Research a decision
Keep source articles, observations and unanswered questions together before using a decision matrix.
Connection Board
Get the pieces out of your head. See how they connect.
Pin notes, photos, articles, maps and documents to a board, then join them with red thread. Make room for research, a story, or a question you’re still working through.
Free · Start without an account · Sign in to save across devices · Desktop recommended
Follow a thought further.
- Name your question. Create a board for a research project, a story outline or a decision.
- Collect the pieces. Add notes and photos, clip articles, mark places or keep source documents in a folder.
- Make connections. Press T, then select two items to join them. Move, resize and rotate the pieces as your thinking changes.
- Keep the picture. Save a browser draft, sign in to save a board to your account, or export a PNG of the whole board or the current view.
Why does this project keep stalling?
A pattern to check: every next step needs someone else’s answer.
A place for the loose pieces.
Outline a story
Connect characters, locations, scenes and clues. Rearrange the story as new ideas arrive.
Explore a project
Lay out references, early ideas and supporting documents. See which pieces belong together.
Your boards and your browser.
Choose where your board lives. Your working draft saves automatically in this browser. Without signing in, it stays on this device. Sign in and choose “Save to my account” to store that board, its uploaded photos and documents on HourLife’s server and reopen them on another device. Existing browser-only boards are never uploaded automatically.
Account saves are private. Only your signed-in account can open its saved boards and files. After editing, use “Save changes to account” to update the saved version. If another device has changed it, we’ll let you save a separate copy. Account boards don’t sync to the native HourLife app.
Keep a copy that suits your work. Clearing browser data removes local drafts; saved account versions remain available when you sign in. PNG exports are pictures, not editable backups. Account limits: 20 boards, 10 MB per uploaded file and 25 MB of files per board.
Some tools use the web. Clipping an article sends its URL to Microlink for a preview. Place searches go to OpenStreetMap’s Nominatim service; map tiles come from OpenStreetMap. Remote images load from their source sites. Plain notes and uploaded files need none of these services.
Use a larger screen for editing. The canvas is designed for a mouse or trackpad. Touch editing is limited. PNG export works best in Chrome or Firefox; Safari may block it, and remote images that disallow cross-origin access may be missing from the export.
Already used the original Caseboard? Its saved boards remain on that website. Browsers keep each website’s storage separate, so opening HourLife doesn’t transfer those boards.
Keyboard and canvas controls
- Drag an item to move it. Double-click its text to edit.
- Scroll or drag empty space to pan; Ctrl/⌘ + scroll to zoom.
- Press T to connect items; Escape to leave thread mode.
- Ctrl/⌘ + Z to undo; Ctrl/⌘ + Shift + Z to redo.
- Use the selected item’s handles to resize or rotate, or its toolbar to duplicate or delete.