The Basics
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      User Types

      A user's User Type determines their basic level of access to KaiNexus — whether they can sign in at all and the basic experience they have once they do.

      A user's User Type works in conjunction with their System Roles to determine how much access they have within KaiNexus. While System Roles allow for nuanced permissions specific to Workflows, Templates, Locations, etc., User Types determine whether a user can log in to KaiNexus and the basic experience they have once they do.

      KaiNexus offers the following User Types:

      • General Users: These are the people who will manage work in KaiNexus and will need to have the most access to the system. Their permissions are highly configurable at the System Role level.
      • Capture Users: These are people who can submit and keep track of their own Items in KaiNexus, but who need much less access to the system.
      • Wallboard Users: These users are essentially "read-only" users with very limited access to KaiNexus, enabling your organization to leave one account signed into KaiNexus all day in a public location if, for example, you want to have a certain Board displayed at a kiosk in a key area but don't want passersby making updates or changes to the system.

        This User Type is only available if your organization has the Wallboard Module enabled. Reach out to your Customer Success Manager or check out this support article for more information about the Wallboard Module.
      • Kiosk Users: These users are not traditional accounts. They allow people to submit Items to KaiNexus from a public kiosk without having to log into KaiNexus.

        This User Type is only available if your organization has the Kiosk Module enabled. Reach out to your Customer Success Manager or check out this support article for more information about the Kiosk Module.
      • Offline Users: These users can not sign in to KaiNexus but can be added to Items' Teams by other users. They're typically considered a placeholder for people who will never need to log in to the system.
      • Setup Users: These users can not sign in to KaiNexus but can be added to Items' Teams by other users. Users are typically assigned this User Type temporarily during the onboarding process.

        Once you're ready for them to sign in to the system, transition them to another User Type (i.e. General or Capture), and they'll be good to go!
      • Inactive Users: These users can not log in to KaiNexus and can not be added to Items' Teams by other users. However, if they were part of an Item's Team before becoming Inactive, they will remain on that Team until they are manually removed.

        Users are typically assigned this User Type when they leave your organization or should otherwise lose all access to KaiNexus.

      Ofie Profile PicPro Tip: If a Capture, Inactive, Offline, or Setup User is on an Item Team, their User Type will be included in parenthesis beside their name, indicating their status to others. This applies to Team Panels on Items and Item List columns. 

      General Users

      General Users are people who manage their improvement work in KaiNexus. They are the most common User Type and will need to have access to a computer or mobile device at work.

      Their permissions are highly configurable at the Role level, so one General User might have very advanced administrator permissions, be able to access Reports, and be able to see every Item in the system, while another might have very restricted permissions, only able to view their own Items.

      General Users:

      • Can sign in to the system via a desktop and the KaiNexus Mobile App.
      • Will receive in-app and/or email notifications.

      Ofie Profile PicPro Tip: General Users will receive email notifications from KaiNexus even if they have not signed in for the first time. 

      • Have complete access (or limited access) as determined by their System Role(s).
        • Their Role also determines which options are included in their navigation bar. They may or may not be able to create their own Boards, create and share custom Item Lists, view Reports, view People Lists, and/or access the Administration section.
      • In general, can submit new Items, though this is determined by how your organization has configured its Templates and by their System Roles.

      Capture Users

      Capture Users have a very streamlined KaiNexus experience. They can submit Items, see a list of their own Items, and use the search bar to look for people and existing Items, but that's about it. This gives people the opportunity to participate in improvement without getting bogged down in the details of the software.

      Capture Users:

      • Can sign in to the system via a desktop and the KaiNexus Mobile App.
      • See a list of their own Items upon logging in to the desktop application.
      • Can be added to Item Teams.
      • Can not access or create any Boards or any other Item lists.
      • Can search for and view any other Items in the system that they have permission to see, as determined by their System Role permissions. They can also comment on any Items they have access to.
      • Will receive in-app notifications, however, they can not customize their notification preferences.
      • In general, can submit new Items, though this is determined by how your organization has configured its Templates and by their System Roles.
      • Cannot edit any Items.

      Wallboard Users

      Two Line OfieReach out to your Customer Success Manager if you're interested in the Wallboard Module.


      Wallboard Users, available with the Wallboard Module, are essentially "read-only" users and enable your organization to leave one account signed into KaiNexus all day in a public location if, for example, you want to have a certain Board displayed at a kiosk in a key area but don't want passersby making updates or changes to the system.

      Two Line OfieImportant: A Wallboard User can only be logged in to one device at a time. If you log into a Wallboard account on a second device, the first device will be logged out.


      Wallboard Users:

      • Can only sign in to the system via a desktop.
      • They are automatically activated. That means that when you create a new one, you'll just need to set their password and then whoever is managing the Wallboard User will be able to log in directly without having to activate their account.
      • Most options are removed from the navigation bar at the top of the screen:
        • They can't access the Items section, save custom Item Lists, or have custom Item Lists shared with them.
        • They can't access the People section or save custom People Lists.
        • They can't access the Reports or Administration sections
        • Wallboard Users can't be added to any Items or Bookmark any Items, so there will never be a Notification Bell icon or a Bookmark icon.
        • They cannot access their user profile window and their user profile icon will be grayed out in the navigation bar.

      Two Line OfieTo log out of a Wallboard User's account, click and hold the user profile icon for three seconds, then click Sign Out in the resulting drop-down menu.

      • Wallboard Users can only access Boards that have been shared with Wallboard Users and with their Location, Role, and/or Persona.
      • Depending on how the Wallboard User is configured, there may or may not be a "Create" button at the top right corner of each Board. If there is no "Create" button, new Items can not be submitted from this account.

        If there is a "Create" button, this button will act in the same way as the Kiosk Module's. Users will need to search for and select their name to tie their submission to their real KaiNexus account (rather than this Wallboard User) before choosing the Template they want to submit and entering their data.

      Two Line OfieREQUIRED: Your organization must have both the Wallboard and Kiosk Modules to add a "Create" button to a Wallboard User. If both Modules are enabled, edit a Wallboard User's profile and check the Enable Kiosk checkbox to add a "Create" button to their Boards.

      • Wallboard Users have much more restricted functionality within the platform, both when working in the platform themselves and when other users are interacting with them:
        • They can not make any changes to existing Items, including editing, liking, acknowledging, or commenting on them.
        • They can not edit or alter Cards in any way.
        • They can not create, edit, or own Boards.
        • They can not be added to any Item's Team, even as a Follower.
        • Their user profiles have more limited configuration options than General and Capture users:
          • They can only be given a username, first and last name, User Type, Persona, Network Location(s), and Roles.
          • They can only be granted Roles that have been made available to Wallboard Users.
          • You can supply an IP Allowlist to help secure unattended devices displaying your Boards and Kiosks to prevent them from being used from an unauthorized network. Enter this list in the IP Whitelist field, one IPv4 or IPv6 address per line. CIDR masks are supported.
          • Since they can't have an email address associated with their account, they won't get any email notifications.
        • They can not be awarded — manually or automatically — any Badges.

      Two Line OfieFor more information on working with Wallboard Users, including how to share Boards with them, check out the Wallboard Module support article.

      Kiosk Users

      Two Line OfieReach out to your Customer Success Manager if you're interested in the Kiosk Module. 


      A Kiosk User, available with the Kiosk Module, is a non-traditional user in that they cannot access any part of the app except for the submission screen. In addition, they cannot be added to any Items' Teams. When someone submits an Item via the kiosk, they will be listed on the Team — not the Kiosk User.

      This is a great way to remove technical barriers and allow more people to participate in continuous improvement, regardless of whether or not they use a computer in their daily work.

      Kiosk Users:

      • Can only sign in to the system via a desktop.
      • Can only access the submission screen.
      • Will not be automatically logged out due to inactivity. To manually log out, click and hold the KaiNexus Kiosk logo for three seconds and the "Sign Out" button will appear. Click Sign Out and the Kiosk User will be logged out.
        • Pro Tip: If you are using a tablet or mobile device to log in as a Kiosk User, remember to turn off auto-lock. If the device locks while a Kiosk User is signed in, they will be automatically signed out, so it's important to prevent the device from locking during use. 
      • Can not be added to any Items' Teams. When someone submits an Item via the kiosk, they will be listed on the Team — not the Kiosk User. 

      Two Line OfieFor more information on working with Kiosk Users, including how to submit Items via a kiosk, check out the Kiosk Module support article.

      Offline Users

      Offline Users are typically used as a placeholder for people who will never need to sign into the system but need to be associated with their improvement work that is being captured within KaiNexus.

      Offline Users:

      • Can not log in to KaiNexus.
      • Will not receive any emails from KaiNexus.
      • In general, can be added to Items' Teams by other users, though this is determined by how your organization has configured its Templates and by their System Roles.

      Setup Users

      Users are typically given the Setup User Type only temporarily, with people assigned this User Type during onboarding before being transitioned to General or Capture Users once you're ready for them to be able to sign in to the system.

      Setup Users:

      • Can not log in to KaiNexus.
      • Will not receive any emails from KaiNexus.
      • In general, can be added to Items' Teams by other users, though this is determined by how your organization has configured its Templates and by their System Roles.

      Inactive Users

      Inactive Users are typically people who have left your organization or who should otherwise no longer have any access to KaiNexus. Inactivating a user, rather than deleting them outright, allows you to maintain a record of their improvement work.

      Inactive Users:

      • Can not log in to KaiNexus.
      • Will not receive any emails from KaiNexus.
      • Can not be added to any Items' Teams. However, if they were part of an Item's Team before becoming Inactive, they will remain on that Team until they are manually removed.
      • Will not appear on Reports