Banban Board Tutorial

Banban Board Tutorial — Basics

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Let’s start by learning the basics of the Banban Board, along with some shopping tips.

Requestland has two ways to help you buy things: “Ask and buy what suits you” using Requests, and “Research and choose by yourself” using the Banban Board.

The Banban Board is a tool for comparing and selecting products. It is not an online shop itself. When you need to buy something you usually don’t buy, it’s hard to know which product is good — it feels like walking in the fog. In such cases, you research with a web browser or AI, put product pages into the Banban Board, and compare them to choose “Which one fits my purpose the best?” That is the main use case.

The basic usage is simple.

Put many product cards in a row. Move the ones you like to higher rows and the ones you don’t like to lower rows. In the top row, compare the cards and move the better ones further to the left. In the end, the leftmost card in the top row is your choice.

Let’s choose what to buy

Let’s imagine buying something and create a Banban Board. What do you want right now? Here, we’ll assume you want to buy a toaster oven because “eating cold bread on weekend mornings feels dull.”

Create a board and think about conditions

First, press the Banban Board button on the menu.

Next, press the + button in the Banban Board list to create a new board. Enter the name of what you want in the title field and press Done on the top right — a blank board appears. The Banban Board has several rows, and you place cards inside them. You can add or remove rows.

“What suits you” means what fits your conditions and budget. For example, when buying a toaster oven, your conditions might be: “Cute design,” “Width under X cm to fit the shelf,” “Microcontroller control that won’t burn bread,” “Easy crumb cleaning,” “Under $XX.X,” etc. Not required, but before researching products, it helps to make these conditions into cards and place them in the first row in order of priority.

To create a new card, press the + button at the bottom right and choose “Card.” Enter the card title and press Done at the top right. On PC, you can press the + key to open a new card and save with CTRL-Enter — very fast card creation.

“Create card” + button

Card type selection

The row currently highlighted is the “focus row.” It has a small round mark at the start. When you press the + button to create a card, it is added to the focus row. To move focus to another row, tap the background of that row.

Focus row

Arrange product cards

Search with your browser or AI and add cards for products you think look good. You can manually enter items into a new card, but there is also an automatic method.

On smartphones, copy the link of the product page in the browser, then press the “Add by link” button at the bottom right of the board to create a card.

Create a card from a page on iPhone Safari

Create a card from a link on iPhone Safari

On PC, you can open the browser and Requestland side by side, then drag links into Banban Board to create cards quickly.

On iPad and Android, you can use split view and drag links from the browser into Banban Board to create cards — very convenient.

About 70% of websites automatically provide title, price, and images. The price may be wrong, so always double-check.

For items with fluctuating prices, like hotels or airline tickets, info may not import. If automatic import fails, open the card and manually enter the title and price.

Open a card and take a look. Tap images to enlarge. Swipe to view the next image. Sometimes unwanted images appear, but it’s better than having none at the moment.

Tip: How to copy a page link

On iPhone: Use the Share button → Copy, or long-press a link → Copy Link.

On Android: Tap the address bar and press the copy button, or long-press a link → Copy link address.

The key is to explore products widely across many brands and add lots of “might be good” cards to the board. It’s called the Banban Board because you add items banban — an onomatopoeia that means adding things quickly and in large numbers.

Move cards and compare

After adding many cards, start moving them. Move product cards that match conditions or your image of what you want upward, and further left within the same row.

Then the left side of the second row will show the best items in order — those that match your conditions most strongly. (We have condition cards in the top row.)

When moving a card on a smartphone, touch the card and wait a moment before dragging. Otherwise, the board will scroll.

Board editing

To add, delete, or copy a row, use the “add row” button , the “copy row” button , or the “delete row” button . These buttons are faint at first, but when you tap the row background, the board enters edit mode and they become clearly visible.

To move a row, hold and drag its title area.

Edit mode

Compare two at a time with the Comparator

The Comparator lets you place two cards from the row side by side and carefully compare them.

Press the Comparator button . Two products will appear. Swipe one away to keep the one you prefer. Repeat, and the card you like most will end up as the leftmost card in the row.

Scroll down to view images and notes. You can also tap to open the card and edit the notes.

Even after you decide on the top choice, you can keep swiping to select the second and third. The Comparator is smart and avoids comparing pairs you've already judged, so it’s fast. It’s useful for gathering top candidates and making the final decision after a careful review.

Comparator

Decide what to buy by prioritizing your conditions

Products with many features that meet many conditions tend to be more expensive. Within your budget, there may be no product that satisfies all your requirements. You may need to increase the budget or compromise by adjusting the priority of your condition cards.

It helps to write down advantages and disadvantages in the title or note section of each product card, such as which conditions it meets or fails to meet. You can also group by rows, like “microcontroller control.” Saving reviews you find (as long as they’re not fake) can also help.

As you revise your conditions realistically and adjust card order, your first choice will emerge.

To go to the website and purchase, open the card and tap the link at the top, or tap the site name at the bottom when the card is closed.

Tips

If new items exceed your budget, the best option is surplus stock. These are often brand-new items with warranty, but were overproduced or over-purchased, have gone out of style or season, are close to their expiration date, are last year’s models, or have damaged packaging. Because stores incur storage costs, they want to clear these items quickly even at a discount. They are often listed separately as outlet items rather than in the usual product list.

The next best choice is “like-new” items. These include display items, manufacturer-refurbished products, or slightly-used items such as cars that dealerships register just to meet quotas. Apple’s certified refurbished products, which come with a one-year warranty, are a typical example. In physical stores, you can sometimes negotiate a lower price for display items.

By contrast, second-hand items on flea-market apps are being sold because the seller didn’t like something about them, and they come with no warranty. Before looking for used goods, it’s better to search for surplus stock first. And if you do check flea-market apps, it’s worth comparing them with used-product retailers that provide warranties. For smartphones and computers, keep in mind that support periods for new OS updates tend to be short.

When searching for products not listed on Google Shopping or price-comparison sites, be careful of fraudulent websites. If the price is unrealistically low or the domain name looks suspicious, it’s likely fake or low quality. Avoid such sites entirely.

If you're using Banban Board as part of a sales presentation, prepare cards beforehand and place them in the bottom row so you can smoothly arrange them during the interaction. First-time buyers are often impressed as if it were a magic trick, so giving a brief explanation of how the calculation works helps. Also, if you get nervous in front of customers and move cards around randomly, it becomes difficult for them to understand. Practicing a few times in advance is recommended.

The secret to making good purchases with Banban Board

When you actually use Banban Board, you’ll find it much easier to think and decide compared with a typical notes app or spreadsheet. So what makes it so different?

You can choose what truly suits you

The first secret is that it helps you pick what really fits your needs.

A useful tip when using Banban Board is to search widely across different brands and add many cards for the items you think “might be good.” It’s called “Banban Board” because you keep adding items one after another—banban!

Tip

Think about how many times you'll use the item. If it’s something you’ll use for many years, choosing a quality product and taking good care of it will bring higher satisfaction. If you’ll use it only a few times, a low-cost option or rental is enough. For things like children’s lessons where you’re unsure if it will last, use a very cheap used item or rental as a trial, and purchase later if it continues.

Tip

The easiest way to find products or stores that meet your conditions is to write those conditions in a Request and let sellers who can meet them make proposals.

Less influenced by ads or the anchor effect

The second secret is that you can choose what suits you without being swayed by advertising images.

When you want something, you often think of a major product you’ve seen in ads, or you end up staring at the top results from search engines or sponsored “review” sites.

This is the “anchor effect.” Like a ship’s anchor, the first thing that sticks in your mind becomes the standard you compare everything else to. When choosing on a smartphone, you end up with many open tabs, get tired of reading, and eventually buy the item you saw in an ad simply because it's easier.

Well-known products you see in ads tend to be high-quality and high-priced. They are probably excellent. But products and shops with low advertising costs—or ones that don’t rely on social media exposure—often have unique advantages or better pricing.

Even if you close browser tabs, everything stays organized as cards. Because you can explore items thoroughly, even those at the bottom of rankings, you’re less likely to be pulled by that initial anchor.

Look carefully for hidden gems.

Tip

No matter how much you want something, you can’t buy it without enough money. If you search carefully through lower-ranking products or smaller shops—and ideally buy from those nearby—you give more sellers and producers a chance to earn income. As their workers’ wages rise, local spending increases, your own company’s sales go up, and wages rise again. Banban Board aims to create this kind of positive cycle.

Business owners should raise employee wages and aim for revenue growth driven by regional and economic revitalization. Leaders of strong brand companies know that, in the long run, the most fundamental strategy for increasing revenue is to grow the local economy and increase the number of people who can afford their products.

A mental map forms and your ideas become concrete

The third secret is that Banban Board helps you form a mental map.

With a notes app, entries get longer and longer, and you forget where you wrote things.

Banban Board gives you a spacious board, so you remember things like “that card over in that area,” almost like a map.

The opposite is also true. Whether you’re choosing something to buy or thinking of ideas for writing, at first your thoughts are vague. Banban Board turns those vague ideas into something visible and movable, helping you gradually make them concrete.

On the card surface you see only the title, price, and photo. Your notes and product details stay inside the card. Even long notes don’t clutter the board.

When I joined AIST, a researcher told me about “cognitive maps.” People create these maps in their minds when thinking about something. The Request feature is based on the same idea. Sellers also remember customers by associating them with locations, saying things like “the customer from Block 1.”

So while I’ve written “a tool for choosing what to buy,” it’s actually a tool for thinking. You lay out the options or ideas from your mind onto the Banban Board as “external memory,” and by making your mental map visible, you can think better.

As you get used to Banban Board, you’ll start using it not just to choose products but also to jot down ideas, manage tasks, and even perform spreadsheet-like calculations. Because the rows and card layout correspond to your mental map, it becomes easier to think and your ideas improve rapidly.

Selecting combinations of multiple products

Place the cards of the products you like on the board.

Rearrange the cards so that the first combination appears in a row and the second combination appears in the next row.

The total amount for each row is shown, allowing you to compare the total cost of each combination.

Press the copy button on the top-right of a card to duplicate it.

Rearrange the cards to decide which combination you want to purchase. Once you decide, press the link on the card to go to the website and buy it. If a row has a “Buy” button, you can use that instead.

Tip

For expensive products or services, it’s important to get quotes from multiple companies and compare them. This is essential for construction or renovation work. It has no effect unless you clearly tell them you are “requesting multiple quotes.”

Prices generally reflect quality. The cheapest provider is cheap for a reason, so find out why before placing an order.

Price negotiations should be done politely and respectfully. Is it acceptable to show another company’s quote? As long as it wasn’t given to you under confidentiality, it’s generally not illegal for ordinary consumers. However, many sales representatives work hard with genuine passion for their customers. If you push too aggressively for a discount, you may lose their motivation and their support.

Also note that people within the same industry often know each other, even across companies. If your name or company is known, they might contact each other and say things like “We’ll let you take this one — give us the next job,” which eliminates competition. This is an illegal cartel arrangement and works against the buyer’s interests.

In corporate procurement, trust and good faith are highly valued. And when a large company forces a small one to accept its preferred price, it may constitute abuse of a superior bargaining position under antitrust laws.

Choosing with friends and family

Invite your friends to your organization, or create a new organization and invite them there.

Open your request project, then open “Messages” from the project menu.

Press the + button to create a new message session and open it.

Press the Banban Board button during a message session to switch to the Banban Board. Press the message button to return to the message session.

Press the video button in the Banban Board to start a video meeting. During a video meeting, pressing the minimize button closes the video so you can continue using the Banban Board while listening to audio only.

Tip

Many products are differentiated into higher-tier and lower-tier models. Even if a new lower-tier model is released, it rarely surpasses the higher-tier one. Choosing a used higher-tier model often leads to greater satisfaction. For example, music lovers may pay attention to speakers or amplifiers. These products are technically mature, so minor updates rarely make a significant difference. Unless many years have passed, lower-tier models generally do not outperform higher-tier ones in sound quality.

Coordinating outfits

Press the vertical/horizontal toggle button to switch to vertical layout.

Place tops on the upper row and bottoms on the lower row to create your outfit combinations.

Create different combinations in each row and compare them as you decide.

Creating ideas and stories

The Banban Board is a powerful tool for brainstorming ideas. Switching cards to square or rectangular shapes without images allows more cards to fit on the screen. Open the board settings and select square or rectangular cards.

Card space is limited, so long titles may not be fully displayed. If you want to show more text, open the settings button in the upper right of the board and turn on “Break words anywhere”.

Suppose you want to compare two slightly different stories.

Place the cards for Story A in Row 1, and the cards for Story B in Row 2.

You can copy a card by clicking the copy button in the upper-right corner of the card.

This method can also be used for tasks such as choosing titles, reviewing patent claims, and creating video storyboards.

Limitations

The current Banban Board does not support “undo.” Create a row named “Trash” at the bottom of the board and move cards there when you want to delete them. The same approach works for deleting rows. When making major changes to a card, it’s a good idea to copy the card and keep the old version in the Trash row.

Boards themselves cannot be duplicated. To recreate a board, copy each card one by one and use “Change board” on the card editor screen to move them to a new board.