Picture is the richest input type. Each participant uploads a single image that captures how they're feeling, and the board renders the responses as a masonry-style grid that flexes with each tile's aspect ratio.
How Participants Submit
On the public Mood Board page, participants can:
- Drag and drop an image from their desktop into the submission area.
- Paste an image from the clipboard.
- Pick from disk via the file picker.
Once an image is selected, a preview shows what will be submitted along with an optional caption field. The participant confirms before the image uploads.
Image Processing
Every picture is processed server-side before it reaches the board:
- EXIF metadata is stripped, including location data, camera info, and timestamps.
- HEIC and other less-common formats are converted to JPEG so every browser can render the result.
- Images are resized so the longest edge is at most 2000 pixels, which keeps the storage cost predictable without losing visual quality.
- Aspect ratios outside the 1:4 to 4:1 range are rejected so the grid stays balanced.
- Every upload is checked against OpenAI's moderation API before being accepted. Flagged images are rejected with a clear message.
The original image never reaches storage. Only the processed JPEG is kept.
The Tile Layout
Picture tiles render in a masonry grid:
- Two columns on mobile, three on tablet, four on desktop.
- 16px gap between tiles.
- Heights vary with each image's aspect ratio, capped at 4:3.
Hovering a tile lifts its shadow and brightens the image slightly. Tapping it opens a full-size modal with the caption, reactions, and comments. The host can click any tile from the facilitate view to remove it if it doesn't belong.
Tips For Hosts
- Picture works best with a generous prompt. "What's a picture from this week that captures how you feel?" leaves room for both literal and abstract answers.
- Cap submissions at one per person for tighter conversations; lift the cap for retrospective-style boards where multiple contributions help.
- If the team is remote, encourage participants to use phone photos rather than stock images. The board is more interesting when the pictures are real.
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