ExcelWay Questions

A: Hi Matt,
Thanks for your questions! 

1)Mobile app
In a previous comment you mentioned about a mobile app forthcoming.
a)Will this be for both iOS and Android?
—> Yes! It will be for both iOS and Android. 

b)What level of functionality do you foresee upon release?
—> The first version will be focused on the participant experience, will be available for both public and private workshops, and will include adding a card, editing/deleting his card, and voting. Of course, the participant will see in real time the input of other participants and facilitators. Adding tasks and notes will not be included.

The next version will include the facilitator experience. Advanced facilitation features are not expected to be included.

And the final one will include the project/board part. 

c)Is is realistic to expect the first version within 2022?
—> Yes. It is currently under development and we’re confident that it will be out before the end of the summer 22. 

2)Intergration/embed options
Can you current, or is there any planned intergration/embed options:
a)Excelway > Notion - Adding at least part of a project (i.e a brainstorm) to NOTION?
—> The first integration will be made with zappier, in order to maximize the opportunities to connect with other tools. Depending on the feedback we get, we will consider native integrations with specific tools. And yes, Notion (Monday, Asana, Jira etc…) make total sense.
Please, do not hesitate to write these ideas in the feature suggestions activity: https://app.excelway.co/access/2/beta/MBVrYo

b)Excelway > Webpage - Being able to embed part of a project into a web page within an iframe?
—> Embedding a workshop activity is something we’ve been considering. We haven’t started user interviews nor planning yet but it definitely makes sense.

c)Loom/mp4 files > Excelway?
—> We’d love to know more about the use case here. Is it the ability to watch a video that is attached to a task? Or in a workshop?
We’re have started exploring a Resources section in the workshop where facilitators can place documents and videos that are available for participants. 

3)Members / Guests
a)Are 'members' those who have signed up to a project?
—> Yes.

b)If a member is part of more than one project are they counted *1 per project* or *1 regardless of how many projects they are part of*
—> They are counted 1 regardless of how many projects they are part of.

c)Is it possible to invite read only guests and if so are there any limits?
—> On the project/board part, a member can have a Viewer role, but he would still be a member.
On the workshop part, participants to public workshops don’t need to create an ExcelWay account. The limit is set to 10 participants but can be overpassed wth the add-on that grants 100 + participants.

4)When it comes to presenting and inviting participants:
a)Do all participants need to be signed up to excelway to view?
—> Nope, in public workshops, participants don’t need to sign in. This video explains how the

A: Hi AJ,

Thanks for your questions!

1) What is the difference between a participant and a member? Is it that a member can host their own brainstorm session, invite participants etc?

---> A member is a user that has an ExcelWay account. If a member has the right permissions on a project, then he can host their own brainstorm, ect...
A participant is a user that is invited to a workshop, whether he has an ExcelWay account or not. Unlike facilitators, participants have limited rights on a workshop.
You can checkout this video on the differences between participants and facilitators in a workshop : https://youtu.be/dO7JTLELHGQ
And this one dives deeper into roles and permissions in ExcelWay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7ir30e-JKU

Also, can we customize the look and feel and domain?
White labelling is currently not included in the Business Plan, the one that is available on AppSumo deals. However, it is not impossible that we include it once we've streamlined and automated the process!
That being said, you can attach an image on a project and it displays nicely on the navigation bar. This comes handy when working with clients as it can display their logo there.

I hope this answers you questions :)

A: Hi Sumoling 84!

Great to hear from you and also pumped that you’re enjoying your experience on ExcelWay 🤩

Thanks for the suggestions on the templates! They make perfect sense and will add great value to ExcelWay’s workshops :) 

Please see my feedback on each below. Also, I’d be happy to continue these kinds of very specific discussions on the facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1339017013176133/

It’s still a quiet place as we’ve just created it and didn’t communicate on it yet, but we want it to be a place where we have meaningful conversations with our community and think together how we can make working with ExcelWay a fantastic experience.

1) Assumption Mapping
—> 💯 It’s been on our list and we’d LOVE to have it too asap. The thing is that an ideal assumption mapping would have lists/sections as grids so that people can place the stickies on very specific points of the screen which also brings the UX challenge of keeping it super simple to use. We could do quickly an assumption mapping template with the current UX (add a card and it places itself on the list next to the previous card) and it can be hacked easily too by any user by using a 4-lists template (such as a 4L retrospective and changing the name of the lists). So long story short: it is on our roadmap but needs a bit of time and conception.

2) Experiments Planning
—> Are you refering to the Experiment canvas by Ash Maurya? If so, it makes perfect sense and we will be adding it very soon.

3) Problem fit
—> Are you referring to the Problem-solution fit canvas? In this case, it makes perfect sense and we will be adding it very soon.

4) Solution fit
—> Same question as previous: to me, it is one canvas that brings problem and solution together.

5) product Market fit
—> Makes perfect sense and we will be adding it very soon.

6) MVP
—> Are you refering to the MVP Canvas or the MVP Experiment Canvas? Technically, they are both doable but we’d love to test it out first and ask our network of facilitators and users.

7) Managing expectations
—> I don’t know this template. I’ve only found one on Mural and if it’s this one, technically, then we’ll have to deal with the same challenges as Assumption Mapping.

8) Michael Porters 5 Forces
—> Makes perfect sense and will be adding it soon.

9_ Competitive startegy
—> There are many templates that deal with competitive strategy. Which one are you referring to?

10_ education
—> We don’t know any famous template on this topic. Is there a specific one you’re refering to?

Best,

A: Hi there,

Thanks so much for your feedback!

By reading your comment, I think that there is a misunderstanding as to what our Enterprise Plan offers.

The Enterprise Plan is a totally "à la carte" plan made for government agencies and medium and large businesses that have sometimes special requirements depending on their local regulations. In this context, having a self-hosted ExcelWay environment (or hosted on a specific VPS) is the most important offer to our clients and that's what led some of them to have a custom domain. That's why our process for this is totally manual and requires a dedicated person to install and monitor the environment etc.. Any business that would offer this entire service for free or through a LTD would just be a bad business that is signing its own death warrant.

The differences between the Business and Enterprise Plan are on the services we offer (training, consulting, environment monitoring) which require dedicated staff and expertise, and not on the features we offer on the platform. When a company that is paying a much (much) higher price is asking for a feature (and that we accept to develop it because it fits the vision of the product), we generally upgrade ALL the users in the Business Plan and make them benefit from that feature.

The generation of a specific subdomain and the customization of the primary color of the app has never been a priority request for any of our customers so far and we're very happy to learn from the AppSumo community that it is important for some users.

In that case, we will consider it as a potential upgrade to the Business Plan and we'd be happy to learn more about this need, the use cases and how it creates value through one of our customer interviews. If you'd be interested to participate to one of these, please feel free to reach out to support@excelway.co.

I hope this answers you question,

Best,

Sophia

A: Hi Sumoling 84,

Are you referring to workshop or board templates?
Anyway, yes, we have planned to add more templates on both! We'll be first starting with templates on marketing.

I hope this helps,

Sophia

A: Hi Leonardo,

Sure! Happy it's useful!

1) Can I add participants, without their registration, in public workshops, like the shared files, with everyone, of google's documents ? (Many people don't like to make any registration or for some simulations in classroom of school)?

--> There is no registration to public workshops. The page access it asks for a name, but this is only for the workshop's facilitator and participants to know who is in the session. People can actually write anything there or just a letter. Does that answer your question?

2) Do you have in mind to permit integration of your platform in our domains? like sub.domain?
--> This is something we're currently offering to the Enterprise plan but as mentioned in another comment, it's not impossible that we include this in the business plan once we streamline the process and makes it automatic.

Let me know if there is anything we can help with!

Best,

A: Hi Leonardoplus,

Thanks for your questions!

1) will you integrate a Mind maps for upgrade brainstorms activities and unlock big ideas?

--> Yes, there is a real interest in upgrading the workshop experience with a mindmapping module. However, we haven't set a planned date yet. We're currently focusing on the mobile app + template creator. Once these two upgrades are done, mindmapping will probably the next big upgrade in the workshop.
That being said, there is a very handy feature which concept is close to mindmapping, although without the visual effect of the tree : Turn Cards into Lists. It allows you to turn any sticky note (with bulk select by voting score, color ect...) into a lists. There is a short demo of it on the video extract: https://youtu.be/PW3FycnMZ_Q

2) Can I decide that a members is in a project but he cannot see other projects?

--> Yes. Projects are completely independent from each other so you don't have to worry if you have different teams/clients ect... The only exception is with sub-projects as a user that is a member in one project of a hierarchy will be able to see the name of the parent projects but not access them. Please see a demo in this video extract : https://youtu.be/_7ir30e-JKU?t=84 .

3) Do you have Calendar view for boards?

--> Not at the moment. But as for the mindmap, this will probably be our next upgrade on the project management side.

4) Can I embed Video series on facilitating brainstorming activities so I don't need to tell everyone the same stuff for a similar brainstorming activities?

--> There is no video embedding per say at the moment. I know some users put a link on a sticky note as a turn around. That being said, we'd like to include a "tool box" inside a workshop for embedding docs and videos. Again, no date for the time being but I'd encourage you to add it to the features suggestions so that we can test the popularity of this project among users.

5) is there a public timer during brainstorming activites?

--> This is under design phase and we'll be starting UX testing shortly. Do not hesitate to reach out may you be interested in participating! We'll also invite interested users through our newsletter.

6) Can I vote with only one-click some idea?

--> Do you mean restricting the vote to 1 click/vote per sticky note? If so, yes you can. When starting a vote, choose the option 1 vote max per card. That way users can only put 1 or 0 vote on a single card. You can see a demo of setting votes on this extract: https://youtu.be/XMo6PmG-PCU

I hope this helps!

Best

A: Hi heyoliver and thank you for the warm welcome!

1) I have seen in other responses, and seen your recommended video that one of the use cases is working with clients - and if you have a private workspace they need to be members - but with Tier 3 that is no problem as we have unlimited members.

--> This is correct.

2) My client then has a secondary account (also a business account)
But how does that work? Can my client invite who they want to a workshop - or do I have to help manage invite members?

--> What your client can do depends on the roles (levels of permissions) you grant them within the projects you invite them to.
You can grant your client the Admin role on a project, and in that case, he will have the highest level of permission and can do anything on the project, including creating workshops and boards, and deleting the project. You won't have to help him to manage anything.
You can also grant your client a viewer role on a project but also grant him at the same time a higher level of permission on a board or workshop. In that case, your client will be able to interact on the board or workshop, but won't be able to act at the project level. For example, he won't be able to create a workshop.

You can check this article on the structure of ExcelWay's projects: https://www.excelway.co/help-center/navigating-excelway/

This article gives more details on how roles and permissions work in ExcelWay: https://www.excelway.co/help-center/roles-and-permissions/

This video sums it up: https://youtu.be/_7ir30e-JKU

3) What happens to their invites - do they have also a business account - lets say a tertiary account? Again with all the rights that I do on my primary account?

--> This depends on the role they have in the projects you invited them to. An advice would be to invite them with an Editor role, so that you're sure that the project is not deleted or that you're not removed from it by mistake.

I hope this helps :)

Please let me know if I can clarify anything further!

A: Hi Sumoling84,

You can invite a non-member to any of your sessions, as long as they are set as public sessions. People that access a session, whether public or private, are called 'participants' and they can all vote, add cards and tasks ect...

For more info on public and private workshops, you can checkout this article https://www.excelway.co/help-center/private-and-public-workshops/ or this video https://youtu.be/dO7JTLELHGQ?t=195

In all deals, you can have up to 10 concurrent participants to public workshops. If you need more, there is an exclusive 50% discount for Sumo-lings to host up to 100 participants. We've been discussing it with Just here: https://appsumo.com/products/excelway/#q855010

I hope this answers your question :).

Best,

A: Hi Steve,

I've tried to reach you through support to answer your previous question on the topic.

If you click the arrow next to the workshop name, a menu displays. Select the Workshop Report option and you can choose from PDF, Google Docs, or Docx.

This report has more data and options than the PDF one that is downloadable from the Workshops page on your project.

Please see the following video extract for a demo of the feature: https://youtu.be/cDeTrCljliU?t=165

I hope this answers your question :)

Best,

A: Hi info6971,

The large workshop add-on is a monthly subscription and we're offering 50% discount to Sumo-lings. So that's indeed 25 per month.

Best,

Sophia

A: Hi AD,

Thanks for your question.

Yes, you can invite 20 team members to brainstorm in a private workshop if it is within your Tier limit (this case would be Tier 3 with unlimited members).

For more info on public and private workshops, you can checkout this article https://www.excelway.co/help-center/private-and-public-workshops/ or this video https://youtu.be/dO7JTLELHGQ?t=195

I hope this answers your question.

Best,

A: Hi Just,

Thanks for your questions!

1) Just to clarify, Public Workshops are unlimited on all tiers correct (Unlimited workshops (10 free participants in public workshops)) and the 10 participants are per Public Workshop?

--> Yes.

2) In other words, if we invite 10 participants to Workshop A, we can invite 10 entirely different participants to each Workshop B, C, D, etc.
Is that correct?

--> Yes. The limit is only per workshop.

3) Also, for the add-on are we able to initiate that purchase at any time in the future at the Sumoling rate and only for the months in which we need it?

--> Yes! We are with Sumo-lings for life :) so once you've created your account with AppSumo, you will always have the discounted rate for the Add-on. And yes, you can activate the add-on and cancel it, then re-activate it when you need it.

I hope that answers you questions.

Best,

Sophia

A: Great questions!

1) Are the team members per project. I.e. I can add 10 different members per each of 10 projects (potentially 100 different members) or is it 10 total members across the entire account?

--> 10 total members across the entire account for Tier 2.

2) Also, all members (who are required to create an account) will have Business Plan accounts or only while working on projects from our master account?

--> They will have Business Plan accounts only while working on project from the Master account.

3) If we eliminate/delete a team member we get that slot back to use again?

--> Yes.

4) If those deleted members had a Business Plan account through us (as asked above) are they automatically downgraded?

--> Yes. Their account is not deleted but they are automatically downgraded and won't have access to your projects anymore.

Best,

Sophia

A: Hi Steve!

Glad to hear you like the workshop report!

As you can download it as a docx file, you can apply all customization on fonts and color that you wish!

I hope this answers your question :)

Best,

A: Hi Sumoling 84!

Thanks for the warm welcome :)

I've never tried cogency but it looks like the common point between the three tools you mentioned is that they are based on an infinite whiteboard and they look fantastic for sketching and drawing!

Although we're currently working on a whiteboard/sketching feature, ExcelWay's approach has been quite different.

In the workshop module, it has always been for us about 2 things in priority:

1) Ease of use: to avoid hiccups and onboard ANYONE quickly. Most of our users we've talked to, find it difficult to onboard participants on a whiteboard if the person has never used one before.

2) Data driven: we offer the tools to analyse hundreds of sticky notes on a workshop, categorize them with a label, vote and measure consensus, filter them with different criteria, send them in bulk to a task management board or another activity. And I believe that the tools you mentioned don't get into that level of precision when it comes to the text data entered on a brainstorm.

The second thing that makes ExcelWay different from other whiteboard tools is the fact that it includes task management boards (in List and kanban view) with customizable dashboards and status reports straight to your inbox (and more features are on they way!).

As per your second question, it seems that the deal as it is, is pretty fair, but we'll definitely think about it!

I hope that answers your question :)

Best,

A: Hi Steve!

Members are users that you invite to ExcelWay and that create an ExcelWay account. To collaborate on tasks and projects, users need an ExcelWay account. However, to participate to a public workshop, users don't need an ExcelWay account. Members are set within your Tier limit (3 for Tier 1, 10 for Tier 2, Unlimited for Tier 3).

Participants are people that you invite to a workshop. If it's a public workshop, they don't need an ExcelWay account. They just follow the link you share with them. In all plans, you get 10 free participants in a public workshop.
However, if it's a private workshop (meaning that the access is restricted to only people that are invited through email), they do need an ExcelWay account.
You can learn more about the workshop invitation process in this video: https://youtu.be/dO7JTLELHGQ

Projects are like workspaces in which you can have unlimited workshops and unlimited task boards. Projects are handy if you have a larger team/company and you'd like each team to have separate workspaces. They are also great if you're working with clients and would like to dedicate a workspace to your collaboration with a client. You can learn more about projects in this video: https://youtu.be/YjrzDEoAzX4 and in this article: https://www.excelway.co/help-center/navigating-excelway/

Hope it helps :)

A: Hi Farheendigital,

Thanks for all these helpful questions and your wishes! Please see my answers below:

a} Does the product carry custom domain, white label,?

The custom domain is for now not available in our Business Plan, but only for Enterprise. That being said, it is not impossible that we'll be offering it to the Business Plan and any upgrade to the plan will benefit Sumo-lings.

b} Does it have Video online Meeting integration?

Not for now, but the Zoom integration is on our Roadmap.

c} Does it offers Templates for preparing Executive Summaries?

Do you mean as workshop templates where people can collaborate to fill up an executive summary? There is a template for Business Model Canvas as well as Lean Canvas that can be useful for discussing strategy. Moreover, the sections of both these canvas are customizable.

d} Does it have email integration?
What would be a use case for email integration?
We do send transactional emails for invitations, notifications and mentions. When inviting people to a private workshop, they also get a Calendar invitation as an ICS invitation.

e} Does Team Members Projects can be kept private from each others?

If team members are working on the same project, let's say tasks in a kanban board, there is an option to restrict access to a task to the people that are owner or member of the task. For more information on permissions, you can check this video: https://youtu.be/_7ir30e-JKU

f} What are members?
Members are users that you invite to ExcelWay and that create an ExcelWay account. To collaborate on tasks, users need an ExcelWay account. However, to participate to a public workshop, users don't need an ExcelWay account.

can we remove and add members within the Tier limits?

I'm not sure I understand the question correctly, but yes, if in your Tier limit you have up to 3 members for instance, you can remove a member from your project and replace him with another member that you add to your project.

g} Once the project is over can it be downloaded and deleted to add new projects?
To remain within your Tier Limit, yes. But just to clarify what a project is: A project in ExcelWay is like a folder in which you can add unlimited workshop sessions and unlimited task management boards. To know more about the structure of a project, you can check out this video: https://youtu.be/YjrzDEoAzX4 and this article: https://www.excelway.co/help-center/navigating-excelway/

h) Can I have the access of members details downloaded?
Members are set at the project, workshop and board level. We're also currently working on a feature to map all your members in all your projects, workshops and boards, to facilitate member management.

I hope this helps :)

A: Hi steve7736,

You can check our roadmap here: https://app.excelway.co/access/2/beta/MBVrYo

This link will actually take you to a public workshop on ExcelWay and let you have a sneak peek at the experience!

Our current big projects in the works is a mobile app for workshops and the ability to create a workshop template from scratch.
We're also working on custom fields in tasks.