From Whiteboard to Workflow: Leveraging OCR for Seamless Code Capture

ROLE

Product Designer

TOOLS

Figma, Figjam

Balsamiq

TIMEFRAME

Ongoing

TEAM

2 developers, 1 product designer

Making it easier to capture, convert, and store whiteboard code, notes & brainstorming sessions - no more lost ideas.

"I took a photo of the whiteboard so I wouldn’t forget, but now I can't even read my own handwriting." – my developer colleague

As a hybrid-remote worker, I often found myself using a whiteboard in the office with my team to sketch out ideas, code snippets, and problem-solving strategies. Whiteboarding was an essential part of our collaborative process—fast, dynamic, and intuitive. But when working remotely, that fluidity was lost.

We’d resort to snapping photos of the whiteboard, dropping them into Slack threads, attaching them to our digital whiteboards, hoping context wouldn’t get lost in translation. But more often than not, these photos became messy, hard to read, and disconnected from our workflow. The transition from physical to digital collaboration felt clunky, and existing tools weren’t built for the way we worked.

This challenge became even more evident during a design sprint at work, where we explored the friction points of hybrid collaboration. Through this process, I uncovered a recurring problem: developers were spending extra time deciphering whiteboard photos and manually rewriting code, disrupting their workflow.

Recognizing this gap, I partnered with two developers who had experienced the same frustration to design a solution. The result? CodeSnap—a tool that transforms whiteboard code snippets into a seamless, structured digital experience, ensuring ideas stay clear, organized, and actionable across both in-person and remote work.

Unpacking the Problem Space

When we first started exploring CodeSnap, we knew whiteboards were essential in technical workflows. However, we needed to understand exactly how and when developers used them and what became of their ideas after brainstorming. To ensure CodeSnap would address real user needs, I conducted foundational research through a survey of 30 targeted users and held in-person interviews with developers and a product owner. This research helped our team understand how often developers used whiteboards, what they used them for, and how valuable a whiteboard tool would be in their daily work.

Whiteboards are everywhere - but their ideas get lost

The survey research showed that 90% of developers rely on whiteboards regularly, with 14 out of 24 participants using them every week. Whether it’s designing system architecture, working through complex algorithms, or collaborating with a team, whiteboards remain a go-to tool for fast, flexible thinking.

But here’s where the problem emerged: once the session ended, these ideas became difficult to capture and use effectively. The following snippets from 1:1 interviews with users begin to tell the full story:

“We take pictures and drop them into Slack, but they just get buried.”
“I rewrite my notes in a doc, but it’s time-consuming.”
“If I’m remote, I miss half the conversation because I can’t see the board in real time.”

For hybrid teams, this meant valuable insights were slipping through the cracks—either lost in chat threads, stuck in someone’s personal notes, or simply forgotten.

What are dev teams using whiteboards for?

To dig deeper into potential use cases and pain-points, I asked survey participants what kinds of tasks they typically use whiteboards for. The responses painted a clear picture of how integral whiteboarding is to their workflow:

  • Brainstorming architecture and system design (9 users)

  • Problem-solving and algorithms (6 users)

  • Collaborative sessions with team members (5 users)

  • Technical interviews (2 users)

While these tasks vary, the common thread was clear: whiteboards help developers think, collaborate, and problem-solve—but there’s no easy way to translate that work into something usable afterward.

Once we understood the problem, we asked developers: Would you find an app that converts whiteboard images to editable text or code useful?

The response was overwhelmingly clear:

  • 20 out of 24 said yes—this was something they actively needed.

  • Only 1 said no, while 3 were unsure.

For us, this was a defining moment. The problem wasn’t just theoretical—it was something developers actively struggled with, and they were eager for a solution.

That’s where CodeSnap comes in.

By leveraging OCR technology, CodeSnap aims to bridge the gap between in-person and remote collaboration, making whiteboard sketches as searchable and editable as any other digital asset. No more lost notes, unreadable photos, or redundant rework—just a seamless way to capture and continue technical discussions.

Understanding the Users: Designing for Real Workflows

With a clearer understanding of the pain points around whiteboarding in hybrid teams, we needed to ensure CodeSnap wasn’t just solving a problem—it was solving the right problem for the right people.

We mapped out two primary use cases based on user research:

  • Developers needing a structured way to capture and reuse handwritten code

  • Product owners needing to bridge the gap between brainstorming and execution

Jordan’s workflow was fast, messy, and iterative—he needed CodeSnap to remove friction from the process of capturing and organizing code snippets.

Emma, on the other hand, needed structure and clarity—a way to ensure whiteboard insights became actionable, rather than getting lost in scattered notes.

This exercise wasn’t just about listing pain points—it helped shape the design decisions that followed:

  • CodeSnap had to be fast and seamless, requiring little effort to capture, convert, and store whiteboard content.

  • It needed to integrate with tools teams already use, like Slack, GitHub, and project management platforms.

  • Most importantly, it had to work naturally within existing workflows—not force users to change their habits.

Identifying these core use cases ensured that every design decision moving forward wasn’t just based on assumptions—it was rooted in real needs and behaviors.

With this foundation in place, we moved into the next phase: low-fidelity prototyping and early validation.

Bringing CodeSnap to Life: Prototyping & Early Validation

With a clear understanding of our users and their workflows, it was time to move from insights to action. The goal of this phase wasn’t just to create polished designs—it was to test, iterate, and refine the experience before committing to high-fidelity visuals.

I started by mapping out the user flow—a step-by-step breakdown of how someone would interact with CodeSnap.

"I want to quickly capture my whiteboard notes and make sure they don’t just sit in my camera roll." – Developer Feedback

This led to a streamlined process:

  1. Capture – The user takes a photo of their whiteboard.

  2. Confirm – They review the image and decide if it’s clear enough to process.

  3. OCR Processing – The app extracts handwritten code into a structured, editable format.

  4. Edit & Save – Users refine, categorize, and store their snippets for future use.

Bringing CodeSnap to Life: Prototyping & Early Validation

With a clear understanding of our users and their workflows, it was time to move from insights to action. The goal of this phase wasn’t just to create polished designs—it was to test, iterate, and refine the experience before committing to high-fidelity visuals.

I started by mapping out the user flow—a step-by-step breakdown of how someone would interact with CodeSnap.

"I want to quickly capture my whiteboard notes and make sure they don’t just sit in my camera roll." – Developer Feedback

This led to a streamlined process:

  1. Capture – The user takes a photo of their whiteboard.

  2. Confirm – They review the image and decide if it’s clear enough to process.

  3. OCR Processing – The app extracts handwritten code into a structured, editable format.

  4. Edit & Save – Users refine, categorize, and store their snippets for future use.

To validate our approach, we shared these early prototypes with developers and product owners. Their feedback helped us refine key interactions:

  • Developers wanted OCR to preserve formatting, so we focused on maintaining code indentation and syntax.

  • The ability to tag and organize snippets was crucial, ensuring users could retrieve them later without friction.

  • Speed was a priority, so we optimized the flow to ensure capturing and processing a whiteboard sketch felt effortless.

"I love that I can immediately copy my code snippet instead of manually rewriting it." – Developer Feedback

By keeping the process lightweight and iterative, we were able to refine the core experience before investing time in high-fidelity design. This allowed us to move forward with confidence, knowing that the foundation of CodeSnap was built around real user needs.

Through these sessions, we gained valuable feedback on:

  • Speed & accuracy of OCR: Developers wanted highly precise code recognition, ensuring syntax and indentation remained intact.

  • Workflow integration: The ability to quickly save and retrieve snippets without disrupting existing workflows was crucial.

  • Usability & clarity: Ensuring that each step of the process felt natural, with minimal manual intervention.

What’s Next: Bridging Design and Development

While the backend is still in development, these tests have already shaped refinements in the interface and user flow. Engineers are currently focused on:

  • Optimizing OCR accuracy for different handwriting styles and lighting conditions

  • Implementing cloud-based storage to sync snippets across devices

By grounding every decision in real-world usage, CodeSnap is evolving from a concept into a tool that truly fits into the daily lives of hybrid teams. As development continues, the next phase will focus on refining edge cases, improving performance, and expanding features based on further user insights.

CodeSnap is still a work in progress, but each iteration brings us closer to solving the problem it set out to tackle—bridging the gap between physical and digital collaboration for developers everywhere.

Final Thoughts

This project deepened my appreciation for solving real-world developer pain points. By transforming whiteboard sketches into structured, reusable code, CodeSnap streamlined an overlooked part of the workflow—bridging the gap between ideation and execution.

The takeaway? The best tools don’t just save time—they feel like an extension of how people already work. That’s what I strive for in every design.

Let’s talk UX and developer tools! Get in touch.