"Online" is just a digital version of correspondence chess and the same rules apply. Some folks do think the analysis board is bad for their visualization skills and don't use it. Others go "old school" and have a real chess set (or 2 or 3 or 4; well, you get the idea..) to get a true 3D OTB view. You'll just have to figure out what's best for you.
Anaysis Board bad idea ?
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Although I enjoy the very slow online ("correspondence") games very much, I also want to improve my OTB play. So I have the same concern -- is my reliance on the analysis board interfering with developing better tactical vision and calculation abilities OTB? Probably. Now I understand why the best correspondence players are a whole different breed than the best OTB players. I guess I must decide which of these 2 paths to follow. Hard to decide since I enjoy them both so much. I could just avoid the analysis board, but I cringe at the idea that my old brain won't be able to sufficiently compensate for the absence of that crutch, causing my online rating to plummet.
I usually try to figure out the best move in my head first. Then confirm with the analysis board.
I just started playing online chess in earnest. The analysis board is great but I think it may have made me lax in focusing on possibilities without the board . In OTB play you don't have this tool so why in online chess? Your thoughts and comments appreciated.