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Use shapes to visualize ideas

Shapes are perfect for:

  • user journeys and user flows

  • diagrams

  • flow charts or diagrams

  • other activities that involve shapes and text

There are eight shapes you can use on whiteboards.

Selecting shapes from the toolbar

To add a shape to a whiteboard:

  1. Select the Shape tool to select a shape.

  2. Choose the shape you want to use on your whiteboard.

  3. Hover the shape preview over the whiteboard to pick a spot.

  4. Select again to drop the shape.

You can also drag and drop a shape from the toolbar onto the board.

Selecting a square and dragging it onto the whiteboard

Add connectors to shapes

Add connectors between sticky notes and shapes to diagram flows.

  1. Select in the toolbar.

  2. Select between a line or connector.

  3. Select and drag your cursor between the objects you want to connect.

Once created, you can select and drag a connector's start or end point to another object or another side of the same object.

Learn more about connectors

Edit shapes

Color

Use the color picker in the floating toolbar to change a shape's color.

To edit a shape's color:

  1. Select the shape.

  2. Select the color picker in the floating toolbar.

  3. Select a new color.

Selecting and changing the color of a shape

Type

You can change a shape already on your whiteboard from one type to another. For example, you can change a square to a circle.

To change a shape’s type:

  1. Select the shape.

  2. Select the shape selector in the floating toolbar.

  3. Select a new shape.

Size

You can resize a shape in two ways:

  • Drag the corner. This will evenly scale the shape up or down in size. The ratios of the shape will also be kept the same, but make the shape a different size.

  • Drag a side. This will only change the width or height of the shape. You can use this method to turn a square into a rectangle, etc.

When you resize a shape that has text in it, the text's size stays the same, but the amount of space around the text changes.

Create a Jira issue from a shape in whiteboards

Make sure that no ideas or to-dos get left behind when you’re done brainstorming or sprint planning. With whiteboards, you can improve your workflow by selecting single or multiple shapes and turning them into a Jira issue. This will work for Jira, Jira Service Management, and Jira Product Discovery.

  1. Select the shape(s) you want to turn into a Jira issue.

  2. Select Create from the floating toolbar.

  3. Add all the relevant information to the dialog on the right of your whiteboard.

  4. This will take you to Jira.

Creating a Jira issue from a shape

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