Digital sticky notes feature are the digital equivalent of Post-It notes, and we love their simple effectiveness. Wondering how to make a digital sticky note? The easiest way to use online sticky notes is on an online whiteboard. Conceptboard’s online whiteboard has built-in sticky notes of every colour. Simply click and stick!
If your team is suddenly remote or distributed, making the transition to an online whiteboard and digital sticky notes will ensure you can continue brainstorming, share ideas and create together.
So, we just wanted to share seven tips that we’ve picked up after many years of using online sticky notes on an online-whiteboard.
1. Go digital first
Add all your digital sticky notes onto a collaborative online-whiteboard space. It’s a lot easier to sort through ideas and notes if they are all in the same place. So if you are making the switch to a new digital whiteboard, consolidate notes from notebooks, office whiteboards and around your desk onto an online sticky note board. This will make it easy to share and review ideas with your team.
To add a picture of a physical note to your online board, you can use the + icon in Conceptboard, snap a photo on your phone, then Upload files. Or if it’s a digital file, you can upload the whole file directly onto Conceptboard.
2. Use a color code system for your digital sticky notes
If you’re holding a remote brainstorming session on Conceptboard, create a colour code to visually separate ideas. For example, you can use various coloured sticky notes for:
- Separate idea rounds
- Different departments or sections
- Each individual user or participant on the board
Create a legend at the top of the board to identify the colour codes, so it’s clear for everyone joining the board.
If you work with Reviewers, this also makes it easier for them to find and move their own online sticky notes. Remember, Reviewers can only adjust the content they created themselves on the board.
3. Quickly add spreadsheet cells as digital sticky notes
You can copy data from an Excel spreadsheet and when you paste it into Conceptboard, each cell will appear as online post-it notes in a perfect grid alignment. You can then colour code and rearrange notes as you need on the board.
4. Use the grid layout to quickly create an online sticky note board
Once everyone has added their thoughts on the online post-it notes board, you can rearrange and group similar ideas and topics. It can be easier to go through all the ideas when they are in a clear, visual layout. This can help you see similarities and affinities, as well as highlight priorities or roadmaps.
To create an ordered table arranged into rows and columns, simply use the Select tool. Click and drag a selection rectangle around all the Sticky Notes, and then use the Grid Layout tool.
5. Use the board search to find related topics
Save yourself time searching through large boards. Simply hit Ctrl/⌘ + F to bring up the board search and type in a search term. Clicking on an item will take you to its location on the board. The board search allows you to search through text boxes, sticky notes, headlines and comments on the board (but not within uploaded files and documents).
6. Use a template to get started with digital sticky notes
You can use digital sticky notes within any of our online business templates. We have a vast library of ready-to-use templates you can use immediately. All of these templates are perfect for collaborating with online sticky notes within remote teams. Here are just a few of our more popular templates:
7. Adjust access settings
One of the most useful features within Conceptboard is the ability to update access settings for different users. This is a useful tool when sharing the board with external stakeholders and clients. You can access this tool from the Share button in the top right of the board and choose between Editor, Reviewer or Reader roles. While Owners and Editors have full access, Reviewers can only access the Scribble Pen, Comments, and Sticky Notes functions, and Readers have read-only accessibility and cannot make edits. You also have the option to set a password for the board for added security.
How to use online sticky notes for remote collaboration
Sticky notes are the best way to convey ideas in a brainstorming session, plan out tasks on a road map, or build affinities on an affinity map. Here are just a few other ways digital sticky notes can be used:
Brainstorming
Brainstorming sessions and post-it notes go together like gin and tonic. You can’t have one without the other. So next time you need to flesh out an idea, or brainstorm a new product, align everyone on an online whiteboard and an unlimited stack of digital sticky notes. Plus, in the online environment, you can make your online sticky notes as big as you need to fit all your ideas.
Collaboration & Feedback
One of the easiest ways to give feedback or suggestions is by adding post-it notes onto a document. It’s no different in the online setting. Sticky notes allow for quick feedback in context. You can even use the @mention tool to ensure your note is seen by the right person.
Take notes
During an online meeting, you only have time to note down the main points. So use an online whiteboard and digital sticky notes to capture the key topics. That way, everyone can see and contribute to the board. If you use a format such as a Stand-Up meeting, sticky notes are also an easy way for team members to add their notes ahead of the meeting.
For a complete tutorial on how to use online sticky notes, here’s our video guide!
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Auto save and availability across devices
Never lose your ideas on an online whiteboard. With auto-save and availability across multiple devices, you can access your board anytime inspiration strikes. It’s like carrying an infinite whiteboard around in your pocket.
They are just a few specific use cases for digital sticky notes, but really the options are endless. Anytime you need to share an idea or collaborate with a colleague online, sticky note boards will help you get the message across.
Discover visual collaboration
Our blog is full of fantastic free resources to help you streamline remote work, holding remote meetings and Agile project management.
7 Comments. Leave new
Thank you for the article :) I love using sticky notes – they are all over my place. At work, I can not spread them so carefreely, but I am using a kanban-method instead :) It really helps me a lo a lot! It feels like I have digital sticky notes :)
I find sticky notes incredibly useful, because they memorialize ideas, reminders, and create bounce points for brainstorming. But we really need sticky notes that can be hidden temporally, and then reappear. Part of that is for presenting a board in the first place, when you don’t want to overwhelm people. Another part is later on in the process sticky notes can just become too crowded.
I hope concept board will consider this. Only Miro offers this, so far as I know, and it is expensive.
Thank you for using conceptboard! We are always happy for new ideas and I can assure you, we are working hard to implement more and more of these in the future :) I can not promise you, that this particular feature for sticky-notes will be coming, but you are not the first to suggest this ;)
Thank you so much for this article! It provides a helpful and detailed overview of different digital sticky notes solutions for web browsers. I appreciate how it compares various tools, making it easier to choose the right one based on features like synchronization, formatting, and usability.
Thank you Daniel! We are delighted you found our article helpful!
Thanks for sharing this comprehensive guide on digital sticky notes
! The tips on color coding, grid layouts, and board search are particularly useful for organizing thoughts in a collaborative online space. Concept board’s features make it super easy to transition from physical to digital brainstorming, ensuring teams can keep ideas flowing seamlessly.
Thank you Daniel for your thoughtful feedback! We’re thrilled that you found the guide on digital sticky notes helpful. At Conceptboard, our goal is to make brainstorming and collaboration as seamless as possible, and it’s wonderful to hear that our features are helping teams transition smoothly to a digital workspace. 😊