Aha! Create | Whiteboards
The first stages of the product development lifecycle are critical to get right. From first drafts of your strategic vision to early designs of new features, you need a place to visualize your thinking. And you need to bring in the rest of your team — so everyone can contribute their best ideas.
Whiteboards in Aha! Create allow you to collaborate with your team on striking visuals that bring early-stage product concepts to life. Start with a blank whiteboard and use intuitive drawing functionality to sketch out new ideas. Add shapes and connectors to build flowcharts and diagrams. Add images to bring additional context to new concepts. This article provides you with details on how to take advantage of the powerful tools whiteboards offer to help you and your team build lovable products.
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Add a new whiteboard
Click + and select Whiteboard. Your new untitled whiteboard will open automatically. Update the name by editing its Title. The whiteboard will appear in your document hierarchy below whichever note or whiteboard you currently have selected in your list view. You can drag and drop it to change its location.
To create a copy of a whiteboard, right click the whiteboard from the List view and select Copy whiteboard. A copy of the whiteboard will open and will appear in the List view below the the original whiteboard document.
Navigate your whiteboard
Whiteboards provide you with infinite space to ideate, sketch, and diagram. As you add objects, your whiteboard will expand to provide even more space for you to use. You can navigate around your whiteboard and between any frames you add by using the navigation toolbar in the bottom-right corner.
Scroll around your whiteboard by selecting the Pan button or typing the Space bar.
Adjust the Zoom level with the plus and minus buttons or by pressing Ctrl and scrolling.
Navigate to a specific frame on your whiteboard by clicking the Zoom % and selecting a frame from the list in your frame navigation.
Scroll through frames quickly by using the Next frame and Previous frame options or by using the > and < keys.
Use the toolbar
The whiteboard toolbar remains static on the left side of your screen, even as you resize your whiteboard. Use it to add objects and text, draw, and build diagrams. Just click an icon from the toolbar to select it or double-click to select and retain a tool for extended use.
Tool | Keyboard shortcut | Options | Function |
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Text
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Shape
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Sticky note
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Connector
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Pen
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Frame
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Stamp emoji
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Image
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Template
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Create diagrams
Diagrams, flowcharts, decision trees. All are great visual aids to illustrate sequences, processes, structures, and hierarchies. Your Aha! whiteboard tools empower you to build attractive diagrams that are both customizable and easy to construct.
Diagrams are made of objects and connectors. Add objects to your whiteboard. Then join them together using connectors and arrows to show relationships, map processes and user journeys, diagram an organizational structure, or illustrate sequences.
Objects
An object can be a shape, sticky note, uploaded image, text box, emoji, or icon. Most objects have various connection points around their borders to neatly add connectors. Although you can join any objects with connectors, shapes are the most commonly used objects in diagrams and flowcharts.
Add a shape by clicking the Shape icon on your toolbar and choose a shape. Then click and drag it to your desired dimensions.
Resize a shape by selecting and dragging its corners.
Rotate a shape by selecting the rotation icon and dragging it to your desired angle.
Format a shape using the customization options above it — you can edit the fill color and opacity or the line weight, color, and style
Add text to an object by double-clicking the object, then begin typing. Align text you have added to an object by selecting the object and clicking the Align button.
Connectors
A connector can be an arrow or a line. Connectors can be used to join objects together or on their own as simple arrows and lines.
Add a connector by selecting the connector icon on your toolbar, then click and drag it to your desired length. You can also add a connector directly from a shape by clicking one of the connection points along an object's border.
Note: Double-click the shape icon on your toolbar and then click a connection point on an existing shape to add both a connector arrow and additional shape with one click.Resize a connector by selecting and dragging its endpoints.
Manipulate a connector's angles or curves by clicking and dragging the midpoints on the connector.
Connect shapes by selecting the endpoint of a connector and dragging and dropping it to a connection point on an object's border.
Use advanced shapes
The Advanced section of your Shapes menu offers functional objects designed for specific tasks. Use Advanced shapes together to build beautiful early-stage roadmaps and structure content on your whiteboard.
Annotations
Use the annotation shape to add context to any object or area of your whiteboard — so you can highlight key concepts that you want to point out or discuss further with your collaborators.
Access your Shapes toolbar and select the annotation shape. Drag the end of the shape's connector to the object or area of your whiteboard that you need to comment on. Double-click the annotation shape to add text. Right-click to format its color, border, and text.
Milestones
Add the milestone shape to your whiteboard to signal deadlines or significant dates. Paired with the timeline and progress bar shapes, the milestone can represent important dates like release dates, kickoff or launch dates, or the beginning or end of a time frame.
Select the milestone from the Advanced section of the Shapes menu and click your whiteboard to add the milestone. Use its toolbar to customize its color, shape, and the location of its label.
Progress bars
Add progress bars below a timeline to represent work you want to accomplish. Use them to represent initiatives, epics, features, themes, or events. Then edit their fill to show progress on those work items.
Select the progress object from the Advanced section of the Shapes menu. Then click your whiteboard to add the progress bar. Use the toolbar to customize your progress bar:
Change the progress bar's color, font color, style, text location, and text alignment from its toolbar.
Double-click the progress bar to edit text.
Drag the handle below the progress bar to adjust its fill.
Add an additional progress bar connected by an arrow by clicking the blue dot at either end of the bar. This can help you show a relationship — like a next step or a dependency — between the items the bars represent.
Icons
Add icons to your whiteboard to represent specific themes or add personality to your whiteboard content. Icons can add context to your plans and are useful for scanning on expansive whiteboards that have a lot of content.
Select the icons option from your Advanced shapes menu. Click your whiteboard to add an icon. Then use its toolbar to select which icon you would like to display. There are many icons to choose from — use the search bar to narrow your choices. After you have selected your icon, you can use the toolbar to change its color, opacity, and border.
Tables
Tables provide a flexible way to visualize and structure information on your whiteboard. Use tables for strategic activities like tracking dependencies, managing timelines, and prioritizing work. Or use them to structure content like project plans and meeting agendas.
To add a table, open the Shapes menu, then choose the table icon. Click your whiteboard to add a 3x3 table. Use the table's formatting bar to change its color or border. Change a column or row's dimensions by dragging gridlines between cells. Use the guides at the top of a column or the beginning of a row to rearrange its place in the table. You can also format cells individually — select a cell and right-click to change its color or add rows and columns relative to its position in the table.
You can add any type of content to the cells in your table. Drag a sticky note, shape, or text box into your table to add it to a cell. Once you have added an object to a cell, it will remain in that cell even as you rearrange columns, rows, or move your table to another area of your whiteboard. Drag and drop objects you have added to your table to move them to different cells.
Note: If you want to add text to a cell, add a text box from your Shapes menu.
Timelines
Whiteboards are a great tool for brainstorming and ideation, but they are also very useful for early-stage planning. Add timelines to your whiteboard to visualize a time frame for work you would like to deliver. Then add progress bars to represent the work you want to accomplish during that time frame.Select the timeline object from the Advanced section of the Shapes menu. Then click your whiteboard to add a timeline.
By default, your timeline will be set for a three month time frame. Use its toolbar to format your timeline's color and opacity. You can also use the toolbar to select the time frame displayed on your timeline:
Select the time increments you want displayed in the dropdown menu in your toolbar. You can choose from Quarters, Months, Weeks, or Days. The Auto option will be selected by default and displays increments based on the size of your timeline.
Select a time frame. You can choose between 3M, 6M, 1Y, and Custom. The Custom option provides a calendar date selector for you to choose your own start and end dates.
Expand your timeline to expose more dates by dragging the handles at either end — use the left handle to add more dates at the beginning of your timeline and the right handle to add more dates at the end of your timeline.
After you have configured your timeline, you can add progress bars or the annotation shape to add details about what you plan to accomplish when.
Add images
Select the Image tool on your whiteboard toolbar. Select an image from your computer and click Open. Your image will appear on your whiteboard. From there, you can resize, rotate, or move your image.
Note: Supported file types include .png and .jpg.
Group, align, and reorder objects
Once you have added multiple items to a whiteboard, you can customize your whiteboard's layout by grouping, aligning, and ordering objects. Aligning objects can help you create neater, more visually appealing diagrams, flowcharts, and mind maps. And if you have multiple overlapping objects, select their order to show dimension or illustrate sequences.
Group objects
To group objects, select the area around the objects or hold the Shift key and click them one by one. Then use the Group button to group objects. Use the Ungroup button to reverse your action. Double-click an image in a group to edit it individually without ungrouping.
Align objects
To align objects, select the area around the objects or hold the Shift key and click them one by one. Then use the Align button to align the objects.
Reorder objects
If you have placed objects that are on top of one another or overlapping, you can customize their order by selecting and object and clicking the More options button. From here, you can choose to Bring to front or Send to back.
Use templates
Your Aha! subscription includes a library of prebuilt whiteboard templates with a range of product uses. These purpose-built templates were designed to support every step of the product development lifecycle. Add as many templates to a whiteboard as you want and organize them with frames to keep your whiteboard neat and easy to navigate.
Add a template to your whiteboard
Select the Template icon on your toolbar. From here, you can use the search bar at the top to find a specific template or select a template category on the left. Click a template to see its description. Click Use template to add the template to your whiteboard.
Organize your whiteboard
Use frames
You can keep your whiteboard tidy by adding frames. Use frames to organize your diagrams, templates, and other objects. Add frames and build diagrams within them or draw a frame around an area to group items together.
From your toolbar, select the frame icon and draw your frame. Then rename your frame by editing its Title field. The label you enter here will be used for the frame navigation in the lower right corner of your whiteboard.
Note: Your frame will be named by default as "Frame" plus a number, with the first frame being "Frame 1" and so on. Frames will appear in your navigation in the order that they were added to your whiteboard.
Share a whiteboard
You can share a whiteboard with a simple link. Once your recipients click the link, they will see your whiteboard in their own Aha! account, where they can view your work or collaborate with you in real time. If they do not have an Aha! account, they will be prompted to sign up for a free Aha! Create account — so they can view notes and whiteboards and create and share documents in a digital notebook of their own.
Note: You can only share personal whiteboards with people outside your Aha! account.
To share a whiteboard:
Open your whiteboard and click the Share button in the upper right corner.
Click Get shareable link.
Share the link with your teammates.
From the same Share menu, you can also choose whether anyone with the link can View only or Edit the note.
The shareable link will expire six days after it is first generated. If you want to share your whiteboard with someone else after the link is expired, you will need to generate a new link. You can disable the link whenever you choose. If you disable the link, anyone who has the link but has not yet accepted access to the whiteboard will not be able to access it.
You can change a viewer's permissions to Edit or View only access by clicking next to their initials in the People who have access section of the Share menu. You can remove access to your whiteboard for any viewer by hovering over their initials and clicking the trash icon that appears.
Collaborate with your team
Whiteboards are built for collaboration. Your team can navigate, edit, and add new details to your whiteboard at the same time. This makes your whiteboard a great place to gather remotely for collaborative sessions. Use one of our prebuilt templates for a team meeting or brainstorming session. Vote on your next move as a team using the stamp emoji. Build out concepts visually together in real-time on collaborative flowcharts and diagrams. When multiple users are editing a whiteboard simultaneously, you will see flags with the users' names showing their activity as they navigate and edit the whiteboard.
You can collaborate with your teammates on whiteboards that have been embedded in notes. Just share the note where your whiteboard is embedded with your teammates.
Export a whiteboard as an image
You can export any whiteboard you have access to as an image for use in email, Slack, or other tools. Right click into an empty area of your whiteboard and select Export to SVG or Export to PNG to download a whiteboard as an image.
What else can I do?
If you are subscribed to Aha! Ideas or Aha! Roadmaps, you can promote objects from whiteboards to records in your Aha! account. Then you can score, define, and promote work directly to your product roadmap.