Hello,

Thank you for your post!

We do not currently have the ability to share individual layers within Lucidchart with users. If this is something you'd like to see in the future, I would recommend posting here.

These ideas will be shared with our Product Development team for consideration. Before sharing your idea, please explore our community to find existing suggestions. Upvote or comment to voice your support, as all feedback is channeled through our community.



I'd love to hear more about what it is you're trying to accomplish. For example, if you would like to have these users all on the same document but editing only what you'd want them to, you may think about multiple pages on your document rather than layers. It may also be beneficial to review all sharing permissions as we do have comment and view only access available. 


Further, there is no inspector panel under the view or edit menu in Lucidchart. It seems that the inspector panel mentioned by Gemini is the Lucid admin panel, which is only available to Enterprise accounts, and it doesn't look like what you want even though Gemini suggested it to you.

Let me know if you need anything else.

Lucid Legends Team

 

Thanks, Apparish.

I did see from another post that I cannot share individual layers directly, but are you saying that even as an Enterprise-level user, I have no mechanism to control what another user can see in a shared multi-layer document?

If that’s the case, am I better to then switch to LucidSpark and make a multi-page offering of the same document and share that?

-MLS

@Amelia W @Addie and @Abby S, what do you think?

Hi @Mark Sheppard,

Thanks for your post! In Lucidspark, it is possible to hide content in a Container by selecting the eye icon from the Context Toolbar. No one will be able to see the content of the container unless you select the eye icon to unhide the content, as seen here: 

Alternatively, you can use breakout rooms where each person goes into their own room and all the content gets pulled in at the end.

We are committed to continually improving our products. Please first search the Product Feedback section of this community (with the filter Topic Type = Idea) to see if it’s already been submitted. If so, please add any additional details you’d like and upvote the request - this consolidation helps to refine feedback and properly capture the popularity of the request.

If no one has submitted this idea yet, please create one of your own and be sure to include details about your use case or what you’d like to see in this experience. This will also allow other users with similar requests to discover and upvote it, then add details of their own.

Finally, for more information on how Lucid manages feedback via this community, take a look at this post.

Please let me know if you have any other questions, cheers!

Hi Mark, good question, and @aparrish , thank you for tagging me. Unfortunately Gemini was wrong on several fronts here--there is not a way to share individual layers directly or control which layers of a document a user that you are sharing it with can see. Sharing a document will share the entire document, all layers and tabs included. 

I see two workarounds here:

1. Separate out the document into multiple separate documents, like you mentioned. This could be done in Lucidspark or Lucidchart. Once you have the information separated out, you can share each of those documents individually. This will allow users to interact with and comment on the document, but building and maintaining multiple copies could be a challenge.
2. Export the document and share it with collaborators as a PDF or other stationary file type. This does not allow them to edit or comment, but could be a quick fix if your collaborators don’t need either of those functions. Instructions on how to download with hidden layers can be found in this help center article.

Please let me know if you have any further questions, hope this helps!

Hi @Mark Sheppard,

Thank you for taking the time to let us know about this. If possible, can you let us know what search phrase you typed in Google Gemini?

Hi Ashley:

Happy to do so.  I can send the whole exchange if you like.  Am I length-limited here, or would an email be better?

-MLS

Hi Abby:

Thanks for this.  While neither of these options are particularly palatable, I suspect that option 1 is probably the better direction to go.

-MLS

I appreciate it! A reply here is great, we shouldn’t run into any limitations. 

Ashley:

Here is the first and most relevant part of the exchange…

ME: I am using Lucid as a mechanism to capture individual inputs from an Empathy Map. Because of scheduling challenges, I am not able to gather all stakeholders together to conduct the exercise, therefore, I plan to conduct it virtually/asynchronously - e.g. I plan to share the Empathy Map with my participants, solicit their answers to the questions (See, Do, Think, Feel).

I want to replicate the process of having participants provide answers to the questions individually before having the full results posted to the board. (to avoid undue influence or group-think).

Are there mechanisms within Lucid to control what each user can see?

 

Yes, Lucidchart offers several mechanisms to control what each user can see within a shared diagram. This is especially useful for asynchronous collaboration and to prevent undue influence or groupthink, as in your case of conducting an Empathy Map exercise.

Here are some options you can consider:

1. Layer-based Visibility:

• Create separate layers for each question (See, Do, Think, Feel).
• Assign different visibility settings for each layer:
  • Public: Visible to everyone.
  • Private: Only visible to the layer's owner.
  • Group: Visible to specific groups of users.
• Share the diagram with participants, granting them access to the layers relevant to their questions.

2. Shape Properties:

• Use shape properties to control visibility:
  • Opacity: Set the opacity of shapes to 0% to make them invisible.
  • Visibility: Set the visibility of shapes to "Hidden" or "Private".
  • Conditional formatting: Use conditional formatting to show or hide shapes based on specific criteria.

3. Collaboration Settings:

• Adjust collaboration settings to limit user actions:
  • Commenting: Allow or restrict commenting on specific shapes or layers.
  • Editing: Restrict editing to specific shapes or layers.
  • Deleting: Prevent users from deleting shapes or layers.

4. Custom Permissions:

• Create custom permissions to grant users specific access levels:
  • View: Allow users to view the diagram but not edit it.
  • Edit: Allow users to edit the diagram within specific constraints.
  • Manage: Grant users full control over the diagram, including managing permissions.

By combining these methods, you can effectively control what each participant can see within the Empathy Map, ensuring that they provide their answers independently before the full results are revealed.

Additional Tips:

• Clearly communicate the instructions and expectations to participants.
• Provide a deadline for submitting their answers.
• Use a clear and consistent labeling system for the different sections of the Empathy Map.
• Encourage participants to provide detailed and thoughtful answers.

By following these guidelines, you can successfully conduct an asynchronous Empathy Map exercise using Lucidchart and achieve your desired outcomes.

ME: I like the idea of Layer-based visibility. How might that work?

 

Using Layer-Based Visibility in Lucidchart for an Asynchronous Empathy Map

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to use layer-based visibility to control what each participant can see in your Empathy Map:

1. Create Layers:

• For each question: Create a separate layer (e.g., "See," "Do," "Think," "Feel").
• Label clearly: Name each layer accordingly for easy identification.

2. Place Elements:

• Organize content: Place the relevant elements (e.g., questions, sticky notes, images) on their corresponding layers.

3. Set Layer Visibility:

• Private: Set the visibility of each layer to "Private" by default. This ensures that only the layer's owner (you) can see it.

4. Share the Diagram:

• Grant access: Share the diagram with participants, granting them access to the layer containing the question they should answer. For example, if a participant is answering the "See" question, grant them access to the "See" layer.

5. Control Visibility:

• As needed: You can adjust layer visibility as participants progress through the exercise. For instance, after all participants have answered the "See" question, you can make the "Do" layer visible to them.

6. Collect Responses:

• Asynchronously: Participants can then add their responses to the appropriate layer without seeing other participants' answers.

7. Reveal Results:

• Once complete: When all participants have submitted their responses, you can make all layers visible to reveal the full Empathy Map.

Additional Tips:

• Clear instructions: Provide clear instructions to participants on which layer they should focus on and when to expect the next layer to be revealed.
• Time management: Set a deadline for participants to submit their responses to each layer.
• Feedback: Encourage participants to provide feedback on the process and suggest improvements for future exercises.

By using layer-based visibility in this way, you can effectively control what each participant sees in your Empathy Map, ensuring that they provide their answers independently and without being influenced by others' responses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much, Mark! I’ll use this exchange to help train Gemini about how layers work in Lucid and increase the chances correct information is surfaced. Appreciate you taking the time to share!