Early conceptual design meetings focus on metaphor and high-level
organization. You need to present possible organization schemes,
balancing the desire to reach consensus and move forward with the
need to remain open-minded about alternate approaches. White boards
and flip charts, high-level architecture blueprints, and scenarios
are key tools at this stage. After the major issues have been worked
out, later meetings involve the consideration of more detailed
organization, labeling, indexing, and navigation systems. Detailed
blueprints and Web-based prototypes will serve you well in these
discussions.
8.1. Brainstorming with White Boards and Flip Charts
For collaborative purposes, white boards are
unparalleled. The ephemeral nature of white board scribblings permits
a creative freedom not found in other media. The technology
disappears and inhibitions fall away.
In early research-oriented meetings, white boards support
collaboration around the definition and refinement of the mission,
vision, and goals of the project. When working with several people
from the organization, each with a different set of experiences,
perspectives, and goals, you can use the white board to help identify
issues, resolve differences, and achieve consensus.
White boards are also useful for considering possible information
architectures. Presenting ideas on the white board triggers new
understanding and further brainstorming (see Figure 8-1). The white board, the architect, and
colleagues become connected in a feedback cycle that moves towards
the articulation of an information architecture.
Figure 8-1. Sample white board scribblings
At face level, a major problem of white boards revolves around the
difficulty of recording a white-boarding session. White board
scribblings do not leave a permanent record. Ideas flow. The board
fills up. The board is erased. Eventually, everyone leaves and the
scribblings remain trapped on the surface of the white board, soon to
be erased by the participants of the next meeting.
In reality, you can use this problem to your advantage. Each time
consensus is reached, record the relevant white board scribblings.
Differences of opinion and dead-end discussions are quickly forgotten
and only the agreements remain. Alternatively, if you're not
comfortable with this level of sneakiness, you can assign a
designated notetaker to record agreements and disagreements alike.
We are aware of high-tech white boards that allow you to print or
save your scribbles. While we don't have much direct
experience, we're guessing many of these gadgets are more
trouble than they're worth. Sorry for the skepticism, but what
do you expect from librarians?
While the flip chart is a close relative of the white board, several
characteristics distinguish the two. Advantages of using the flip
chart during the research phase include its high portability and
intrinsic record-generating nature. Flip charts are portable. Their
tearaway sheets can be taken back to the office for study and
transcription. White boards are often anchored to walls and
won't fit in your car.
However, flip charts don't really support iteration and
collaboration. Due to the difficulty of erasing ink on paper and the
ugliness of extensively marked-up pages, flip charts invoke in people
a higher fear of error and greater resistance to change. When working
with flip charts, people try to get it right the first time. Whether
or not they succeed, they tend to live with the results rather than
mark up the page. This limits the freedom and creativity of group
collaboration.
While the visible differences between white boards and flip charts
are fairly subtle and seemingly innocent, the ultimate impact upon
the collaborative process can be significant. For collaborative
brainstorming, give us a white board any day.
