal recordings with smartphone data to study how daily digital behavior relates to brain activity and ageing. Using tappigraphy, they identify subtle, everyday behavioral changes to predict cognitive decline, supporting personalized monitoring of ageing. Findings have been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).

Understanding Sleep and Smartphone Use

At NUS Singapore’s Sleep and Cognition Lab, researchers used Tappigraphy™ during a multi-week naturalistic study to examine how smartphone use before bedtime relates to physical and mental well-being. By combining tap data with wearable and self-reported sleep measures, the team refined sleep detection and deepened insights into bedtime behaviors, with results published in npj Digital Medicine and Sleep.

Personalizing Navigation Apps

At GIVA Lab, University of Zurich, researchers use tappigraphy to study how people interact with map and navigation apps, aiming to improve and personalize user experiences. By analyzing smartphone tap patterns, they uncover how interaction behavior relates to spatial anxiety and navigation ability, paving the way for next-generation apps that adapt to users’ cognitive and emotional needs. Results from this work have been published in the Journal of Location based Services.