1、The State of Visual Collaboration2021Table of contentsIntroductionThe changing face of hybrid communicationRoot causes for remote work challengesUncovering remote work priorities Meeting the need with visual collaboration toolsHow teams use visual collaboration toolsRise above remote work barriers w

2、ith visual collaboration347 91315212STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISIONIntroductionYet most remote workers say their biggest challenge is being able to communicate as effectively in a virtual setting as they do in person.To learn more about the challenges of collaborating in a remote environm

3、ent,we surveyed more than 600 IT,product manager,HR,and operations professionals.Heres what we found,along with our best recommendations for how remote teams can thrive with visual collaboration.Effective visual collaboration allows teams to better see,communicate,and contribute to meetings,workshop

4、s,brainstorming,planning,and other creative group sessions in real time,or any time.Visual collaboration tools provide a virtual workspace to help remote and hybrid teams surface new ideas and build strong connections in an inclusive environment,no matter where or how they work.What is visual collab

5、oration?In the world of hybrid and remote work,visual collaboration is your key to engaging employees,increasing productivity,and uncovering innovative ideas.From problem-solving and team-building to brainstorming and workshops,teams that can easily collaborate across the miles will come out ahead.3

6、STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISIONThe changing face of hybrid communicationCHAPTER ONEEven before the shift to remote work,hybrid communication was lacking.When someone had to work from home to take care of a sick child or family member,they would be the lone person dialing into a conference

7、 room.Someone would draw something on the physical whiteboard and the remote worker would have to say,“Would you mind turning the webcam over towards the whiteboard?”Because the culture was biased toward in-person work,remote workers always felt left out.Making sure that everyone has their voice hea

8、rd and that they have a seat at the table is really important in a remote world.”Clint Williams,Principal Product Manager,Microsoft Teams“4STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISION1-The changing face of hybrid communicationToday,most employees expect the option to work remotely.Almost 98%of workers

9、 say they would like to work remotely at least some of the time for the rest of their careers,and 97%would recommend remote work to others,reports Buffer.This makes effective hybrid communication even more criticaland more complex.Microsoft found that colleagues feel less connected to each other sin

10、ce shifting to remote work,and InVision research corroborates that.We discovered that the challenges around remote work stem from not being able to communicate with colleagues face to face.The list is far longer than we could have imagined,propelled by the past two years of working from home.From fe

11、wer spontaneous conversations and difficulty expressing ideas to decreased opportunities for collaboration and lower creativity,remote teams are struggling.5STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISION1-The changing face of hybrid communicationDifficulty scheduling meetings/aligning schedules30%30%Wor

12、king with varying levels of tech savvy among colleagues 32%Miscommunications/messages misunderstood41%Decreased spontaneous interactions/conversations48%Feeling less connected with coworkers/colleagues57%Lack of in-person social interaction with colleaguesDecreased opportunities to collaborate among

13、 team27%Difficulty expressing ideas/sharing work with team25%Challenges learning new tech tools/platforms23%Difficulty integrating new tech tools/platforms with other tools/platforms21%Decreased creativity/ideation15%Other2%None of the above6%The challenges of working remotely6STATE OF VISUAL COLLAB

14、ORATION 2021INVISIONRoot causes for remote work challengesCHAPTER TWOWhile remote work provides employees with the flexibility they crave,it can also be a huge source of stress and burnout.Email interruptions,calendars full of virtual meetings,and working until the wee hours of the morning have beco

15、me a way of life for many people.To mitigate remote work fatigue,target three key stressors:digital distractions,virtual overload and difficulty disconnecting.”Gartner1“1Smarter with Gartner,“Watch Out for 3 Challenges Driving Remote Work Fatigue,”April 26,2021,https:/ OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021IN

16、VISIONVirtual cant compete with face to face Many professionals say body language and in-person collaboration are important to fully understanding their colleagues,especially when completing difficult tasks or making important decisions.Technical issues slow things down Not everyone has strong WiFi

17、connections,so many teams waste valuable time when people have to walk around looking for a stronger signal,or disconnect and dial back in.Scheduled meetings clutter calendars Because remote workers cant conduct“drop-in”meetings in the hallway or by the coffee machine,video meetings take over our ca

18、lendars,leaving little room for anything else.Fewer personal connections hinder collaboration When teams connect personally,they develop the camaraderie and enthusiasm to work toward a common goal.Without these connections,virtual collaboration can suffer.2-Root causes for remote work challengesAnd

19、if youre an IT professional,you also have to worry about infrastructure to support remote workers,as well as ensuring quality communication and collaboration experiences.According to our survey,there are four big reasons for these remote work challenges:8STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISIONUnc

20、overing remote work priorities CHAPTER THREEWe asked both business leaders and their teams about some of the biggest challenges they face with remote and hybrid work.While some priorities differed,everyone agreed that communication and collaboration are key to successful remote work.Business leaders

21、:Increased efficiency and closer communicationOur study found that the top challenges business leaders want to solve for their remote workers include:More efficiency when working with colleagues Better communication and collaboration with co-workers9STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISION3-Uncove

22、ring remote work priorities The top challenge is keeping everyone motivated and finding ways to collaborate that fit with everyones schedule.Being home and having kids and families can sometimes be difficult for the employee.”Operations Leader,InVision Visual Collaboration Survey“Be more efficient/s

23、olve for distractions26%Be more effective virtual communicators/collaborators23%Ensure data security protocols are being followed9%Solve for technical difficulties7%Other7%Creating an environment of open dialogue7%Better teaching for program/tool implementation3%Nothing I can think of 3%Top challeng

24、es c-suite wants to solve for their employees when working remotely 10STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISION3-Uncovering remote work priorities Teams:Better communication and more reliable techThe lack of in-person collaboration negatively affects the synergy and effectiveness of our collaborati

25、on efforts.”Product Manager,InVision Visual Collaboration Survey“Improving online communication is a priority for team members,too,but is complicated by technical difficulties.Workers identified their top remote work priorities as:Difficulty replicating in-person collaboration online(28%)Slow connec

26、tions,bandwidth,and WiFi issues(19%)Tracking meetings and team schedules(15%)11STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISION3-Uncovering remote work priorities 28%Bandwidth/wifi issues/slow connection19%Online collaboration/not the same as in-person/difficulty communicating virtuallySchedule meetings/t

27、racking team schedules 15%Team building/connecting with team on personal level9%None/nothing8%Teaching or learning new technology/lack of tech tool understanding6%Staying focused/at home distractions6%Keeping track of the status of each moving part within a project5%Other4%The challenges of working

28、remotely 12STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISIONMeeting the need with visual collaboration toolsCHAPTER FOURRemote work has forced companies to rethink where they focus their resources.According to a PwC study,72%of US executives plan to invest in virtual collaboration tools to support hybrid w

29、orkSimple and approachable,virtual whiteboards are a type of visual collaboration tool that can help teams visually represent and collaborate on ideas and plans with drawings,charts,diagrams,sticky notes,and other engaging capabilities.And theyre expected to be a key tool for remote working teams.Ou

30、r research shows that teams who use visual collaboration tools value ease of use,integrations,and real-time collaboration most.IT professionals also value tools that are flexible and scalable,and can accommodate growing teams.Gartner expects the visual collaboration tools market to expand and solidi

31、fy a foundational role in the continuing global shift to remote work.”Gartner2“2Gartner,“Hype Cycle for the Digital Workplace,2021,”Matt Cain,Michael Woodbridge,Brent Stewart,July 12,202113STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISION14STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISIONWPP is a creative transfo

32、rmation company that works with agencies around the world,including Wunderman Thompson(WT).As part of a rebrand for Aquafresh toothpaste,WT set up a series of in-person meetings to collaborate with their client.But when COVID hit,they had to find a way to do the same work virtually.With InVision Fre

33、ehand already in place,teams were able to collaborate in real time across locations and time zones with no training required.More than 24 specialists from WT and Aquafresh brainstormed 112 creative concepts in just two dayshalf the time it would have taken than in person.And they saved a bundle on t

34、ravel expenses.Scaling creativity at WPPThere are other companies that enable the creation of digital products but not as elegantly with collaboration.Enabling collaboration is the magic.”Sanja Partalo,Executive Vice President,WPP“4-Meeting the need with visual collaboration toolsHow teams use visua

35、l collaboration toolsCHAPTER FIVEFrom IT and operations leaders to product management and HR professionals,teams across organizations use visual collaboration tools to meet their biggest remote work challenges.This includes:Problem-solving and team-building Collecting feedback Creating organizationa

36、l charts Conducting agile retrospectives15STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISION16STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISION5-How teams use visual collaboration toolsAt Accenture Federal,PI planning for the VA military health systems sector typically meant flying in teams of hundreds of people,p

37、acking meeting rooms,and keeping track of an endless trail of Post-it Notes.Even before the pandemic,they quickly realized that their teams were outgrowing this processin both office space and costsso they began looking at online collaboration tools.Using InVision Freehand,teams of more than 100 wer

38、e able to come together remotely to develop their own schedules in just three days.The schedules were also translated simultaneously to their application lifecycle management(ALM)tool.How Accenture Federal transformed PI planning for remote teamsWeve brought in-person results to a remote atmosphere.

39、Thats powerful because the amount of information you capture by allowing more development,architecture,and design teams to actually create the schedule for you is incremental.”Brent Swartz,Business Agility Senior Manager,Accenture Federal“5-How teams use visual collaboration toolsAcross the board,we

40、ve seen collaboration,iteration,and innovation are mainstays of successful companies,but recreating the energy and productivity of live sessions is hard to recreate from a distance.According to our research,visual collaboration tools can help product managers support their remote teams by facilitati

41、ng everything from product roadmapping and brainstorming to problem-solving and flowcharts.17STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISION18STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISION5-How teams use visual collaboration toolsInspiring creativity in cross-functional teams starts with smoother workflows.B

42、ut while keeping teams aligned is hard enough when everyone is in the same office,Asana found that its even more complex when people are scattered across time zones.With the help of InVision Freehand,seamlessly integrated with their own work management tool,Asana was able to create an environment th

43、at supports autonomy while helping teams work more efficiently together.For example,by pasting a link into a project brief in Asana,team members can open a Freehand within their Asana board,making their ideas actionable.The result is less switching between tools,and more productive work.Keeping team

44、s connected across time zones and functionsWere excited to make the connection between ideation and creationbetween capturing your thoughts and ideas,and putting those in action.”Paige Costello,Product Lead,Asana“5-How teams use visual collaboration toolsVisual collaboration also gives companies a s

45、tronger platform for inclusion in the workplace.Brainstorming,for instance,gives team members the chance to participate by speaking up,drawing,typing,or even contributing ideas on their own time,offering everyone a voice.There is an ease of Freehand where people from different identities and differe

46、nt backgroundswhether a product manager,designer,engineer,English,or non-English speakingcan easily get up to speed and collaborate across cultures,boundaries,and differences in service of creating a product together.”Benjamin Evans,Director of Product Inclusion,Paypal“19STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATIO

47、N 2021INVISION20STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISIONAt IBM,whiteboards play a major role in their design culture.Mounted on walls or wheeled between rooms,whiteboards allow their teams to come together to surface and visualize new ideas.But when IBM made the shift to remote work due to the pan

48、demic,they needed a digital alternative.With Freehand,InVisions digital whiteboard,theyve been able to easily bring other functions like architecture and engineering into product planning and workshop sessions,as well as better collaborate with developers across the world.To guide their sessions,the

49、yve created templates for everything from product launches and sprint planning to journey mapping and wireframing.People can also contribute to the discussion asynchronously,both before and after sessions.5-How teams use visual collaboration toolsFrom physical whiteboards to digital collaboration We

50、 adapted our normal in-studio world into a digital world,and that opened some cool opportunities because it got the whiteboards out of the design studio.”Josef Bodine,UX Design Lead,IBM“Rise above remote work barriers with visual collaborationCHAPTER SIXWhile our research shows that remote teams are

51、 still trying to find their way when it comes to communicating across the miles,visual collaboration tools can show them the way.Here are our top recommendations for how you can use visual collaboration tools to make remote work more productive,collaborative,and fun.Make it easy to collaborate:Build

52、ing connections with your team is the first step to better collaboration,but youll never get there with complicated tools that require prior expertise or lots of training.Help teams start collaborating right away with easy-to-use tools that empower them to make their ideas heard in a way that works

53、best for them.21STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISION6-Rise above remote work barriers with visual collaborationEnsure equity and inclusivityIn a hybrid environment,you cant hold a meeting down the hall and leave key team members out because they work remotely.Nor can you continue holding meeti

54、ngs where one person takes over the discussion,leaving out those who dont feel comfortable speaking up,or who need more time to process their thoughts.Get everyone involved by giving them the opportunity to contribute when they feel most comfortable,whether thats synchronously or asynchronously.Incl

55、usion helps build great teams and great collaboration.Make it easy for people to connect,collaborate,to understand and celebrate their differences.Those are all things that are really foundational to a tool that encourages a more inclusive way of working.Benjamin Evans,Director of Product Inclusion,

56、Paypal“To get your team successful with a tool,you want to start with something that has a really low learning curve and helps your team get to that aha moment of Wow,this is really helping me connect better with my colleagues and do better work.”Paige Costello,Product Lead,Asana“22STATE OF VISUAL C

57、OLLABORATION 2021INVISION6-Rise above remote work barriers with visual collaborationAdd some structureOne of the hardest things about launching a collaborative session like brainstorming is starting with a blank canvas.Having access to pre-made templates for your most common whiteboarding activities

58、 from journey mapping and operations planning to workshops and sprint planning solves this issue.When you add a little structure to your sessions,you can get a jumpstart on creating new ideas,improve your productivity,and inspire greater creativity.Collaborate in real timeWhen it comes to virtual me

59、etings,most people end up staring at a screen while someone else presents,and theyre not really part of the conversation.But when youre collaborating in real time,you can see cursors flying,people building off each others ideas,and get close to the kind of energy you feel when working in the same ro

60、om.The real-time collaborative nature of visual collaboration is super helpful to make people feel engaged and that theyre part of something.”Jeff Chow,SVP Product,InVision“23STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISION6-Rise above remote work barriers with visual collaborationIntegrate with your exis

61、ting toolsetTeam collaboration shouldnt stop the minute your meeting or problem-solving session ends.Thats why your visual collaboration tool needs to integrate seamlessly into your existing tech.For example,your team should be able to drop and rank development task cards from your agile planning so

62、ftware directly on your whiteboard,pin a digital whiteboard into your communication platform,or pop up a whiteboard canvas in your work management application.Visual collaboration tools need to enable deeper integration with design,product management and development tools to become a permanent part

63、of the digital product design toolset.”Gartner3“2Gartner,“Hype Cycle for the Digital Workplace,2021,”Matt Cain,Michael Woodbridge,Brent Stewart,July 12,202124STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISION6-Rise above remote work barriers with visual collaborationDont forget the funEveryone can use a lit

64、tle more fun at work,especially if theyre remote.Animated gifs like party poppers and hearts dropped next to a colleagues virtual comments can brighten someones day,even when theyre hard at work.Or take a vote on your favorite ideas,right on your whiteboard canvas.By letting people show their person

65、alities,you can lighten the mood and create a positive energy that helps creativity flow.I wanted a way to make great product design feel more like play.I consider it a rich and untapped resource.”Mike Kuechenmeister,Design Lead,ACS Technologies“25STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISIONTry InVisi

66、on FreehandDiscover how visual collaboration can bring your in-house and remote teams together and drive more business.Go to to try a digital whiteboard free today.26STATE OF VISUAL COLLABORATION 2021INVISIONHYBRID COLLABORATION:A GUIDE TO CHANGES,CHALLENGES,&CONSIDERATIONSINVISIONIce breakers Templ

67、ateCrazy 8s TemplateProduct Planning TemplateCustomer Journey Map TemplateBrainstorming TemplateMarketing Strategy TemplateDesign SprintTemplateFlowchart TemplateFreehand TemplatesPreview templatePreview templatePreview TemplatePreview templatePreview templatePreview templatePreview templatePreview templateBrowse all templates