How to Run a Brainstorm on an Excalidraw Whiteboard
Run a quick brainstorm on a free Excalidraw whiteboard. Write the question on top, put one idea on each sticky-note box, colour them yellow, then drag the notes into groups. Example: ideas to win repeat orders for a made-up online shop.
Step by step
Why a whiteboard
- Brainstorm board. A whiteboard with sticky notes lets everyone add ideas first and sort them later. This board is built in Excalidraw for a made-up online shop.
- excalidraw.com. Open excalidraw.com in your browser. It starts with an empty canvas, so you can begin straight away.
The question
- The question. Every brainstorm needs one clear question. Pick the text tool, click near the top of the canvas and type: How can we win repeat orders?
Capture ideas
- One idea per note. Each idea gets its own box, like a sticky note. Draw a rectangle, press Enter and type the idea. The first one is Loyalty points. Draw a second rectangle for the next idea: Free delivery. Do not sort or judge the ideas yet. Just keep adding them. The third note is Birthday coupon. Add one more rectangle: Track my parcel. The board now has four idea notes.
Sticky-note look
- Sticky-note look. Make the boxes look like sticky notes. Select the first one, then in the style panel on the left pick the yellow background (#ffec99) and the solid fill. Give Free delivery the same yellow background and solid fill. Do the same for Birthday coupon. Do the same for Track my parcel. All four notes are now yellow, like a wall of sticky notes.
Group the ideas
- Group headings. Now sort the ideas by theme. Two are about rewards and two are about delivery. Add a text heading on the left: Rewards. Add a second text heading on the right: Delivery.
- Drag into groups. Drag each note under its heading. Birthday coupon is a reward, so drag it to the left, under Loyalty points. Free delivery belongs with delivery, so drag it to the right, under Track my parcel.
- The finished board. Click an empty spot on the canvas to deselect everything. The board now shows one question on top, four yellow notes and two groups of ideas.
Recap
- The rules. The rules: write one question on top, put one idea on each note, and do not judge ideas while they come in. Then find the themes and drag every note into a group.
Common mistakes
- Putting several ideas in one box. Keep one idea per note. If a box holds two ideas, you cannot move them to different groups later. Split it into two boxes.
- Sorting and judging while ideas are still coming in. Capture first and group later. Criticising ideas early makes people stop sharing. Wait until the notes are all on the board, then look for themes.
- Starting without a clear question. A vague topic gives vague ideas. Write one specific question at the top, like How can we win repeat orders?, so everyone answers the same thing.
- Colouring only some of the notes. A note only looks fully yellow with the solid fill. With the hatched fills the yellow shows as stripes. Check each note, or select several notes together and apply the style once.
When a business analyst uses this
In a workshop to gather requirements or find process problems, ask one question such as What slows down approvals? Everyone adds notes, then the group sorts them into themes. Those themes become a first draft of your requirements or issues list.
Questions people ask
Is Excalidraw free to use for a brainstorm?
Yes. You can open excalidraw.com and start drawing on an empty canvas without setting anything up, as shown in this lesson.
How do I make sticky notes in Excalidraw?
Draw a rectangle, press Enter and type one idea inside it. Then pick a yellow background and the solid fill in the style panel on the left.
How do I group ideas on an Excalidraw whiteboard?
Add a text heading for each theme, then drag each note under the right heading. In this lesson the Birthday coupon note moves under Loyalty points.
