ShareTheBoard can detect and amplify handwritten content on almost any surface. Though, as always, some surfaces are better than others.
Ideal: a new, clean whiteboard
A wall-mounted whiteboard will always offer the best results. The strong contrast between the white background and content from markers (ideally, new ones!) makes ShareTheBoard’s job easier. A clean board is also very helpful: ShareTheBoard is trained to avoid smudges but sometimes it’s difficult to determine which content is, indeed, unintentional. If your board is so old that some of that unintentional content is no longer erasable, it might be time to consider a replacement.
Flip charts and whiteboards on easels
Functionally, these should work just fine: ShareTheBoard will be able to identify content perfectly well. That said, the wobble of a standing board may be frustrating and, worst case scenario, may result in your board moving. This might require you to then adjust the work area in ShareTheBoard (though, with our auto-finder feature, this is remedied with one click).
Chalkboards
Many avid users of traditional writing surfaces swear by the chalkboard. Here too we have good news: ShareTheBoard does, indeed, work with chalkboards! The one gotcha is that these boards tend to have a very wide spectrum of color. Beyond the traditional black or green, we’ve seen blue, brown, and even pink boards before. As a result, our content detection algorithms may need to be a bit tweaked to work with your organization’s specific boards. So, while the “off the shelf” version of ShareTheBoard used for trials/pilots should be used primarily on whiteboards, during implementation we’ll work with you to ensure that your specific boards are well supported.
Anything else?
Yes! Ultimately, just about any uniform, reasonably contrasting, writeable surface should work. Indeed, you can simply point your camera at a piece of paper on your desk and share it with the world. Electrostatic sheets are also a good replacement for whiteboards when you’re on the road or when mounting a board is problematic.
Need help? Have specific questions?
If you have an atypical surface or need help with your organization’s unique setup, contact us and we’ll be happy to answer all of your questions.
