Getting Rid of Blank Board Intimidation

I recently read Design The Beginning, an article by Julie Zhou, product design director of Facebook. She writes about how we as product creators are so enthusiastic about what our product offers, that we neglect a very important part of it. When we daydream about a user using our product, we imagine them using its best features to better their own lives. We don’t imagine them onboarding. We neglect to design the meet cute¹ between a user and our product, resulting in a love story that quickly fizzles.

We were guilty of this. Our onboarding process was not the most flushed out, which is why we’re working to improve it. Our first task? Getting rid of blank board intimidation. We’ve learned that when users create their first board, they find themselves in a staring contest with an empty board, a little frustrated, and a little intimidated. Similar to how new writers and artists are often stumped by the blank page. It really is intimidating.

Board Templates

We’ve added a gallery of board templates to help stop blank board intimidation. New users will see them when they first login; and you my friend, can find them from your home board menu. These templates are based off of boards created and used by different members of our team as well as enthusiastic users. They are boards that have helped us be more productive and efficient in managing our work and personal lives. And throw awesome parties. We hope you find them useful as starting points, or as inspiration for what can be done with a little creativity, a goal, and a Cardsmith board.

^{1. a meet cute is when two characters in a film, usually potential love interests, meet for the first time.}