Use the whiteboard

A canvas board is an endless whiteboard for a session, a map or a workshop: sticky notes, text, shapes, pictures, action lists and timelines. Everyone on the board sees changes as they happen, and the board stays in the journey's Files afterwards.

Content - the board of your journey - 6 min. You need: a journey

Reading this page changes nothing. A board is only made when you press OK.

A whiteboard with coloured sticky notes in two groups and a round note with the goal
A board full of notes.

What you will be able to do

  • Make a board In the journey's files, with a name.
  • Start with a ready board A meeting, a brainstorm or a plan, set out for you.
  • Put things on it Notes, text, shapes, pictures, lists.
  • Work on it together Everyone sees the same board, at the same time.

Get this ready first

  • A journey A board always belongs to a journey.
  • What the board is for One question is enough, like "How do we make week 1 feel welcoming?"

Do it together, one step at a time

Seven steps. Two make the board. Five show what you can do on it.

  1. Files, then New canvas

    Open your journey's files. Press Create with AI. Press New canvas.

    • In the left column (Journeys), click your journey.
    • In the right column, click the word Files.
    • Press Create with AI. A list opens.
    • Press New canvas - "Add an infinite canvas board".
    The Create with AI menu open over the dashboard, with New canvas second in the list
    New canvas is the second line.

  2. Give it a name

    Type a name. Press OK. The board opens, big.

    • A small window New canvas asks for a name.
    • Type one, for example Welcome ideas .
    • Press OK. The board is made in the journey's Files and opens over the whole screen.
    The New canvas window with "Welcome ideas" typed, Cancel and OK
    Type a name, press OK.

  3. Pick how to start

    A new board asks how you want to start. Pick one.

    • The board shows Start this board with...
    • Record the meeting → automatic action list: it listens while you talk and writes the agreements down.
    • Meeting board: agenda, decisions and an action list. Brainstorm board: a question with sticky notes around it. Plan board: a timeline with the first tasks.
    • One of our templates: a board saved earlier. An empty board: nothing, you use the + yourself.
    The empty board with the starter window: Record the meeting, Meeting board, Brainstorm board, Plan board, One of our templates, An empty board
    Six ways to start.

  4. Write on the notes

    Click twice on a note and type.

    • Double-click the round note in the middle and type your question, for example How do we make week 1 feel welcoming?
    • Double-click each yellow note and type an idea.
    • Click on the empty board when you are done.
    • There is no Save button: the board saves by itself. Undo (or Ctrl+Z) takes back the last change.
    A brainstorm board: a round note with a question in the middle and four yellow notes with ideas around it
    A question in the middle, ideas around it.

  5. Add more: the + button

    The big + on the left has everything you can put on the board.

    • Press the orange + on the left.
    • Pick what you want: Note, Text, Frame, Mindmap, Poll, Image, Video, Table, Date poll, Action list, Timeline (Gantt), Countdown, Web page and more.
    • Click on the board where it should go.
    • Want to draw? Press Draw under the +. Draw over everything; switch back to move things again.
    The add menu open on the left of the board: Note, Text, Frame, Mindmap, Poll, Image, Video, Table, Date poll, Action list and more
    Everything you can add.

  6. Move around and zoom

    The board has no edges. Drag it to move. Zoom in and out.

    • Drag the empty background to move around.
    • Scroll the mouse wheel, or pinch on a tablet, to zoom. The − and + bottom left do the same; the number shows how far.
    • Lost? Find on this board at the top finds a note by its words and jumps to it.
    • Need more room? Page 1 at the bottom has a + for another page. The colours bottom right colour a note; Background changes the board behind it.
    A board with two frames of coloured sticky notes, the zoom bar bottom left, Page 1 at the bottom and colours bottom right
    A full board. The tools are on the edges.

  7. Work on it together

    Everyone in the journey can open the board. They see changes at once.

    • People opens the list of people. Drag someone onto a note or an action to make it theirs.
    • Bring everyone here pulls everyone on the board to what you are looking at.
    • Share sends the board to someone. CrewMate asks a helper that reads the whole board.
    • Close with the cross top right. The board stays in the journey's Files; open it again from there, or in a video call.
    The board with the People list open on the right, and the buttons People, Share, Record and Bring everyone here at the top
    People on the right. Drag one onto a note.

If something is not right

I do not see the "Start this board with..." window.

It only shows on a new, empty board. Use the + instead.

Where is my board now?

In the journey, under Files.

I moved something by mistake.

Press Undo at the top, or Ctrl+Z.

I cannot find a note any more.

Use Find on this board, or zoom out.

The words, in plain language

canvas
The whiteboard in CoVince: a board with no edges for notes, pictures and plans.
sticky note
A small coloured square on the board with a few words on it.
frame
A box on the board that keeps some notes together.

Where to go next