Virtual Shared Blackboards, and the pageless feature

Google has added a feature in Google Docs: pageless.

  • Pageless: Set up your Google Doc so that it continuously scrolls without page breaks. In this setting, images will adjust to your screen size, and you can create wide tables and view them by scrolling left and right. Line breaks for text will also adjust to your screen size, and as you zoom in and out.

For the companies working on new user experience for collaboration and enable better virtual meetings and shared content, this is a threat.

A hodgepodge of ideas on one Wardley Map

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Virtual Shared Blackboards. Event = Google publishes pageless in GoogleDocs

That’s a lot on a pic!

Ok, I will try to explain a litlle bit.

The shared blackboards is in constant evolution and this is represented in the pipeline (centered rectangle). This evolution is explained briefly, I will add some more details:

  1. SB concept was born as a need, and it started to be used by some users, this was the genesis.
  2. Then, Miro and others gain attraction, and the amount of users grew up. The Covid-19 accelerated this adoption by so many other people that did even not knew about these type of tools.
  3. Miro and other increases volume: once they have been adopted (co-evolution) the number of people have increased and increased.
  1. GoogleDocs pageless pushes SB into utility: Google has “Workplace”, a suite of services that cover everything that the user needs. They use to measure the adoption of tools and features, and once they decide one is gaining attraction of the users they add it. “Pageless” is just one of multiple changes Google does continuously.

In blue boxes I have added the main gameplays I consider each player is using.

All maps are wrong, some are useful. As usual, any feedback is welcome.

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