It’s that time of year again when students worldwide are counting down the days until their summer vacations.
Even though many of us have not been in school for a minute (to put it gently), we’re still catching those end-of-school-year vibes and feeling the excitement.
It’s for this reason that this blog reads like a high school yearbook, showcasing Lucid’s top features as senior superlatives.
And while we’re on the topic of education, we recently announced that the Lucid Education Suite will be made available to all Canvas users worldwide beginning June 15, 2024. 
Now for the top Lucid features on campus—er, canvas—with supporting quotes from our esteemed class of Lucid Champions (who all got straight A’s this year).
POPULAR FEATURE #1: Real-Time Collaboration
Most Likely to Be Everywhere at Once
Real-time collaboration would have been described as the “dark arts” 50 years ago. Alas, embrace the magic. Step into your power and become one with it.
Teamwork at its finest! I love the fact that teams can work on a single project simultaneously which cuts time in half.
John Epok Pascual, Regional Platforms Lead
Real-time collaboration gives way to effective decision making. Get everyone on board by working together on a board.
POPULAR FEATURE #2: Diagramming
Most Likely to Draw You In
Whether you’re mapping out a network or charting a workflow, Lucidchart draws you into your work. Well, not literally. It’s not like Lucid is sketching your face as you work. (Although we’re always open to feature requests.)
They say a picture speaks 1000 words. And they’re right, especially with Lucidchart diagrams, which can transform chaos into success with a few well-placed arrows!
Lucidchart’s diagramming has more than meets the eye. It is a one-stop-shop for outlining all things business and processes.
POPULAR FEATURE #3: Sticky Notes
Most Likely to Stick to their Goals
Sticky Notes are note-orious for being one of the main features on every collaborative whiteboard.
There’s nothing better than a rapid-fire sticky note brainstorming session! This feature in Lucidspark is one I can use immediately when facilitating sessions with people brand-new to Lucid—no training required!
With sticky notes, participants can seamlessly add their thoughts, interact with others on the board, organize thoughts, and so much more in real-time.
POPULAR FEATURE #4: Template Library
Most Likely to Have What You Need
The template library is the metaphorical student who has everything you need: extra paper, pens, floss sticks, and most importantly—all the answers.
The template library is my go-to for creative brainstorming. Whenever I have a tough problem to solve, I visit template library to see who shared a solved example.
Sometimes the templates are just great inspo–like seeing a warehouse floor plan or office layout. Made me realize I can design my new apartment from here!
POPULAR FEATURE #5: Data Linking and Integrations
Most Likely to Become Famous
Lucid’s ability to link data and integrate with other tools makes it one of the friendliest and most well-liked features on canvas. See how you can supercharge your tech stack.
I love the Lucid + Microsoft Teams integration because everyone in my organization uses Microsoft Teams for file-sharing.
The Jira and Azure DevOps integrations are amazing! Without them, we would spend significant time post-workshop reviewing, categorizing, and then documenting the required activities into those systems.
POPULAR FEATURE #6: Mind Mapping
Most Likely to Blow Your Mind
Mind mapping with Lucid is the closest thing we offer to mind-reading. As you use mind maps to organize your thoughts and ideas in a visually engaging way, you end up discovering mind-blowing connections.
Graphic organizers, such as mind maps, the Frayer Model, and Venn diagrams, help students organize information they are learning for better retention, comprehension, and to facilitate making new connections.
Mind maps are always my go-to for getting things out of my head and organized. I often do this on my own before starting a larger brainstorming session.
POPULAR FEATURE #7: Presentation Mode
Most Likely to Steal the Show
Presentation mode is what you use when you’re ready to showcase your work to important people, whether they be clients, your superiors, the Pope—get your work in presentation mode!
Hand-building slides in PowerPoint is such a hassle. A much much better way than trying to screenshot parts of a Lucid board and copy/paste is to just make the “slide” directly in Lucid, then present the live data by jumping from slide to slide inside the Lucid board! Not only is it higher-fidelity than a screenshot, but it’s much more engaging for my audience.
The presentation mode is designed to ensure you’re not just giving another presentation, but delivering a memorable experience. This feature transforms your ideas into visually stunning presentations that captivate and engage your audience.
POPULAR FEATURE #8: Virtual Whiteboard
Most Likely to Spark Ideas
The brainstorming buddy you never knew you needed. But seriously, what were we using before? Pen and paper with someone’s illegible handwriting? Such dark times!
I will often do a first quick and dirty draft of a process in Lucidspark so we can quickly move things around and then transfer that work to Lucidchart. I think of Lucisspark as my prototyping tool and Lucidchart as my tool to hold the final versions of production processes.
I love the fact that I can just dump in everything I am thinking and from there, some of the best ideas are born.
POPULAR FEATURE #9: Collaboration Features
Most Likely to Be in Everyone’s Business
In the world of collaboration, being “in everyone’s business” is a good thing! Lucid ensures that no comment goes unnoticed and every mention gets the attention it deserves.
Before Lucidspark, group projects made me want to cry. Somehow, I always felt like “that person” who ended up picking up the slack. But with Lucidspark’s collaboration features, we all take turns. Everyone can see edits happening in real-time, chime in with comments, and @mention who should do what to ensure nobody gets left behind. Documenting clear communication helps the group stay on track and holds everyone accountable for their part!
POPULAR FEATURE #10: Revision History and Version Control
Most Likely to Keep the Receipts
Lucid has a long memory with instant recall—ideal traits for a contestant on Jeopardy, but also for a visual collaboration tool. You can navigate through past versions of your work and see a detailed record of who did what and when.
The revision history and version control feature is the ultimate tool for meticulous record-keeping.
Revision history and version control has been a life-saver! Just when I thought I couldn’t get an old version of a process map back, they came in and saved the day!
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