> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs2.ahaslides.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# How to Set Up and Use the Idea Board Slide in AhaSlides
> Collect ideas from your audience and watch them organise into themes in real time, turning scattered feedback into structured insight instantly.
An Idea Board slide lets your audience submit ideas and see them organised into themes, not just read a scattered list of responses. Instead of asking "What do you think?", you're asking "What themes emerge from our collective thinking?" — with results updating live as submissions and votes come in.
## How It Works
Participants type their ideas from their phones or devices, watch as ideas get organised into groups, vote on what matters most, and discuss patterns as they appear.
## Setting Up an Idea Board Slide
Click **New Slide** and choose **Idea Board**.
Enter your question or prompt in the **Your question** field.
Enable the **Groups** option to add **predefined groups** upfront (best when you know your structure), or leave it off to let ideas cluster with **AI grouping** after you've collected them (best for discovery). See below for details on both.
Click the image icon next to your question to attach an image.
## Settings
Gather participant details (name, email, etc) before they submit ideas. Skip this if you've already enabled Collecting Audience Information in your presentation settings.
Create groups in advance for participants to submit into. See "How Grouping Works" below.
Enable or disable idea voting. When enabled, set the number of votes each participant can use, from 1 to 20.
Apply a time limit to submissions. When enabled, choose between 5 seconds and 20 minutes (1200 seconds).
Close submissions if you need to clarify the question or pause before participants submit.
Hide submitted responses from the presenter's screen as they come in. A button in the middle lets you reveal responses when ready.
Allow your audience to see the vote count on their own devices. Leave unchecked to prevent voting bias.
Let participants submit more than one idea.
Let participants submit images alongside their answers.
Hide swear words from the audience (English only).
## Video Tutorial
## How Grouping Works
**Predefined groups** — when **Groups** is enabled, participants choose from groups you've created in advance when they submit. Useful when you have a clear structure, such as "What went well / What didn't" or "Strategic / Operational / Tactical".
**AI grouping** — when **Groups** is disabled, answers appear one after another on the canvas as they arrive. When you're ready to organise, click **Summarise** to have the system analyse submissions and suggest groupings based on similar themes and language, then click **Group responses into themes** to enable Groups with the suggested groupings.
**Refining groups** — drag and drop answers between groups, or use an answer's 3-dot menu to move it. Click a group's name to rename it, click the **+** button next to the last group (or press **G**) to create a new one, and use a group's 3-dot menu to delete it once it's empty.
## Using the Vote Function
If Vote is enabled, move to the **Vote** stage by clicking **Vote** above the submissions, clicking **Next: Vote** at the bottom of the canvas, or pressing **Enter**. Participants then click the **Thumbs up** button under an answer to vote for it — if the answer sits inside a group, they open the group first to find it. Once everyone has voted, move to the **Results** stage the same way; the most-voted answers appear at the top.
Use voting to prioritise individual ideas or themes, let the group decide without endless discussion, or move from brainstorming to decision-making. Skip voting if open discussion will be more valuable.
## Common Use Cases
Ask what people thought after an event, training, or meeting — get themed feedback instantly instead of reading dozens of scattered comments.
Have students categorise examples into predefined groups, forcing them to understand what defines each category rather than just memorise labels.
Identify what went well and what didn't after a sprint, project, or quarter. AI groups submissions into themes, revealing systemic issues instead of one-off complaints.
Separate divergent thinking (generating ideas freely) from convergent thinking (organising and prioritising raw ideas into themes).
## Tips for Better Idea Board Results
* **Write specific prompts** — vague: *"Share your thoughts"*; better: *"What specific challenge are you facing with remote collaboration?"*
* **Choose the right grouping method** — use predefined groups when teaching a framework or applying known categories; use AI grouping when discovering what themes exist. AI is excellent at initial pattern recognition but may misunderstand context, so always review and refine.
* **Allow enough time** — around 2-3 minutes for in-person sessions, 3-4 minutes for virtual sessions where people need extra time to switch context and type.
* **Don't over-organise** — aim for 6-8 groups maximum; too many defeats the purpose of finding patterns.
* **Let divergence finish before convergence** — don't start grouping ideas while people are still submitting.