A powerful whiteboard with too much effort to use
Vibe Canvas helps people sketch ideas, prepare visual content, discuss information, and annotate presentations on Vibe Board's large touchscreen or PC.
But unfamiliar icons made tools difficult to understand, useful actions were hidden in menus or gestures, and unorganized settings that added extra mental load to users.
No single interaction was fundamentally broken. It was the repeatedly tiny interruptions like searching for tools, guessing their purposes, and navigating less-used controls that made everyday tasks feel clunky.
My challenge was to make frequently needed controls easier to reach and unfamiliar actions easier to understand, so users could focus on their work instead of figuring out the interface.
01 — Put the right controls within reach
Canvas already prioritized brushes on TV and creation tools on PC. But controls weren't always arranged or presented in ways that supported how users used them.
The activity data helped me reconsider which controls deserved immediate access and how much space they needed.
On 55’ and 75’ TV, 85% of sessions used brushes only, frequent switching between markers, eraser, and selection tools often disrupted the flow of discussion. I reduced unnecessary toolbar space to bring controls closer and added scrolling for 24% of users with 4+ brushes.
On PC, creation activities of stickies, shapes, and texts outnumbered brush activity by 2,000 to 1 in compared data. But brushes still competed for space when browsers became shorter. I defined the prioritization rule to collapse brushes first, keeping creation tools stay accessible.
These changes addressed the small but recurring detours in tool switching, helping users stay focused on their work instead of navigating the interface.
I also reconsidered how tool submenus behaved. Data showed that most secondary settings for creation tools were adjusted 5 times more often AFTER objects were created than BEFORE.
Instead of keeping every submenu always open, I separated immediate choices from optional settings. Essential brush options remained accessible while other settings were collapsed. Creation tools’ submenus instantly closed after objects were created to reduce distractions.
The later Canvas redesign allowed me to push the principle of making controls reflect how users work further, so Canvas could be more purpose-oriented without unnecessary complexity.
On TV, I gave brushes even more dedicated space while grouping creation tools and allowing frequent tools to be pinned. On PC, I kept creation tools prominent and collapsed brushes.
02 — Make unfamiliar interactions explain themselves
Canvas relied heavily on icons, even for tools whose purposes weren't immediately obvious. Eraser modes, text sizes, and section tools were particularly difficult to understand.
The problem wasn't merely guessing an icon's meaning once. It was the repeated hesitation of trying to recall what it meant while switching tools.
I added clearer labels, contextual explanations, and more scannable layouts to improve what icons alone couldn’t clarify in submenus so users could stop guessing as they encountered them.
But some everyday actions weren't merely unclear. They were simply invisible.
Clearing all strokes needed a hidden gesture while repositioning the toolbar relied on users knowing where to double-tabs. I showed them on submenus and added indicators to make interactions easier to discover and understand.
In Canvas redesign, I applied the same thinking to the 4 corner bars making file management actions such as background settings and export more visible on the top left while bringing sharing and presentation together on the top right.
Instead of expecting users to remember hidden actions, I wanted Canvas to show what it could do when users needed them.
Beyond tool access, exploring complete workflows
My initial vision was to make Canvas a sophisticated productivity tool in experience and look that guided users to discover its full potential without navigating its entire toolset.
I explored a portable toolbar to keep controls closer to content on large screens, alongside contextual themes for guided workflows like presentation and architectural annotation.
The portable toolbar was cut due to limited development resources while industry-specific workflows were pending after a business strategy shift.
After launch, simplicity brought new friction
One decision didn't work as well as expected.
I had collapsed optional brush settings to reduce distractions, but the usage data couldn't tell us how frequently brush detailed settings, particularly thickness, were adjusted.
Post-launch feedback showed that some heavy users repeatedly adjusted thickness while changing zoom levels. Hiding it added extra steps into their workflow. I participated in restoring quicker access to thickness, making an exception to the original simplification approach.
I learned that reducing visible controls doesn't necessarily reduce user effort. What more important is when a control is needed and how hard it is for users to immediately access.
Outcome
In post-launch research, approximately 78% of surveyed users were satisfied or highly satisfied, and 66% rated workflow-efficiency improvements positively. The redesign also established a clearer, more purposeful interaction experience for Canvas's everyday tools both on TV and PC.
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