Real Time Collaborative Whiteboard

Abstract

This experiment developed a whiteboard web application that will be versatile, hence usable both as a tool in teaching and one in entertainment. There is a pencil of all sizes and colors allows people highly to customize the drawing capability. It has several shapes-circles, rectangles, lines-for structured illustrative works. The platform can also be allowed for free-hand drawing and sketching for artistic expression or note-taking. An important feature of the application is the non-stuttering user interface during transit from one tool to another. Hence, it is perfect for live lesson educators or busy people working on creative tasks. A desirable feature of the application is that it has a \"Save as Photo\" function where the work can be captured in the image format and shared with colleagues or preserved for eventual review. This connects the user from the old means of whiteboards to the new avenues of digital interfaces, thereby enriching interaction in learning environments online and serving as a fun way of creativity and entertainment. The user base of the whiteboard application is encompassed by students and teachers, hobbyists, and artists, due to its wide-ranging intuitive control, size and color customization, and shape-drawing tools. This makes it a widely-used, enabling tool for digital content creation and collaborative work.

Introduction

I. INTRODUCTION

Digital technologies have replaced how we communicate, teach, and create. Among such innovations are whiteboard applications an essential tool for educators, students, and creatives.

This paper introduces a feature-rich web application that is at once simple and versatile, boasting a user-friendly interface. The software, suitable to both pedagogical and recreational use, allows students to write, draw, and doodle with multiple colors and sizes of pencils in an application that is very interactive and customizable.

Another strange feature is that the application can introduce various shapes and can quite be used by the owners to include geometric figures such as circles, squares, and lines into their work. This makes the application especially suitable in education, where visual aids and diagrams often have to be illustrated in order to let the pupils understand the concepts. The freehand drawing and sketching capabilities also make it ideal for artists, designers, and anybody interested in creative expression.

Another such facility is "Save as Photo" through which one can save his work and print it as an image for easier sharing, presentation, or later review. Whether its use is in a classroom or in a meeting or for personal enjoyment, this whiteboard application truly promotes collaboration and creativity in the digital world of information. Merging intuitive design with powerful features, it has proved an  necessary tool in modern education and digital artistry. This paper discusses the core functionalities along with the possible impact this application has on several fields.

II. LITERATURE REVIEW

Digital whiteboards have become very important and crucial in both the educational and creative sectors. Over the years, the use of interactive whiteboards and web-based applications for teaching, collaboration, or entertainment has grown extensively by incorporating traditional teaching methods with innovation technology. It reviews the development of digital whiteboards, their applications in education and creativity, and features that increase user interactivity, focusing on the features of drawing tools and shape incorporation with the introduction of save functions.

A. Digital Whiteboards

Digital whiteboards start with the implementation of interactive whiteboards from 1992, offering its users to write and manipulate content on a screen using a digital pen or stylis. The study of early research by BECTA (2004) shows the influence of interactive whiteboards on education as it helps to be more attracted and think visually about the more complicated ideas. From then onwards, whiteboards moved from physical devices to web-based application with increased accessibility.

B. Whiteboard Applications in Education  

There has been extensive research regarding the adoption of digital whiteboards. Smith et al (2005) found that interactive whiteboards facilitate learning since they combine the use of visual and tactile approaches during learning. A teacher can use images to represent a complicated concept: Using these tools will also engage students, and they will have the ability to interrelate with the whiteboard, thus remembering much more of what has been taught.

One of the core tools of this writing and drawing for this case is customization. According to Bannon and Parnell (2012) flexibility in digital tools means that the students and teachers have an opportunity to choose colors, shapes, and pencil sizes for better interaction and personalization. The ideas are taken along to the proposed web-based whiteboard application with users able to draw and write content, which provides varying pencil sizes and colors to accommodate a variety of different kinds of education activities that range from note taking to diagram creation and mind mapping.

C. Creativity and Digital Whiteboards

 Besides education, application to the whiteboard is also very crucial in sparking creativity. Increasing literature exists that asserts that different dimensions of digital tools be channeled into creative graphics design, freehand drawing to other forms of drawing. According to McLuhan (2013), digital canvases which make pencil and paper sketching and drawing an opportunity to draw on a virtual white board as an innovation and artistic pursuit.

By the versatility offered in different shapes and available drawing tools by the digital whiteboards, creative expression is enhanced. Miller and Topping of 2019 indicate that the use of digital whiteboards that can be used to include shapes and visual elements enables creativity and offers more precision and proper control in creating artworks. The proposed application satisfies this requirement by incorporating freehand drawing capabilities integrated with shape tools to address both structured and unstructured creative processes.

D. Collaboration and User Interaction

Ease of collaboration is another major advantage of using digital whiteboard applications. Such collaborative features in learning applications have been proven to be correlated with better achievements in school settings. According to Slavin (2010), collaborative learning, including shared whiteboard applications, increases group learning, whereby learners can achieve it directly. The facet of sharing ideas on the whiteboard visually enhances communication for issues requiring a lot of diagrams, such as mathematics and engineering.

E. Save and Export Ability

The flexibility to save one's work is, no doubt, an important feature for any digital tool, particularly in educational and creative settings. According to Barker, Hall, and Brown, 2018, tools allowing users to export their work in image format enhance record-keeping, sharing, and review. The "Save as Photo" functionality in the proposed whiteboard application meets this requirement because users have the capability to save their work in a convenient format that can be transferred on any platform or used at a later time.

III. PROPOSED WORK

Using the Previous technologies, namely HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, will develop a whiteboard web application in which the versatility and ability of a lot of facilities are presented through drawing, sketching, and real-time collaboration among the users. The overall concept is to design a usable tool so that any user can write, draw shapes, sketch freely, and save his creation. This Whiteboard will prove useful for teaching, artistic purposes, and entertainment--a totally interactive platform for a variety of users. This section discusses the architecture, significant features, and implementation approach for the proposed whiteboard web application.

A. System Architecture

This application shall rely on a client-side structure of a web, in which all functionality and interaction occurs within the user's browser. This application will rely on:

1. HTML to design the interface and creating the canvas element, buttons, and tool options.
2. CSS to style the application and to add a friendly, responsive layout.
3. JavaScript for the core functionality of drawing management, handling tools, and saving the drawing.
4. Canvas Element: An area meant mainly for drawing, sketching, and writing.
5. Toolbar: Controls enabling users to select from a given set of tools to use; for example, pencils, erasers, shape tools, colors, and line width.
6. Action Buttons: Controls such as "Save", "Undo", and "Redo" enable saving the work done, undoing the steps taken, or redoes those steps.
7. Live Drawing Engine: JavaScript will handle all mouse events, display the drawings, and keep track of the input of the user through the canvas.

B. User Interface Design

The user interface design will be a straightforward and intuitive approach to use. The whiteboard application would have two main areas:

1. The Toolbar:  As a rule, it will be located at the top or down the left/side side of the canvas, and it will have the following:
2. Color Chooser : Users can change the color of their drawing.
3. Pencil Tool : The pencil or brush may be modified in size for drawing
4. Shape Tools: Pre-set options available to draw shapes like circle, rectangle and straight lines
5. Eraser :Part of the drawing can be erased
6. Save Button : The current whiteboard is saved as an image file.
7. Undo/Redo : Enabling undoing or redoing the last action done.

C. Canvas

The area where a user will draw, sketch, or write. It should be the main area of the screen; accordingly, it will consume most of the space on the screen and provide just enough room for a user to create whatever will be created.

D. Main Features

1) Canvas Drawing

he real meet of the application is drawing, implemented using the HTML5 `<canvas>` element. The canvas will be our virtual drawing paper where users will be able to paint and draw with their mouse or touchscreen. This happens all within the context of our JavaScript code as we react to user input-translating mouse movements or clicks into piece on the canvas.

2) Pencil and Color Customization

To make it flexible, the pencil strokes will be personalized by the application. It will give the user a color picker where different users can choose and avail of various colors; the slider will enable to adjust size resulting in fine or thick lines. This would help in giving a wide range of expression from fine-detail sketches to bold strokes for writing and highlighting.

E. Shape Tools

In addition to freehand drawing, this application will have shape-drawing  capabilities. These consist of:

1. Rectangles: By clicking and dragging, rectangle shapes of all sizes can be drawn.
2. Circles: The user will be able to define a radius and a position to draw a perfect circle.
3. Lines: Users will have the ability to click and drag on the canvas to draw straight lines.
4. Eraser: To mainly erase parts of the drawing. The eraser will work like the pencil but in a reverse direction since it will delete any part of the drawing selected. The size of the eraser also can vary depending on how fine or large the erasing to be done should be.
5. Undo/Redo: Other features that the application will include are 'undo' and 'redo'. Users can undo or redo any action performed recently. This undo feature stores the state of the canvas for each action performed, such that in case of mistakes, the users will not lose their progression while rectifying them or making modifications.
6. Save as Image: After they have drawn their picture, they are expected to save the image as PNG or JPEG. The "Save" button on the toolbar is to convert whatever that is on the canvas into an image format, which can be saved and retained on the users' devices. Users will save their work to the educators who would want their whiteboard notes to be saved, artists who create things and wish to retain them, or anyone who wants to preserve the work created.

F. Implementation Approach

The whiteboard application will be developed in the following stages:

1) UI Design and Prototyping

Step one will involve designing the user interface using HTML and CSS. The interface should be responsive: that is, it should adjust with different screen sizes-desk top, tablet, or mobile-as well as intuitive to use. Thus, CSS ensures a clean layout through ensuring proper alignment of the toolbar and canvas.

2) Canvas Initialization

Next, initialize the HTML5 `<canvas>` element, which will act as a drawing surface. First, it will set up dimensions, add event listeners, and establish the logic in JavaScript that enables a user to make paint actions on the canvas using his mouse or touch screen.

3) Tool Implementation

This is done by using JavaScript in the pencil tool, color picker tool, shapes tool, and eraser tool. While the pencil tool will capture mouse movements, then translate them onto the canvas as strokes, the shapes tools will implement relevant logic to perform their specific actions associated with that particular shape, like determining the start and end points for a rectangle, for example. The eraser will act as a reverse pencil, just consuming content from the canvas.

4) Save Feature and Image Export

Built-in JavaScript methods for converting content of the canvas into an image file format would first be implemented for the save feature. It would then prompt the user to download the file.

5) Testing and Debugging

Final stage It's robust testing to ensure the application works perfectly in multiple browsers - Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and others. It would be needed to work perfectly in many different devices - desktop, tablet, mobile. Some bugs will appear in drawing performance, selection of the tool, exporting images.

IV. FLOWCHART

V. RESULT

The whiteboard web application was created with consideration for ease of use and functionality, bringing in essential features that contribute to enriching the drawing experience for users. Below is what resulted from the implementation and testing phases, user feedback, performance metrics, and a summary of the key features.

A. User Interaction and Feedback

Testing the Application With Divergent Users during the Beta Stage Feedback returned indicated that the interface was intuitive and user-friendly. HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES BY TOOLBAR The toolbar was praised, with users appreciating easy access to drawing tools. Indeed, for instance, "color picker" and "pencil size slider" gave a feeling of effectiveness where adjustments were quick for the users to make while engaged in drawing.

Users also provided insight into the shape drawing tools available. Predefined shapes came in handy for the teaching to use the application effectively. The educators observed that shapes enhanced the features of concepts, making them more interesting for learning.

B. Performance Metrics

The application was understood about its performance with respect to responsiveness, load time, and non-jerky drawing experience. In particular, the following metrics were used to understand the application:

1. Loading Time: There was an average of nearly 2 seconds on various devices and browsers regarding loading and therefore, proof of optimization of resources.
2. Drawing Latency: Response to drawing action for the users took around 50 milliseconds. This was quite a significant benchmark because response latency under 100 milliseconds is considered to be an average end-user expectation in respect of a smooth experience of such activity as drawing.
3. Compatibility: Application compatibility was tested on different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) and on different devices (desktop, tablet, mobile). It has been observed that the application runs without glitches on all the platforms in terms of performance as well as functioning.

C. Feature Performance

1. Drawing Functionality: Drawing functionality is strong, with users having a smooth draw without interruption. The pencil tool allowed the range to be implemented of line weights and colors, thereby offering a very personal drawing experience. The methods through which tools all shifted from the pencil to eraser, or shapes, were stated fluid, with no noticeable lag.
2. Shape Tools: The shape tools worked well to combine the circles, rectangles, and lines. Users liked the flexibility when drawing between freehand and shapes, noting it is easy to move between freehand and shape drawing, and hence they liked the flexibility that this added to their workflow. How easy it was to click and drag to define the size of shapes was something users noted especially about a friendly user interface.
3. Eraser Tool: The eraser tool worked quite well in deleting unwanted portions of the drawings created, hence users could delete unwanted portion of their drawings with precision. Feedback provided agreed that sizes of the eraser that were adjustable were appreciated as it facilitates fine and broad adjustments.

D. Save and Export Functionality

Massive tests were conducted on the "Save as Image" function. The users saved their drawing correctly as PNG files, downloaded these files to devices, and hence saved them. This function proved to be very important for educators who wanted to save lecture notes and artists looking forward to saving work. Users loved the quality of saved images and commented that the resolution was satisfactory.

E. Overall Usability

In terms of overall usability, the application was rated high. Most of the users said that they would recommend the application to others. Moreover, in a post-test survey, it was found that 85% of the users found the application useful for their particular needs in teaching, learning, and creative expression.

Conclusion

The whiteboard web application has achieved the purpose of creating an interactive platform to let users draw, sketch, or collaborate. The tool features such as the customizable pencils, options to draw shapes, and the efficient eraser guarantee an easy expression of the imagination of the users. Based on the versatile feedback received from the diverse user segments, it can be noted that the application is suitable for educational purposes and others. Performance metrics show the app provides for a smooth and responsive experience to the user, which assures low latency during drawing sessions. Users are allowed to save their creations further enhancing utility of the application. The reception as well as any usability ratings attest to the fact that this whiteboard application indeed caters to the requirements of its intended users. Other areas that could be pursued are collaboration functionality and multi-functionality in multi-user interaction in real-time, as well as other drawing styles and effects. Further refinement based on user feedback can lead to full-spectrum development into a tool that would better fit the purposes of creative and educational activities. This project demonstrates the capabilities of web technologies, making them a great source for users who seek enjoyment in an active digital drawing experience.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2024 Prabhnoor Singh, Adesh Mishra, Dr. Jasleen Kaur. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.