How to use a digital whiteboard for greater creativity and efficiency

What is a digital whiteboard, and how does it work?

A digital whiteboard is a virtual tool that enables people to collaborate and be creative online. It's like a regular whiteboard, but it exists online.

You can use it to brainstorm ideas, make presentations, work visually as a team on complex projects or in a single place, or just chat with others.

A whiteboard is exactly what it sounds like, a blank space where multiple users can interact by writing on it,drawing, posting links, any kind of resources and, of course, applying online sticky notes.

What are the main use cases of a digital whiteboard for increased efficiency?

There are plenty of ways to use a digital whiteboard at work. And the best part is that you are not limited to just one way of using it. You can use it for brainstorming sessions, collaborating on projects, taking meeting notes, drawing flowcharts and diagrams, annotating PDFs or images, and even playing games.

1. Brainstorming with remote team members

When it comes to brainstorming, there is nothing quite like a digital whiteboard. There is something about the physical act of writing down ideas that help the creative juices flow.

Unfortunately, brainstorming with remote team members can be a bit of a challenge. Thankfully, there are digital whiteboards that can help bridge the gap. These online tools allow team members to collaborate in real-time or in asynchronous, whether they are in the same room or halfway around the world.

Plus, they offer features that traditional whiteboards simply can't match, like the ability to export results automatically. So if you're looking for a way to brainstorm with your remote team members, a digital whiteboard just might be the answer.

2. Collaborating on projects

Projects big and small always require some level of collaboration. Even if you're the one driving the project, you'll need to rely on others to get things done. That's where a digital whiteboard can be a helpful tool.

A digital whiteboard gives you a central place to store all your project information and makes it easy to share with others. You can use it to brainstorm ideas, make notes, and track progress. And because it's digital, you can access it from anywhere at anytime, which is handy if you need to collaborate with people in different locations. And it prevents the next meeting from carelessly erasing all the genius your team wrote down.

3. Taking meeting notes

Imagine you are in a meeting, trying to pay attention to the discussion and take notes at the same time. Every few minutes, you have to stop writing and look up at the whiteboard to see what has been written down. By the end of the meeting, your notes are a mess, and you are not even sure what the main points were.

A digital whiteboard can help with that.

With this collaborative tool, everything that is written down is automatically saved as people can co-construct projects together. So you can focus on what is being discussed during the meeting without worrying about missing anything. You can also quickly create structured meeting minutes, and share them in an appropriate format.

In short, a digital whiteboard can help the whole team have a good overview of the meeting and which will help you never miss a key point again.

4. Drawing flowcharts and diagrams

If you have ever tried to draw a diagram or flowchart by hand, you know it can be a frustrating experience. Lines never seem to come out quite right, and erasing mistakes can be a time-consuming process.

A digital whiteboard can help you overcome these challenges and make your diagrams look professional. With a digital whiteboard, you can easily add and remove elements, experiment with different layouts, and save your work for future reference.

5. Annotating PDFs or images

A digital whiteboard can also increase your efficiency by making it easy to add notes to PDFs, images or any kind of documents. Whether you are marking up a document for review or adding comments to an image, the process is simple and straightforward. Just open up the file on your whiteboard and start adding notes.

With just a few clicks, you can select the text or area you want to highlight and then define a color code. This can be helpful when reviewing a document or preparing a presentation.

You can also use a digital whiteboard to write or draw directly on PDFs and images. This can be handy for brainstorming ideas or for illustrating concepts.

6. Playing games

If you have a digital whiteboard, you can structure it to simplify and improve interactions between participants, even if they are working remotely.

Icebreakers are a great way to start of a meeting and get to know your team members. But sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start. That is where a digital whiteboard can help. With this tool, you can easily create collaborative activities that everyone can participate in.

For example, you can create a quiz about your company's history or come up with creative ways to use your products. You can even use the digital whiteboard to create personalized gamified pathways. Whatever type of game you are looking for, a digital whiteboard can help you quickly create a climate of trust between participants.

And more

Of course, this is just the beginning. In fact, any group can come together around a digital whiteboard for greater efficiency, whether it is for training, a recruitment interview or the onboarding of a new employee. It is up to you to try it!

What are the benefits of using a digital whiteboard in your collaboration?

1. Accessibility and ease of use

With a digital whiteboard, there is no lugging around heavy processes or waiting for a meeting room to become available. Instead, it is accessible whenever you need it, and you don't even have to worry about erasing its information.

2. Everything is saved automatically

Remember the days of lugging around a heavy whiteboard to every meeting, presentation, or class? And then having to painstakingly copy everything over to a computer afterward? Thankfully, those days are now behind us, thanks to the digital whiteboard.

Now everything is automatically saved online, so that you can access it from anywhere, anytime or export it if need be!

What's more, you can easily share it with the people involved in your exchange. If you need to make changes, everyone can see them live, so you always have the most up to date information.

So a digital whiteboard is a real game changer when it comes to efficiency. No more wasted time and energy, so you can focus on what is important.

3. Ready-to-use methods for enhanced efficiency

Some digital whiteboards come with ready-to-use templates to help you collaborate more effectively.

For example, you can use a project roadmap, a one-on-one or performance review template and many more! Depending on the level of detail you want to display, you can also have a template that allows you to view multiple levels of information at the same time.

And if you want to reuse a digital whiteboard template that works for you, simply duplicate it in your collaboration platform for future reference.

4. Seamless collaboration, from anywhere and at any time

Digital whiteboards provide a shared workspace for remote teams to collaborate on projects. They allow team members to contribute their ideas from anywhere in the world, making it easy to track changes and progress over time.

Best of all, digital whiteboards can be saved and shared online, so team members can always refer back to them later and continue building on the project asynchronously, after the meeting has ended.

5. Visual management features

With a digital whiteboard, you can stop wasting time navigating between applications to visually share different formats and media with your team. Simply add images or files to your collaborative workspace for everyone to see.

As well as displaying images, the visual management features of a digital whiteboard allow you to integrate interactive elements. People can draw, connect elements, add ideas and comment all at the same time. 

4 tips for using a digital whiteboard to improve efficiency

Introducing any new tool can be a challenge and time-consuming. No matter how user-friendly a tool is, there is always a learning curve. Here are some tips for using a digital whiteboard to increase your team's efficiency.

1. Help others learn the tool

When you start using a digital whiteboard, there are many resources available to help you get your team up to speed. For example, you can share quick tutorials with them before using your whiteboard in a meeting or workshop.

Some tools also offer free discovery sessions, where you can receive personalized guidance to ensure you get to grips with the tool effectively.

2. Make it visual 

Thanks to the visual management features of your digital whiteboard, you can unleash creativity and efficiency whenever and wherever you are. Make sure you take advantage of this potential in your collaboration and remember that the human brain retains images much more easily than text!

3. Set a timer

Sometimes it can be more effective to share as many ideas as possible quickly than to take the time to consider each idea from every angle. To encourage your team's creativity on your digital whiteboard, you can use a timer feature to keep control of the amount of time they have to think.

The idea is also to encourage everyone to use the tool more quickly, so that the team soon feels comfortable using it.

4. Share after the meeting

Show what you have achieved by sharing the whiteboard after a meeting. Your team may even have other ideas that you can add later, asynchronously.

At the end of a meeting or workshop using your digital whiteboard, don't forget to ask your team for feedback so you can adjust your actions for next time.

Conclusion

Digital whiteboards are a versatile tool that can be used in many different areas to work as a team. They enable people to be more creative using visual management, unlock team participation, and discover new ways of working.

In a world where we are increasingly reliant on technology, it is essential to find ways to use it effectively. A digital whiteboard is one tool that can help us unleash efficiency and creativity in our work. With a little practice, they can help us overcome some of the challenges of working remotely.