One thing i find really useful with Skype for Business is whiteboarding, it helps me and someone else explain what they are discussing via a drawing on a virtual whiteboard.

I’ve was looking round the Microsoft Teams Apps and noticed Freehand by InVision. A screenshot of the app is below.

Looking over Freehand it looks to be only a part of what InVision offer but whiteboards (Freehands) seems to be free what from what i can find. the InVision seems to be used for building prototypes User interface design and used by a lot of well known companies. More Info on them here

Looks like Microsoft Teams hooks into the Freehands to provide whiteboards functionality.

Here is my experience using it for the first time.

Jump into the Team and Channel where you want to add Freehand (Whiteboard)

Click the + to add an additional tab

Locate and click on Freehand

Add to your Team – Click Install

After installing it will open and ask to sign in or sign up.

So lets sign up

This loads their website where you can sign up.

I had to expand the browser windows here

Its free to sign up so lets go

This seemed to sign me into the Invision website but with a very small window

It didn’t seem to seamlessly sign me into teams so i closed this windows once my account was created

which took me back here

I then signed in with my credentials

Now I’m signed in and create a new freehand or search existing ones

Lets select new freehand

Now i need to give a freehand name and choose an account

Awesome its added and it starts with a tutorial. I’ve not used this before so better see what i can learn.

Starts off with drawing shapes and what i like you can hold ctrl key and draw the shape outline and it will automatically improve your work

Shift for straight lines

Add text

Duplicate text is pretty cool

First Project

Conservation in Channel shows

Looks a great tool and looks like you can also

View in browser outside of Teams

Share with others and see them editing in real time, i think their name is on a cursor

You can present so only you have control.

 

In Summary

This looks a really powerful whiteboarding tool from InVision which is part of their portfolio and I’ve probably just touched the surface on what it can do, hopefully with practice ill get to know it more but i think its a great whiteboard tool for Microsoft Teams !

From what i see this is just the Freehand part from Invision which is added into Microsoft Teams giving Whiteboard functionality with collaboration with others really easily which is great. Also people without Teams can whiteboard directly in the browser. From what i can find i believe freehand is free but if you wanted to expand to other parts of Invision for UX design and making prototypes this is where costs come into play.

With the ability to add Freehands directly into Microsoft Teams if your already a InVision user must be great and for new people looking for whiteboard functionality within Teams its a good choice. Now ill have a look if there’s anymore options for Microsoft Teams

 

Hope that was useful.