Visual Collaboration Tools Overview
Discover how Atarim’s visual collaboration tools simplify feedback and accelerate project workflows.
Atarim’s visual collaboration tools let teams and clients give feedback directly on live websites and designs. They remove the long email threads and the miscommunication that comes with them, by tying every comment to the exact thing it is about.
This article covers the core tools, how they fit together, and where to read more on each.
Collaborate puts a review layer over the real site — the toolbar below, the sidebar to the side.
First, the Two Modes
Collaborate has two modes and a single toggle between them. Everything else makes sense once you know this, and it is the one thing that confuses first-time reviewers.
| Mode | Clicking the page | Use it to |
|---|---|---|
| Comment | Selects the element and starts a task on it. | Leave feedback. |
| Browse | Behaves like a normal website — links work, forms submit. | Navigate to the page you want to review. |
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Visual Commenting
The core of the product. Select any element on a live website or design and leave a comment, and Atarim creates a task pinned to that element — so the whole team can see exactly what was meant.
- Open the project in Collaborate from its card on the Projects screen. The site loads with the Atarim toolbar along the bottom.
- Use Browse mode to reach the page you want to review, then switch to Comment. Hovering now highlights elements and shows Click to add a comment.
- Select the element your feedback is about. A comment box opens, already pinned to that element.
- Type your comment and send it. A task is created and tracked automatically, recording the page, the element, the screen size, and the browser it was left with.
For feedback about the page as a whole rather than one element, use the general task control in the toolbar — described in the interface as creating a task linked to this page, not tied to a specific element.
2. Screenshots and Annotation
Every comment captures a screenshot of the page as it looked at that moment. When the feedback is spatial — alignment, spacing, “move this above that” — you can draw on that screenshot before sending it.
- In the comment box, select the annotate control. Its tooltip reads Annotate a screenshot and attach as a comment, and the editor opens with the screenshot loaded.
- Choose a tool — pen, arrow, rectangle, circle, or text.
- Pick a colour and stroke size, then draw on the screenshot. Annotations start red; change the colour if red already appears in the design.
- Select Save. The annotation attaches to your comment as a reference image.
You can also attach files to a comment — mockups, documents, assets — and dictate feedback using voice input rather than typing it. Annotation and file attachments are covered in full separately. Learn More About The Annotation Tools
3. Task Management Integration
Every visual comment becomes a task in your dashboard immediately. There is no import step and no separate feedback list to reconcile — the comment is the task.
- Go to Inbox or Boards in your dashboard. Tasks created through Collaborate are identifiable by their screenshots and page URLs.
- Assign a team member, set a priority, and set a status.
- Work through them as you would any other task. Use Go To Task to jump straight back to the page the feedback was left on.
The Rest of the Toolbar
Beyond commenting, the bar along the bottom holds the controls for the page you are on. Which appear depends on your role and your plan.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Page Status | Sets this page to In Progress, Needs Review, or Approved. |
| Device menu | Renders the page at tablet or mobile width. Discover Responsive Testing |
| General task | Creates a task about the page rather than one element. |
| Project stages | Shows the project’s milestones and deadlines without leaving the page. |
| Collaborators | Shows who else is on the project, who is online, and whether cursors are visible. |
| Share | Invites others to collaborate and provide feedback. |
| Help | Plays a short tutorial on how to provide feedback. |
The Sidebar
Where the toolbar is about the page, the sidebar is about the work. It has three tabs.
| Tab | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Review | The AI review conversation — guidance before you share, and the AI’s own feedback on the page. |
| Feedback | Every task on this project, so you can work through what has been raised without leaving the site. |
| Pages | Every page in the project, each with its status badge and open task count. |
Benefits of Using Visual Collaboration Tools
| Benefit | In practice |
|---|---|
| Streamlined feedback | Reviewers leave feedback directly on what they see, so there is no screen share and no call to arrange. |
| Clearer communication | Non-technical stakeholders point and click. The ambiguity of “the button near the top” disappears. |
| Nothing gets lost | Every comment is a task with an owner and a status, so feedback cannot sit unread in an inbox. |
| Faster delivery | Feedback lands in the workflow already carrying its context, so work starts instead of stalling on clarification. |
Use Cases
| Situation | How it is used |
|---|---|
| Design review and feedback | Design teams collect precise client feedback on websites, wireframes, and mockups — pinned to the element rather than described. |
| Website testing and QA | QA engineers raise bugs directly on the page. The task records the element, screen size, and browser, so developers can reproduce it without a conversation. |
| Client collaboration | Clients suggest changes, ask questions, and approve pages without learning a project management tool. |
FAQs
How do I start using the visual collaboration tools?
Add a project to your workspace, then open it in Collaborate from its card on the Projects screen. Switch to Comment mode and select any element to leave your first piece of feedback.
Can clients use Atarim without training?
Yes. The interface is built for technical and non-technical people alike. One sentence about Browse and Comment mode is usually all the briefing anyone needs.
Does Collaborate change my live website?
No. It adds a review layer for people reviewing through Atarim. Your visitors see the site exactly as normal.
Can I track what happens after feedback is given?
Yes. Every comment becomes a task with a status and an owner, and the activity record shows what changed and when.
Does Atarim integrate with other tools?
Yes — Slack, Jira, Asana, Trello, ClickUp, Monday, Basecamp, and Teamwork, with workflows able to push tasks automatically. There is also a generic webhook step for anything else.
Are there analytics on all this feedback?
Yes. Analytics reports on turnaround, feedback cycles, and where work is stalling.
What is the difference between a general task and a pinned comment?
A pinned comment attaches to a specific element. A general task is linked to the page as a whole, for feedback that is not about one thing.
Can two people review at the same time?
Yes. The collaborators control shows who is online, and you can show or hide everyone’s cursors.
Common issues
- Clicking navigates instead of commenting — you are in Browse mode. Switch to Comment.
- You cannot navigate the site — the opposite problem. You are in Comment mode; switch to Browse.
- “Collaboration is disabled for this site” — feedback has been switched off for that project. An administrator can re-enable it in the project’s settings.
- A control shows a lock — that tool is not included on your plan. Selecting it names the minimum plan required.
- Your client sees fewer controls than you — expected. Clients get a reduced toolbar focused on giving feedback.
- Other people’s cursors are distracting — use the collaborators control to hide cursors, your own included.
Conclusion
Atarim’s visual collaboration tools work because feedback is given in the place it is about. A click becomes a task, a task carries its own context, and the round of emails explaining which button was meant never happens.
Learn the Browse and Comment toggle and everything else follows. The usual next step is bringing a client in. Learn More About Inviting Clients To Collaborate
Tips & best practices
- Brief clients in one sentence. “Browse to move around, Comment to leave feedback” prevents almost every confused message.
- Point rather than describe. Encourage stakeholders to click the element instead of writing a paragraph about where it is.
- Annotate when it is spatial. Alignment, spacing, and layout are far quicker to show than to explain.
- Check the Pages tab before a launch. It is the only view showing every page’s status and open tasks together.
- Push tasks where your team already works. Workflows can send visual feedback straight into Slack, Jira, or your board.
- Review the Inbox on a rhythm so nothing sits unaddressed, and use Analytics to spot where feedback cycles are stalling.