Our initial priorities for sumApp were:
sumApp
It’s time for a paradigm shift – on so many levels!
If you’re supporting a network aimed at transforming systems, you need tools that are aligned and resonate with the conditions and principles that generate transformation.
You need adaptive tools, that allow for emergence, are dynamic and multi-dimensional.
Tools that help shift your network’s collective focus to interconnectedness, intersubjectivity, and complexity. Tools that enable you to generate the system-level insights you need to accelerate and amplify your collective impact.
sumApp Changes Everything!
Old-school social network analysis (SNA) tools are so. . . anti-emergent. And top-down-ish.
Doing an old-school SNA is like jumping off a cliff. It’s a big commitment and a big cost and once you jump, you can’t change your mind. You end up with a static snapshot of a moment in time – so you have to get that moment perfect from the start.
And then if you want to make a new snapshot at a future time, you have to make everyone start all over again and re-do everything they did the time before.
They're built on stable-system assumptions, using a product-development paradigm, when what you need is an emergent process, reflecting complex-system dynamics.
If you operate from closed-system/stable-system assumptions with logic models, SMART goals and predictability - AND if you have the top-down power to force everyone to participate, like in a dominant-culture organization, it kind of works.
But change networks function differently. And if your tools don't reflect that difference, they drag you backward and undermine the shift in everyone's thinking that's trying to emerge.
That old-school approach can be a hard sell with groups of people you can't control and who don't yet see the value in participating. Plus, that's just not how emergence, adaptive practices, and shared-learning processes work.
Old-school SNA maps also put the emphasis on analysis (which has its place, but is built on a process of separation and reduction. It re-inforces non-transformational thinking). They're designed by 'experts', to inform leaders about how to take advantage of and/or engineer the existing social structure.
They're not amenable to synthesis, transparency, fostering self-organizing, shared learning or adaptive action. And we think they should be.
We think that if you ask people to share data about themselves, they should have a choice whether or not to participate. They should be able to see - upfront - how it's going to be used, and the use of it should primarily be to bring value to the people sharing their data and to the network's goals as a whole.
Since SNA tools were first developed, visualization platforms (such as Kumu, Graph Commons and Polinode, as well as an abundance of coding libraries) have evolved in the direction we were wanting. They're accessible to everyone online, interactive, multi-dimensional, engaging, and they don't require that end users know math jargon or network science jargon to interact with the interface.
But gathering network data to present in those visualization platforms was still a big challenge. The kind of data we were looking for was data that isn't inferred from online behavior (i.e. following on Twitter doesn't tell us anything about your real-life relationship). Data that isn't extrapolated from commonalities (i.e. - just because we have a connection to 'writing', doesn't mean we have a connection to one another). Data that isn't based on the few relationships among others that you're personally aware of (because there's no way anyone can know personally about all the other significant relationships in a network). We wanted to be able to ask everyone in the network directly, to tell us about their own interpersonal/ inter-organizational relationships.
It wasn't hard conceptually - to do what we did.
But it was sort of hard technically - because our underlying principles are different from the normal assumptions of software development. Especially in the beginning - we were always going against the grain of what our developers thought we wanted.
There wasn't (and still isn't) another tool out there that enabled us to do what we wanted to do. There ARE other SNA tools, but none of them are built according to the principles that mattered to us.
And that's why we built sumApp. The data-gathering tool for a new paradigm, informed by and designed to align with new-paradigm principles.
Ryan Mottau
Having found sumApp after being introduced to Social System Mapping and attempting to use multiple, equally difficult tools, it was refreshing to find a purpose-built, well supported and inexpensive option for surveying client networks. sumApp's close integration with Kumu is an excellent example of how to build off of an existing good tool and focus on the missing piece (in this case, an effective way to survey connections).
MIG Consulting
Katy Mamen
Finding sumApp has been a game changer for my work with networks, enabling me to support them with an enhanced ability to build connectivity, have more meaningful impact, and "help the system see itself."
Water Bear Consulting
Ben Roberts
The Now What?! global gathering and gift economy came to life in a powerful way when we began using sumApp as the repository for our registration data. By having a map of who was participating and how they were connected with one another, it was possible to visualize the entire six week event in a new form. sumApp + Kumu was much more than a snazzy tool for letting people look at one another’s profiles. The image of that map and the ability to watch it grow and evolve created a sense of presence and possibility that transformed the collective experience of what we were doing.
Now What?! Lead Convener and HostLaura Kaestele
I love using sumApp for the seamless integration with kumu and the easy-to-use interface, but even more so because it enables an emergent, participatory, and iterative approach to social system mapping. It makes it possible to just start, prototype, see outcomes early, get feedback, and then learn and refine, or to include network members in the data collection process of asking (profile) questions and choosing connection options. sumApp is designed as an intentional, collaborative network-learning journey and to co-create high-functionality, high-value maps that evolve and stay alive!
Alex Abell
When I came across sumApp I was blown away by the extra value it provided to my social system mapping efforts. The process of mapping complex relationships is often very manual, and being able to automate and allow for user-generated connection information adds extreme value by making the process much easier.
Lunch PoolLukas Posegga
In the fight for dignity and rights for the poorest of the poor, we have many powerful allies from around the world. From Nobel Laureates and Astronauts, to Presidents and CEOs, and millions of citizen followers, each with their own individual talents and characteristics. In my mind are thousands of links and weaving points between them, fantasies of groundbreaking solutions they could create if carefully connected with the right purpose.
sumApp finally allows us to digitize this intelligence and take our impact-driven weaving to the next level. So much of this potential may finally be unleashed. Thank you so much for creating this brilliant tool. I promise to use it for the good of the people and planet.
Summer of PurposesumApp finally allows us to digitize this intelligence and take our impact-driven weaving to the next level. So much of this potential may finally be unleashed. Thank you so much for creating this brilliant tool. I promise to use it for the good of the people and planet.
Lisa Negstad
The sumApp tool is so helpful for creating maps. It makes data gathering super easy and it wasn’t intimidating to learn at all. I also love the emergent nature of the tool, it’s relatively easy to change or add data as the network adapts and learns. And sumApp is continually adding helpful features to the app.
Negstad ConsultingLouise Clark
It's just fantastic. I'm such a big fan of sumApp. It's such a slick tool and has really helped move forward our work to map and understand the research networks that we work with whilst also providing a useful tool to introduce and connect our partners in an online world.
Institute of Development Studies UKYour network will LOVE it!
It’s the easiest tool you’ll ever meet for getting your network members to map their own connections.
User Friendly
The end-user interface had to be intuitive, user-friendly, and meaningful. So that asking people to share information about their relationships wasn't such a big deal.
The administrative set-up had to be manageable by non-technical-experts as well.
Structured Data
We wanted to remove the biggest barrier to mapping a network, which is getting the data output to work seamlessly with existing network visualization tools.
There is no other stand-alone survey platform that outputs RELATIONSHIP data in a way that conforms to a network graph structure. And re-structuring data is a headache.
There is no other stand-alone survey platform that outputs RELATIONSHIP data in a way that conforms to a network graph structure. And re-structuring data is a headache.
While we were at it, we changed some things that had always annoyed us about other survey tools:
Evergreen
We thought it sucked that if a new member joined the day after a mapping project closed, they wouldn't show up on the map until the 'next time' (whenever that might come) (great way to not make folks feel welcome!).
We also didn't think you should be stuck with re-doing a static snapshot in time over and over again. A network is dynamic, we felt the map representing it should be as well.
So most of our initial innovations were aimed at enabling you to make one map and just keep updating the map over time.
We call this approach 'Evergreen'.
We also didn't think you should be stuck with re-doing a static snapshot in time over and over again. A network is dynamic, we felt the map representing it should be as well.
So most of our initial innovations were aimed at enabling you to make one map and just keep updating the map over time.
We call this approach 'Evergreen'.
Member Pictures & description
We wanted to make it easy for your members to recall and identify each other while adding their connections to the map.
So we added a way for members to load a picture of themselves, and to input a brief description of themselves that shows up in the member list.
This way, even if people aren't sure about last names, or know someone by a nick-name, they can still be certain they've got the right person.
So we added a way for members to load a picture of themselves, and to input a brief description of themselves that shows up in the member list.
This way, even if people aren't sure about last names, or know someone by a nick-name, they can still be certain they've got the right person.
Each member has their own perpetual survey access
Another part of getting to Evergreen meant making it so that members don't have to keep starting from the beginning and re-entering all their data over and over again.
We thought - why not just leave their data in there, and simply have them go back in and update the info where things have changed?
So we made it more like a social media profile than a survey. Each member has their own unique sumApp link that they can use at any time to come back and update their profile and add new relationships as the changes occur.
We thought - why not just leave their data in there, and simply have them go back in and update the info where things have changed?
So we made it more like a social media profile than a survey. Each member has their own unique sumApp link that they can use at any time to come back and update their profile and add new relationships as the changes occur.
Edit-able Survey and Connection Fields
One part of 'Evergreen' meant we didn't believe you should be stuck with the survey options & language you begin with.
If you start where there's energy and take it from there, you're bound to discover more questions, other options, and places where the language could be word-smithed to better effect.
With other survey tools, once you launch, it's too late for changes. But in sumApp you can edit at any time. Even while your data-gathering 'window' is open.
sumApp will even find and replace the language in the data you've already gathered, so that you never have to worry about having different versions of essentially the same questions. Your data stays clean and coherent while you learn and iterate.
With other survey tools, once you launch, it's too late for changes. But in sumApp you can edit at any time. Even while your data-gathering 'window' is open.
sumApp will even find and replace the language in the data you've already gathered, so that you never have to worry about having different versions of essentially the same questions. Your data stays clean and coherent while you learn and iterate.
Multiple member sort & filter options
In other tools we'd used, the member list consisted of a simple alphabetized list of names. In a network of several hundred members, it's hard to focus, easy to miss people, hard to be sure you've got the right person.
In addition to a photo & a description, we give you different ways of sorting and even the ability to filter so your members can narrow the list down so they can just focus on the others they're most likely to know.
In addition to a photo & a description, we give you different ways of sorting and even the ability to filter so your members can narrow the list down so they can just focus on the others they're most likely to know.
Email Template Versions
We wanted to be able to add new members after a survey was launched. But if you do that, you need to ask members who HAVE ALREADY TAKEN the survey, to come back in and identify the new members they're connected to.
But if they've already filled in their profile/survey, they'll respond to the generic, initial invitation by thinking 'Been There, Did That!' - and either ignore the request or get annoyed at you for pestering them unnecessarily.
We realized that 'Evergreen' also meant helping to make it easier for people to understand what you're asking of them, and to understand that the whole process is not a 'once and done' thing.
So we made different email versions to reflect members varying prior experience within sumApp. If they're brand new, they get an initial (generally detailed & explanatory) invite. If they've been invited before, you can use simpler 'please come back' language. And if it's a generic nudge to everyone, you can use a simple reminder template.
But if they've already filled in their profile/survey, they'll respond to the generic, initial invitation by thinking 'Been There, Did That!' - and either ignore the request or get annoyed at you for pestering them unnecessarily.
We realized that 'Evergreen' also meant helping to make it easier for people to understand what you're asking of them, and to understand that the whole process is not a 'once and done' thing.
So we made different email versions to reflect members varying prior experience within sumApp. If they're brand new, they get an initial (generally detailed & explanatory) invite. If they've been invited before, you can use simpler 'please come back' language. And if it's a generic nudge to everyone, you can use a simple reminder template.
But we didn't stop with easy and 'Evergreen'!
All along, we've learned from our own mapping experience, listened to the needs of our custom mapping clients, paid attention to our sumApp-using customers requests, and continued to develop the features the field has asked for.
Free
We are sensitive to the reality of financial constraints. We want sumApp to be accessible, and we've made it as affordable as we can.
But we also recognize that not every network can afford to use a tool that has any cost whatsoever, and sometimes you have more time and willpower than cash to spend.
The relationship data is what's so challenging to structure, not the information about the individual persons or organizations. So the fundamental improvement sumApp makes in a mapping process is in easily gathering relationship information that is compatible with a network graph tool.
So - tbh - you CAN make a map in Kumu combining member data from another survey tool, and just get your RELATIONSHIP data from sumApp. It's more of a hassle & requires somewhat more data-savvy skills, and we think that $15/month is well worth the reduction in hassle.
But we also wanted to be as accessible as possible, while still having the hope of someday having a sustainable business. So we made the most crucial part of sumApp free - in Tier I. The survey doesn't exist in Tier I, nor do the additional features that exist in Tiers III & IV. But all fundamentals around connection data and everything that make it 'Evergreen' all apply.
Tier I
But we also recognize that not every network can afford to use a tool that has any cost whatsoever, and sometimes you have more time and willpower than cash to spend.
The relationship data is what's so challenging to structure, not the information about the individual persons or organizations. So the fundamental improvement sumApp makes in a mapping process is in easily gathering relationship information that is compatible with a network graph tool.
So - tbh - you CAN make a map in Kumu combining member data from another survey tool, and just get your RELATIONSHIP data from sumApp. It's more of a hassle & requires somewhat more data-savvy skills, and we think that $15/month is well worth the reduction in hassle.
But we also wanted to be as accessible as possible, while still having the hope of someday having a sustainable business. So we made the most crucial part of sumApp free - in Tier I. The survey doesn't exist in Tier I, nor do the additional features that exist in Tiers III & IV. But all fundamentals around connection data and everything that make it 'Evergreen' all apply.
Tier I
Live link into Kumu
Set up the live link into Kumu, and your data will automatically feed into your map without you having to do anything.
Available in all tiers.
Available in all tiers.
Time Tagging
The cool thing about the 'Evergreen' idea is that now you can break your data into time frames and track changes to your network over time. This is very helpful for evaluating the effectiveness of network-building efforts.
Available in all tiers
Available in all tiers
Merge Duplicated Member Profiles
Lots of people use multiple emails, and when you're combining lists from several places, it's easy to end up with duplicates of the same person. And once people begin connecting to both versions of someone, it's messy & tedious to clean up the mistake.
We got so sick of that problem that we created the 'merge' feature that enables you to combine the 2 versions into one, without losing any incoming or outgoing connections from either version. This saves a ton of time!
Available in all tiers.
We got so sick of that problem that we created the 'merge' feature that enables you to combine the 2 versions into one, without losing any incoming or outgoing connections from either version. This saves a ton of time!
Available in all tiers.
Opt-In Form
Sometimes you have very clear boundaries of known members, and you can load a list to send invitations to. But sometimes your edges are a bit more porous, or you don't have contact info. In the second case, you can generate an 'opt-in' form that enables others to add themselves to the invitation list. Then just distribute a form's link or iframe in the right places, and let the map-members do the work.
Available in all tiers.
Available in all tiers.
Member Data Preferences
Members can update their contact info on their own. They can also indicate if they want to receive sumApp emails or not, and even whether or not are shown in the member tiles or on the map.
Available in all tiers.
Available in all tiers.
Multi-Modal Connection Options
You can add as many questions about the interpersonal relationships as you want. And you have several field types to choose from as well - radio buttons, open text, checkboxes, dropdowns.
Only available in Tiers III & IV.
Only available in Tiers III & IV.
Embed Kumu Map into sumApp
If you're using Kumu, you can place an 'embed' of your Kumu map directly into the sumApp member interface. This puts access to the map and data input into the same place, simplifying the member experience.
Available in all tiers.
Available in all tiers.
Load data from external sources
If you already have information about your network members, you can import it into sumApp - reducing the data-input burden on your members.
Only available in Tiers III & IV.
Only available in Tiers III & IV.
Import connections from one project into another
If you're working with overlapping networks (through multiple sumApp projects within the same account), you can import connections among the members who exist in any pair of projects - from one project to the other.
sumApp tracks which connections were changed most recently and won't overwrite older connections onto newer ones. This reduces the ask for your big-hub members.
Available only in Tier IV.
sumApp tracks which connections were changed most recently and won't overwrite older connections onto newer ones. This reduces the ask for your big-hub members.
Available only in Tier IV.
Sorting and Filtering of member list
If your network includes 1,000 people - there's no way you can get 1,000 people to go through a list of 1,000 people looking for the folks they know. And even in smaller networks, people don't always know each other according to an alphabetical list.
We've added multiple ways to sort and filter the members listed on the sumApp 'connections' page so that people can focus on finding the most likely connections.
Available in all Tiers.
We've added multiple ways to sort and filter the members listed on the sumApp 'connections' page so that people can focus on finding the most likely connections.
Available in all Tiers.
Customize interface language to suit organizations
You need to use different language needs for organizations than you use for people. You can customize the interface to suit an organizational context.
Only available in Tier IV.
Only available in Tier IV.
Custom survey-based filter
In addition to the sorting/filtering features that come with all tiers, we also enable you to add an extra filter based on survey responses.
Only available in Tier IV
Only available in Tier IV
Dual Elements
A single sumApp project could always map relationships between persons, between organizations, or between both.
But if you want to have: one survey designed specifically for individuals; a different survey for organizations; connection questions for person-to-person relationships; different connection questions questions for organization-to-organization relationships; and still DIFFERENT connection questions for person-to-organization relationships (all of which actually make for more relevant and less confusing questions). . . NOW YOU CAN DO THAT!
By using what we call the 'Dual Elements' feature, you can connect two separate sumApp interfaces into one. You'll also get the third type of connection question (person-to organization) and your organizational representatives who are in BOTH projects will only have to deal with one link!
Available in Tier IV only.
But if you want to have: one survey designed specifically for individuals; a different survey for organizations; connection questions for person-to-person relationships; different connection questions questions for organization-to-organization relationships; and still DIFFERENT connection questions for person-to-organization relationships (all of which actually make for more relevant and less confusing questions). . . NOW YOU CAN DO THAT!
By using what we call the 'Dual Elements' feature, you can connect two separate sumApp interfaces into one. You'll also get the third type of connection question (person-to organization) and your organizational representatives who are in BOTH projects will only have to deal with one link!
Available in Tier IV only.
Eventually we realized:
Something new and unexpected had emerged out of our focus on making an adaptive process easier – but not everyone recognized that fact.
We noticed that even though we had made a different kind of mapping process possible, most of our customers and clients were still trying to fit themselves into the old-school non-iterative approach.
The tools had changed in ways we thought increased the potential for transformation, but when people used the old Social Network Analysis language, they stimulated the same old not-quite-emergent process. So we decided to come up with new words for what we were doing. It needed a label that signaled:
- This is different
- It’s a process, not a product
- It’s about co-creation and shared learning, not about expert-driven analysis and recommendations
- It’s about enabling everyone to think systemically together, not extracting some metrics that help us social engineer things.
We call this newly-emerged approach to mapping: Social System Mapping
sumApp makes you a Social System mapping Rock Star!
Don't Fret Your Response Rate
Sure, it's great to get a high initial response. But in some communities, that's just NOT going to happen - we get that.
But since sumApp is evergreen, you can start with the willing, make your map cool & inviting, share it with the community - and we assure you - once people have the end result to look at and play with, they WANT to be on that map, and sumApp makes that whole process simple.
But since sumApp is evergreen, you can start with the willing, make your map cool & inviting, share it with the community - and we assure you - once people have the end result to look at and play with, they WANT to be on that map, and sumApp makes that whole process simple.
Let your Survey Evolve
Network maps represent differently from bars & charts. The best questions for a network are often different from in other data-gathering contexts. It can take some iterations to figure out what’s really necessary for your members to know about one another, and for you to know about them.
With sumApp you can always change, remove, or add more response options to your questions – and it’s not a huge ask to get people to update it. Because everything else they’ve told you remains in place. It’s not a whole new survey. So you’re not penalized for not knowing what you don’t know to ask upfront.
With sumApp you can always change, remove, or add more response options to your questions – and it’s not a huge ask to get people to update it. Because everything else they’ve told you remains in place. It’s not a whole new survey. So you’re not penalized for not knowing what you don’t know to ask upfront.
Kumu Won't Intimidate You Anymore!
Simply start a new Kumu map, choose the SNA template, export your data from sumApp & import directly into Kumu – and you’ve got an honest-to-goodness social network map!
You can get fancy with decorations, clusters, & custom filtering, but that’s just icing on the cake. We even provide instructions for all that fun stuff in our sumApp slack team.
You can get fancy with decorations, clusters, & custom filtering, but that’s just icing on the cake. We even provide instructions for all that fun stuff in our sumApp slack team.
Reduce the Update 'Ask'
Our clients always worry about the ‘ask’ – how much effort you’re requesting from your members. But no-one seems to mind connecting to others they know on FaceBook or Twitter. And with sumApp, it’s that simple. Quick, visual, personally meaningful and once it’s done, it’s done.
People are only asked to revisit sumApp if their status changes (like a job title), when new members are added (which only requires sorting on 'recent' and checking out the new folks to see if they're known already), or update a connection as relationships get stronger. It just FEELS different.
People are only asked to revisit sumApp if their status changes (like a job title), when new members are added (which only requires sorting on 'recent' and checking out the new folks to see if they're known already), or update a connection as relationships get stronger. It just FEELS different.
Add New Members As They Join
Keeping sumApp evergreen means mapping doesn’t have to be an annual (or less frequent) event, and new members don’t have to feel left out in the meantime.
Invite new members into sumApp as they join the network, and let everyone else know there are new members monthly or weekly. And if you're using the live link into Kumu, new members will show up on the map within minutes – it’s that easy!
Invite new members into sumApp as they join the network, and let everyone else know there are new members monthly or weekly. And if you're using the live link into Kumu, new members will show up on the map within minutes – it’s that easy!
Have No Fear of Spreadsheet Gremlins
You might occasionally want to change a heading or two, but you’ll never have to worry about text-to-columns, concatenating, piping, depivoting (wtf is that!?! right?), & understanding which info goes on which sheet.
This data-structuring part is the ONE thing that requires the learning of hard-core geeks – and we’ve got that handled for you. So you can relax & have fun with the rest of it.
This data-structuring part is the ONE thing that requires the learning of hard-core geeks – and we’ve got that handled for you. So you can relax & have fun with the rest of it.
You Won't Be Alone
When you sign up for a sumApp trial, we invite you to our Slack team, show you where to find our Knowledge Base, put you on the Community of Practice mailing list and share other ways that you can become a member of the Social System Mapping Community.
We're in this together 🙂
We're in this together 🙂
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