The short answer: open any Heptabase whiteboard, create or click into a card, press ⌃+⌥+R (Mac) or Ctrl+Alt+R (Windows/Linux), speak your card content or structure for 60-120 seconds, and AICHE inserts detailed text.

Heptabase's visual canvas encourages detailed card content and connection explanations, but typing interrupts spatial thinking. You visualize the whiteboard layout with cards and relationships, then typing mechanics break your flow.

Open Heptabase in your browser or desktop app.
Navigate to a whiteboard or create a new one.
Create a new card or click into an existing card.
Press your AICHE hotkey to start recording.
Speak your complete card content or whiteboard structure.
Press the hotkey again-AICHE transcribes, applies Content Organization to format connections, and inserts the text.

Whiteboard Planning

Mapping System Architecture

Before building whiteboards, dictate the complete spatial structure. Example: "Create a whiteboard for system architecture planning. Add a card in the center explaining the API gateway pattern with details on request routing, authentication middleware that validates JWT tokens, rate limiting logic using Redis to track requests per IP address, and error handling that returns consistent JSON responses. Create connected cards arranged in a circle for microservices including user service handling authentication and profile management, payment processing service integrating with Stripe, notification system sending emails and push notifications, and analytics service tracking user events. Draw arrows showing data flow from client request through gateway to services and back. Add notes on each connection arrow explaining the data format using JSON schemas and error handling approaches like circuit breaker pattern for service failures."

The spoken whiteboard layout guides manual card creation and positioning, but dictation captures the complete vision before implementation details scatter your thinking.

Research Synthesis Boards

For connecting research sources, speak the card network: "Build research synthesis whiteboard for understanding habit formation. Center card summarizes key question: what conditions enable automatic behavior. Top left card covers Atomic Habits explaining cue, craving, response, reward cycle with examples of implementation intentions and environment design. Top right card discusses Power of Habit focusing on keystone habits that trigger cascade effects and the golden rule of habit change keeping cue and reward while changing routine. Bottom left card analyzes Tiny Habits emphasizing starting small with celebration triggering dopamine and behavior change happening through tiny increments not willpower. Bottom right card references behavioral economics showing choice architecture and default options shape decisions without conscious thought. Draw connections showing agreements across frameworks, contradictions requiring reconciliation, and synthesis insights emerging from patterns."

Voice preserves spatial thinking. You describe positions and relationships in one continuous flow matching how you visualize the whiteboard.

Card Development

Detailed Technical Cards

For cards with technical content, dictate complete explanations: "Create card explaining React Server Components architecture. First section covers motivation: reducing JavaScript bundle size by rendering components on server, fetching data close to database for lower latency, and streaming HTML for faster perceived performance. Second section details implementation showing how server components fetch data directly using async await without client-side effects, how client components use use client directive for interactivity, and how the boundary between server and client is defined by component tree structure. Third section addresses trade-offs including loss of client-side state in server components, increased complexity in mental model for developers, and challenges with third-party libraries expecting browser environment. Include code examples showing server component fetching from database and passing data to client component for interactive display."

The complete technical explanation flows naturally when spoken, capturing depth that feels tedious to type.

Meeting Notes as Cards

When documenting meetings on whiteboards, structure cards by topic: "Create meeting notes whiteboard for product planning session. First card summarizes meeting context with attendees, date, and overall objectives. Second card covers user research findings with pain points including slow load times, confusing navigation, and missing mobile features. Third card lists proposed solutions with implementation complexity ratings. Fourth card documents decisions made including prioritizing mobile app development, redesigning information architecture, and postponing advanced features until version two. Fifth card contains action items with owners and deadlines. Draw connections from decisions back to research findings showing which user pain points each decision addresses."

Voice lets you capture meeting content while it's happening or immediately after, preserving context before memory fades.

Connection Documentation

Explaining Relationships

Heptabase's power comes from visual connections. Dictate connection explanations: "Draw arrow from habit formation research card to product design card. Connection explanation: habit formation principles directly inform our product retention strategy. Specifically, the cue-response-reward framework translates to push notifications as cues, one-click actions as responses, and achievement badges as rewards. The connection reveals that our current notification system provides cues but rewards are delayed, breaking the habit loop. Action item: redesign reward system for immediate feedback using progress indicators and micro-celebrations."

Speaking connection rationales makes relationships explicit instead of leaving them implicit in visual proximity.

Whiteboard Evolution Narration

As whiteboards grow, narrate the structure periodically: "This whiteboard now has three clusters. Top cluster covers theoretical frameworks with five cards connected in network showing how concepts build on each other. Middle cluster shows practical applications with cards for each product feature and connections to relevant theories explaining why each feature works. Bottom cluster contains open questions and future research directions. The spatial layout mirrors the knowledge structure moving from abstract theory at top to concrete implementation in middle to unexplored territory at bottom. This organization helps identify gaps where theory exists without application and applications without theoretical grounding."

Voice documentation of whiteboard structure creates searchable rationale for spatial organization choices.

Result: Heptabase whiteboards with detailed card content, connection explanations, and spatial structure documentation that took 30 minutes to type while constantly switching between thinking and clicking now take 8 minutes to dictate, and spatial thinking flows uninterrupted from visualization to implementation.

Do this now: open Heptabase, create a new whiteboard, press your hotkey, and spend 3 minutes describing a complete whiteboard structure with cards, positions, connections, and the rationale for spatial organization. Build the actual whiteboard using your transcript as the map.

AICHE +HHeptabase Integration