Whiteboards, though extremely common in an in-office setting aren't adopted much in a remote setting(at least I don't). This has obvious reasons such as virtual whiteboards not being so intuitive, or the user not having a complete setup (tablet, stylus etc.) and just not getting the feel of a real-life whiteboard.
It's definitely not possible to mimic walking around the office and randomly noting every interesting point on the whiteboard. I have spoken about some ways of working around this here.
With the ever increasing number of people opting for work from home, there has been an equally huge increase in the number of makers putting forward whiteboarding products that will make your work more fun and productive. So I put together a list of such products on this page.
Illustration by Scale
Here are some of my favorites:
Whiteboard fox:
This is a totally free online whiteboard and lets you share in real-time using any modern web browser. All you need to do is open the website and start drawing. Participants can join using the whiteboard ID. The ease of use makes it a big hit. Not requiring any separate installation, it's a great fit for remote teams.
Whizwall:
Always wanted to try out graffiti? Whizwall is here to let you spray paint at work. Well, that is one of the features, as it lets you draw, paint and create on large virtual walls, simply by moving your mobile through the air like a spray can. Also a fun way to keep your team engaged during a discussion. They have free Android and iOS apps as well as a pro version which promises some great features.
Collaboard:
Collaboard is a simple yet highly powerful online whiteboard tool. Having an infinite canvas to so that you don't have to put a limits to your ideas, this recent launch seems like a great tool to take your brainstorming sessions up a notch. They offer a free trial. Paid plans start from 5 €.
Grapic:
Grapic helps you whiteboard with remote colleagues by letting you draw on any flat real-world surface, like a piece of paper, and share that in real-time in online meetings. The app uses Augmented Reality to keep the stream you share steady so you don't need a steady hand or a mount to make it look good. The product is in beta and currently free to use.
Realtime Board:
This tool is available on both web and mobile, and lets you export the final diagrams in various formats. Not only that, but it is integrable with over 15 third party apps and is a good fit for enterprise level companies. Might not be the best for startups due to their pricing plans.
That's about it for now. Do check out some of the other great online whiteboards here.
P.S. I talk about some of the best new tools for remote workers every Friday. Subscribe to my newsletter to stay in the know.
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