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I don't have evidence to back it up, but I believe that the ability to use a whiteboard boosts innovation.

cratermoon 5y ago
> the ability to use a whiteboard boosts innovation Beneath this simple statement is a career's worth of questions worth investigating. Oral and written communication are just two modes of conveying information and sharing ideas. Edward Tufte, for example, has made his career in exploring other modes, neatly summed up in the title of his most famous work, "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information". Engaging the visual/spatial functions of the brain, even if you can't draw more than wobbly trapezoids and shaky, uneven lines, can enrich thinking in ways I don't think we fully understand. I'm not sure what all the barriers are to an inexpensive shared whiteboarding tool that's as natural and effortless as a dry-erase pen on a whiteboard. Everything we have now feels unnatural without a lot of practice, is far too clunky to be worth the effort, and/or is too expensive and flakey. I think part of it is that they begin with a draw/paint tool, rather than cutting it down to the extreme simplicity of whiteboard. Would whiteboarding be as popular and useful if you had to pick up a "draw a square" tool, then switch to "draw a line" tool? Can we make the pad/stylus for "draw lines" have better haptics and a more natural hand/eye connection?
- DenisM 5y ago
  OneNote has free-hand drawing as it's primary mode and it does that well, but still it fails at being a whiteboard. I don't think it's haptics, I think it's the spacial layout and the social interaction around the board - I can see if you follow along as I draw or talk, I can see where you are looking, I can point out something already drawn, you can point something I have already drawn, you can draw something on top of my drawing, we can easily take turns without trampling each other. I can also get back to it the next day and point something out during a follow-up discussion; the board being in the exact physical location helps jog the memory. There is also something about the large space. Drawing in OneNote on the iPad I technically get more space, but I still feel cramped. Next to a large whiteboard I feel like there is no limit to it, and it opens up my mind. Maybe it's just being close to a large surface I can't see the edges so I'm not thinking about them. If this theory is right then a relatively cheap 21" designer drawing tablet might prove to be a superior whiteboard compared to the 10" iPad.
  - marcind 5y ago
    Completely agree. In addition to the large space I'd also callout the ability to use your shoulder, elbow, etc. (rather than relying on fine movements) as an ingredient toward achieving, let's call it, a "frictionless" creation/brainstorming experience. The comfort of using an instantly-intuitive tool like a whiteboard allows the thoughts to pour out as fast as you can move your hand.

> the ability to use a whiteboard boosts innovation Beneath this simple statement is a career's worth of questions worth investigating. Oral and written communication are just two modes of conveying information and sharing ideas. Edward Tufte, for example, has made his career in exploring other modes, neatly summed up in the title of his most famous work, "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information". Engaging the visual/spatial functions of the brain, even if you can't draw more than wobbly trapezoids and shaky, uneven lines, can enrich thinking in ways I don't think we fully understand. I'm not sure what all the barriers are to an inexpensive shared whiteboarding tool that's as natural and effortless as a dry-erase pen on a whiteboard. Everything we have now feels unnatural without a lot of practice, is far too clunky to be worth the effort, and/or is too expensive and flakey. I think part of it is that they begin with a draw/paint tool, rather than cutting it down to the extreme simplicity of whiteboard. Would whiteboarding be as popular and useful if you had to pick up a "draw a square" tool, then switch to "draw a line" tool? Can we make the pad/stylus for "draw lines" have better haptics and a more natural hand/eye connection?

DenisM 5y ago
OneNote has free-hand drawing as it's primary mode and it does that well, but still it fails at being a whiteboard. I don't think it's haptics, I think it's the spacial layout and the social interaction around the board - I can see if you follow along as I draw or talk, I can see where you are looking, I can point out something already drawn, you can point something I have already drawn, you can draw something on top of my drawing, we can easily take turns without trampling each other. I can also get back to it the next day and point something out during a follow-up discussion; the board being in the exact physical location helps jog the memory. There is also something about the large space. Drawing in OneNote on the iPad I technically get more space, but I still feel cramped. Next to a large whiteboard I feel like there is no limit to it, and it opens up my mind. Maybe it's just being close to a large surface I can't see the edges so I'm not thinking about them. If this theory is right then a relatively cheap 21" designer drawing tablet might prove to be a superior whiteboard compared to the 10" iPad.
- marcind 5y ago
  Completely agree. In addition to the large space I'd also callout the ability to use your shoulder, elbow, etc. (rather than relying on fine movements) as an ingredient toward achieving, let's call it, a "frictionless" creation/brainstorming experience. The comfort of using an instantly-intuitive tool like a whiteboard allows the thoughts to pour out as fast as you can move your hand.