Aha! Notebooks | 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 ā so everyone can contribute their best ideas.
Whiteboards in Aha! Notebooks 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 ā 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.
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.
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.
Undo and redo whiteboard actions
Use the Undo button in the bottom right of your screen to undo your last action on your whiteboard. For example, if you accidentally deleted a shape, clicking the Undo button will bring back the deleted shape. You can also type Command+Z on your keyboard to undo your last action.
Click the Redo button to reapply your changes.
Lock objects
Lock an object on your whiteboard to ensure that it remains static ā so that no one accidentally moves or deletes it during a collaborative session.
Select the object you want to lock and use the Lock icon in the object's toolbar. You can also right-click the object and select Lock.
Use the Command+Shift+L shortcut to lock an object you already have selected.
Select a locked object and click the Lock icon again to unlock it and make it editable.
Once an object is locked, no one using the whiteboard will be able to select, delete, group, resize, or add a connector to the object. If the object has a connector attached to it, it will remain attached. When a user clicks a locked object, the Lock icon will show that it is locked. Any whiteboard user with edit access can lock or unlock any object on a whiteboard.
If you have previously grouped several objects, you can select the group of objects and click the Lock icon to lock them together. If you need to edit one of the grouped items, you can unlock it individually and remaining grouped objects will remain locked.
Use sticky notes
Sticky notes are a versatile whiteboard element. You can use stickies just like you can other whiteboard shapes, but they are intended for capturing text. That is why they are so useful for collaborative sessions. Use them to jot down your thoughts and ideas, and color code them to organize information.
If you need extra space to share your thoughts on a sticky note, you can change it to a rectangle from its toolbar. Quickly add another sticky note of the same color or shape by clicking the Plus sign next to it.
When you have a whiteboard full of sticky notes during a team session, see who contributed them ā click your whiteboard's More options menu and select Show note author. Each sticky note's author will appear beneath it. Repeat the action to remove sticky note authors.
Use custom colors
You can customize the colors your use for text and objects on your whiteboard rather than use default color options. This is a great way to reflect your brand in your whiteboard content. Once you have selected custom colors, they will be saved to the bottom of the color selector menu so you can use them again with just a click.
To select a custom color, click the + and enter the color's hex code or use the dropper tool to select a color displayed on your screen. The color will then be available for reuse. Right-click a color for the option to remove it from your palette.
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 ā 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 ā like a next step or a dependency ā 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 ā 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 fill color, border color, or border width. 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 ā select a cell and right-click to change its color or add rows and columns relative to its position in the table. Merge cells by selecting multiple cells, then clicking the Merge cells icon that appears in the formatting bar. Select the merged cell and use the Unmerge cells icon to reverse your changes.
You can add any type of content to the cells in your table. Type directly in a cell to add text. Drag a sticky note, or shape 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.
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 ā 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 media
You can add media to your whiteboard to convey complex concepts, demonstrate workflows, and showcase user experiences. Support engagement and collaboration on your whiteboard by adding images, gifs, and videos.
Click the image icon on your whiteboard's toolbar. Then select the media file you would like to add.
Supported files include .mp4, .gif, .png, and .jpg. Files should be smaller than 300MB.
Add and edit images
Insert images to add context to whiteboard content or create quick, easy mockups.
Upload an image using the Image tool on your whiteboard's toolbar, drag and drop an image file onto your whiteboard, or use copy and paste to insert an image on your whiteboard. From there, you can edit it using the image's toolbar.
Supported file types include .png and .jpg.
Icon | Name | Function |
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Edit opacity and overlay
You can edit any image's opacity and add a color overlay from an image's toolbar. Select your image, then select the Opacity icon from the toolbar. Select a standard color or click + to select a custom color (you can enter a hex code for a brand color here), or reset the overlay to transparent. Use the slider to edit the image's opacity.
At full opacity (with the slider all the way to the right), the color overlay will not be visible. As you move the slider to the left to reduce opacity, you will see the color overlay become more vibrant as the image's opacity decreases.
Crop images
Improve the visual quality of an image you have added to your whiteboard by cropping your image. To crop an image, click the image and select the Crop tool for the image's toolbar. Then slide the handles on the border of your image to your desired dimensions. Deselect the Crop tool or hit Return on your keyboard when you are finished to accept your cropped image.
Clip images
The clip tool is ideal for quickly illustrating a UI change or experimenting with new layouts. Use the clip tool to cut out part of an image, click and drag to move it. When you clip part of an image, the background will "self-heal" and automatically match the surrounding area. This enables you to make changes to images without needing to use another design tool.
To use the clip tool:
Add an image to your whiteboard.
Select the clip tool from the image toolbar.
Draw a rectangle around the area you want to clip.
Drag the clipped area wherever you want to place it or use the Delete key to remove it.
After you have clipped part of an image, it becomes its own object ā you can resize it, group it with other objects, copy and paste it, or move it independently around your whiteboard.
Export an image
Save any image added to a whiteboard for later use. You can export any image added to whiteboards that you have permission to edit. Click an image and select the Export icon on the image's toolbar to export the image to your computer as a .png file.
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 to open the template library. 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.
Create a new whiteboard template (Advanced plan)
The perfect whiteboard helps your team uncover insights and plan for the future ā and it looks beautiful, too. If you are an Aha! Notebooks Advanced plan customer, you can turn any whiteboard into a template that your team can access from the template library.
Note: Users with contributor permissions can create document templates.
To create a new whiteboard template, navigate to Settings āļø Workspace Document templates. Then click Add document template and select Whiteboard.
To create a template from a whiteboard you are currently editing, select the More options menu in the upper right corner of the whiteboard and select Save as template. Then enter a name for the template and click Create template.
Note: You can only create templates from workspace documents.
Once saved, you will find your new whiteboard in the Custom section of the Aha! template library.
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.
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 an Aha! Notebooks trial ā so they can view notes and whiteboards and create and share documents in a digital notebook of their own.
To share a whiteboard:
Open your whiteboard and click the Share button in the upper right corner.
Click Get shareable link.
Select whether anyone with the link can View only or Edit the whiteboard.
Click Copy link.
Share the link with anyone.
From the same Share menu, you can also choose whether anyone with the link can View only or Edit the note.
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. But anyone who has already accepted the whiteboard will not lose access ā they will find it the Shared with me section of their documents.
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.
Users with contributor permissions can edit and add comments to whiteboards. Reviewers and viewers cannot edit or add comments by default. If you give a reviewer edit access to your whiteboard, they will be able to edit and respond to existing comments.
Add comments
Adding comments to your whiteboard can provide an avenue for team members and stakeholders to share their thoughts, provide feedback, and engage in thoughtful discussions ā strengthening asynchronous collaboration. Add comments to individual objects to add feedback about something specific, or add comments to a general area of a whiteboard to weigh in on broader themes.
Add a comment to your whiteboard
Select the Comment icon at the bottom of your screen and click anywhere on your whiteboard to start a conversation. This will add a numbered orange dot, plus the comment author's avatar or initials to the location of your comment. Type your first comment to start a conversation and click Save comment. You can also add a comment to a specific object on your whiteboard by selecting the object and clicking the Comment icon in its toolbar.
Comments will appear in numbered order in the right sidebar of your whiteboard. You can turn a comment into a threaded conversation by replying to it.
When your conversation has been addressed or sufficiently discussed, click the Resolve button located on the header of the conversation. When a comment is resolved, the color of the numbered dot will change from orange to green.
View comments
Users accessing your whiteboard from guest accounts will not see or be able to add comments to your whiteboard.
Anyone with access to your whiteboard can view the comments that users have added to it. Comments will appear in a sidebar on the right of your screen. It will be collapsed by default ā but you can click the << icon to open it. If there are unresolved comments on your whiteboard, a Comment icon with an orange dot will show here as well. All unresolved comments will appear in the sidebar. Check the box next to Show resolved in your Comments side panel to show all resolved comments.
Click a comment in the Comments sidebar to navigate to the area of it the whiteboard it is added to. Likewise, click an orange numbered dot on your whiteboard to navigate to its corresponding comment in the Comments sidebar.
More options
Comments are a great way to start a conversation ā and sometimes they are worth sharing individually. The More options menu on each comment enables you to do a few useful actions:
Cut objects cuts the comment so it can be repasted elsewhere on your whiteboard.
Paste objects pastes a comment you have previously cut from another area of your whiteboard.
Copy link to object copies a directly link to your comment that you can share with someone. When they click it, it will direct them to the area of the whiteboard that where the comment is added.
Group objects groups comments when you have multiple comments selected.
Ungroup objects ungroups comments that have been previously grouped.
Lock will lock a comment to your whiteboard or an object so it cannot be moved.
Delete will remove a comment completely.
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.