[coreyhn]

I still use a whiteboard every week. I even have my laptop on a swivel stand so I can point my camera at it to share. I have an iPad where I could replicate a digital experience, but it isn’t the same. A whiteboard is still an important tool for brainstorming, mocking interfaces, and walking through logic for me.

[marcind]

I agree (and I'm glad I'm not alone). Haven't seen the swivel stand approach - good idea!

Curious: * Is sharing the whiteboard via camera enough for you/your colleagues? * Are you ever the "recipient/viewer" of such a shared whiteboard or always the presenter? * (How) do you transfer your whiteboard content to other tools?

[coreyhn]

I’ve mainly been the presenter. I’ve been on the viewing end before too and it is a lot easier to convey a quick concept. As far as transferring to other tools, I’ll typically transcribe the notes onto my computer if it is easy to type or take a picture and have it on my computer for reference. I haven’t had a need for a shared whiteboard experience yet and favor annotating images/files instead

[marcind]

"I haven’t had a need for a shared whiteboard experience yet..."

Just to make sure I understand correctly: does this mean that in all cases (whether you're presenting or viewing) you find that only one person needs to be able to write on the board?

Also, in your first comment, you wrote that digital alternatives are not the same as the real thing. In your opinion, what is the key advantage of traditional surfaces over digital tools?

[coreyhn]

Correct, only one person needs to draw.

The hard thing with digital is the spatial aspect. I like a big canvas to write on as opposed to the feeling of being confined to a screen. Note that even if the screen increased, it still is more cumbersome. I still use digital drawing programs for creating artwork so I’m not opposed to using a digital medium for drawing.

The other aspect is it allows you to step away from screens altogether and approach a problem in a more tangible way. I like standing in front of a whiteboard and taking in the flow if data or mockup and tweaking. In these instances, I’m not sharing my camera, it is purely a thought process for myself.

[marcind]

Thanks - I appreciate the thoughtful feedback.

An open-ended follow-up: is there any way the whiteboard could be improved upon (and/or is there a way to better incorporate it into your workflow)?

[coreyhn]

That is a good question. Since whiteboards are intended to be ephemeral, the need for a constant data link isn’t compelling (ex: like the notebooks that automatically transcribe to a cloud service). Something I haven’t done yet is fully utilized the magnetic aspect of my whiteboard by having precanned magnets for db design, mocks or data flow. That may be a next evolution for my use, but even that probably won’t get used as much as I’d expect as I’m not at the whiteboard every day, but more like a few times a week.

If there was a way to make intangible tangible on the whiteboard, that may be interesting. Like a way to have magnets that are linked to a digital object so as you moved around and marked up, it could be reflected digitally too…that being said, it is more of a novelty and not sure it would be compelling enough for a paid feature.

I’ll think about this the next time I use my whiteboard.