How to pick the ideal online whiteboard for your needs
The covid epidemic has led to an increase in the usage of online whiteboards. Whiteboards aren’t only for brainstorming anymore; they’re now a part of everyday life. Many solutions are available today, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. The following are some of the most prominent players in their respective markets:
- Dojoit is an excellent tool for presentations and user experience (UX) teams
- a decent free alternative with basic functionality is Google’s Jamboard.
- For Surface Hub and Windows hardware, the Microsoft Whiteboard is a must-have.
We’ll cover some of the most important considerations when choosing an online or virtual whiteboard in this post. Be careful to take advantage of the free trials that many of these services provide before settling on one.
Do you have a good working relationship with an online whiteboard?
First and foremost, online whiteboard software should allow you to work with others. Other programs like Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet may be used for video conferencing, while others allow you to share your screen. Unless you just want to use a whiteboard by yourself, it’s a good idea to test it out on a group first. Post-it notes, text, photos, and other media can be easily added? Is it possible for several persons to contribute at once?
Another consideration is how easy it is to add new users. If you want to cooperate with others, you’ll need to sign up for a separate account for each person. Restricting access to your online whiteboards or making specific individuals read-only should be an important consideration. Dualar
Is your data protected? If so, where is it kept?
It’s all too simple to forget about security. What do you know about the security of your data when you use cloud-based apps? No, I don’t know where it is being held. In today’s commercial environment, security breaches are a real and present danger. You should never place yourself in a position where your data is at risk.
- The location of my data storage is an important question for me.
- Is the database where my data is stored secured while it is in transit and at rest?
- Is Single Sign-On (SSO) available? SSO eliminates the need for new accounts by allowing your teams to utilize your company’s Identity Provider (which your IT department will appreciate).
- Does the online whiteboard tool work on AWS GovCloud if you are operating in a regulated environment?
- Is the manufacturer willing to discuss its policies and processes with you?
- Will you be notified if your personal information is compromised by the product’s maker?
- If something goes wrong, what are the manufacturer’s backup plans? You don’t want to log in and discover that all of your data has been wiped clean.
Do you have any specific material in mind for your whiteboards?
What kind of material will you put on your digital whiteboard? That’s something to think about. What else are you going to put in there besides photographs, text, and post-it notes? You may wish to include these sorts of material on your digital whiteboard:
Idea generation, narrative boards/maps, and idea capture with Post-it notes or sticky notes
- Display thoughts or screenshots in an instant with images.
- Useful for flowcharting as well as visual representations of connections.
- Retrospective subjects are decided by a vote.
- Show additional information using PDFs and other papers.
- Flowcharts or illustrations can be depicted using shapes.
- The use of text is to jot down key thoughts aboard.
Your online whiteboard may be exported into what additional formats?
Is there a way to save your work once you’ve finished it? Save your whiteboard as a PNG or vector graphic using an app that allows you to do so (PDF, SVG). When you zoom in, your material will seem sharper if the file is in the vector graphics format. It is possible to increase vector formats without sacrificing quality since the data is stored in pathways.
A textual format (e.g. TXT or CSV) may also be useful for working with data in other applications, such as Excel. Choosing an app that offers an API is a must if you have programmers that need to access data on a digital whiteboard via a programmatic interface. To be clear, API means “Application Programming Interface.” You’re basically allowing your whiteboard to be used as a data source for software developers. Useful for automation or connection with other applications.
What are my reasons for utilizing a whiteboard online?
The final consideration is what you want to do with the online whiteboard. In order to be sure the goods you demo match your requirements, you should absolutely sign up for free trials. As a starting point, below are some common use cases to assist you to determine your needs:
- Techniques for gathering ideas from your teams, such as brainstorming and ideation.
- Recording meeting minutes – make a record of significant decisions and steps to be taken.
- Plan the consumer experience for your product through user story mapping –
- Program increment planning, sprint planning, and retrospectives are all components of agile planning.
- Personas and empathy maps are useful tools for UX research and design.
- Icebreakers are a great way to get your team on the same page and ensure that everyone’s opinion is being heard.
- A group of individuals working together to create a new product or enhance an existing one