Notes and frames

Notes are the smallest thing on the canvas: one fact, one decision or one open question each, in a color that says which. Frames gather notes and other items by topic, so the board reads at a glance and Buildpad knows where everything belongs.

Scents

Soy wax holdsscent longerthan paraffin

Launchwith fourscents

Parking lot

Can we back acarbonneutral claim?

Notes

One thing per note

Buildpad keeps a note to one thing in at most 25 words, so it reads at a glance. When there is more to say, it adds more notes. When something needs real room, like a finding with its detail, it goes in a document and a note holds the takeaway. The same habit keeps your own notes useful.

Colors

Notes come in nine colors: yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, cobalt, cyan, mint and tan. Buildpad uses them with a meaning:

• Yellow is a fact, something we know.
• Cyan is a decision, something we chose.
• Purple is an open item: a question, a hypothesis, or something put off that still needs an answer.
• Tan is a label. Open items live in a loose cluster outside the frames under a tan Parking lot label. When an open item is resolved, Buildpad removes the note and adds the answer to its topic as a fact or a decision.
• Orange is a candidate idea while you are finding an idea, under a tan Candidates label.

The other colors are yours. Pick any color from the toolbar, or ask Buildpad to use one.

Editing

One click on a note starts editing. Click again to put the cursor where you want it. With a note selected, you can also just start typing, which replaces its text. Escape or a click outside the note finishes, and the note saves as you type.

Formatting is bold, italic and strikethrough, from the B button on the toolbar, plus line breaks. Headings, lists and links are for documents.

Cedar andfig ledeverygroup

Auto

Size and text size

• Note size. The toolbar offers S, M and L. You can also drag any corner or edge to resize, and the note keeps its proportions. When you type more than fits, the note grows taller on its own. Buildpad uses size to show weight: large for the one or two notes that sum up a topic and for labels, medium by default, small for supporting detail.
• Text size. Auto, the default, picks the largest size that fits. The toolbar shows the current size, with arrows to step it and a list to pick from. Sizes that would not fit are grayed out, and a fixed size that stops fitting as you type goes back to Auto.
• Alignment. Left, center or right, and top, middle or bottom. Notes start centered both ways.

The menu

The ⋮ menu has Copy for the note's text, Duplicate, Delete, and Download as Word, PDF, Text or Markdown.

Frames

Scents

Cedar andfig ledeverygroup

Sea salthas thebroadestappeal

Black teasplits theroom

Citrusreads as acleaner

Pricing

Threesizes, onepriceladder

A frame is a colored rectangle with a title above its top-left corner. Create one with Frame on the rail, which gives you a tan frame called "New frame" in the middle of your view, then drag items into it.

• Title. Click the frame and type. The title is one line, and Enter finishes. With the frame selected, typing replaces the title.
• Color. The same nine colors as notes, from the swatch on the toolbar.
• Resize. Drag any corner or edge. Frames resize freely in both directions.
• Move. Dragging a frame carries every item whose center is inside it. Frames always sit behind other items, so you can still grab a note that is inside one.
• Select. A selection box picks up a frame only when it covers the whole frame, so you can sweep notes out of a frame without taking the frame along.
• Menu. Copy copies the title, Duplicate makes an empty copy of the frame, and Delete removes the frame and leaves its contents on the board.

How Buildpad keeps frames organized

Buildpad makes one frame per topic, such as the project, customers, positioning or pricing, and gives related topics the same color. When a topic already has a frame, it adds to that frame. When a new topic comes up, it makes a new frame next to the frame it relates to most. As items go in, the frame grows around them and pushes its neighbors aside. Facts, decisions, documents, research, interviews and websites all go into the frame of their topic.