Navigating the Interface

Draftastic’s interface is designed for ease of use. Once in a draft, you’ll see tabs for different sections. Here’s a breakdown of the main areas.

Main Tabs

Participants

• View all participants organized by status: drafted, undrafted, non-participating, and removed.
• Search and filter participants by name, labels, or status.
• Manage participant roles (Owner, Editor, Captain), labels, and participation status.
• Create placeholder participants for people who can’t join immediately.
• Use the random participant spinner for fair selection in games or activities.
• Invite new participants via email or shareable links.

Teams

• View current teams and their members with captain assignments.
• Standard Draft: Manually assign participants to teams or use automated algorithms for balanced team formation.
• Captain’s Pick: Set up team captains, configure picking order (sequential, random, snake style), and optional timers.
• Create, edit, rename, or delete teams.
• Preview team formations before applying changes.

Info

• Read-only overview of draft configuration including type, team size, participant limits, and event details.
• View draft metadata like creation date, planned start time, and entry deadlines.
• Access event information if configured (name, description, location, website).

Feed

• Real-time activity feed showing all draft changes: participant joins, team updates, picks, and settings changes.
• Integrated chat system for messaging all participants or sending team-specific messages.
• Filter feed by activity type to focus on specific events.
• Automatic notifications for important draft updates.

Settings

• Draft Settings: Edit core draft configuration including name, type, team size, participant limits, and timing.
• Event Settings: Configure event details (name, description, location, website, start/end times).
• Teams Settings: Manage team naming preferences, custom team names, and team limits.
• Participants Settings: Set participant limits, entry controls, and role management.
• Labels Settings: Create and manage participant labels for grouping and filtering.
• Branding: Upload custom draft images and banner images.
• Export: Download complete draft data as CSV for external use.
• Danger Zone: Delete draft or set to read-only mode.

Draft Progress States

Drafts progress through four main states, each with different available actions:

• Pre-start: Initial setup phase where you can invite participants, configure settings, and prepare teams.
• Started: Active drafting phase where teams are being formed according to your chosen draft type.
• Ended: Drafting is complete and teams are finalized - no more changes to team assignments.
• Closed: Draft is locked in read-only mode for record-keeping and reference.

Real-Time Updates

All changes are reflected instantly across all participants without needing to refresh. This includes team assignments, participant joins, chat messages, and draft progress updates. If real-time updates stop working, check your internet connection - Draftastic will show a notification if there are connectivity problems.

Mobile & Responsive Design

The interface is fully responsive and works on mobile devices, tablets, and desktops. All core features are available on mobile, though some advanced features like detailed settings configuration and complex team management are optimized for larger screens. Mobile users may see simplified versions of these features.

Participant Filtering, Sorting & Searching

When you have more than 5 participants, Draftastic shows powerful filtering, sorting, and searching tools in the Participants tab:

Searching

• Text Search: Type any text to search participant names instantly
• Real-time Results: Results update as you type
• Case-insensitive: Search works regardless of capitalization

Filtering

• Status Filters: Filter by drafted/undrafted/all participants
• Label Filters: Filter by participant labels (e.g., skill level, position, experience)
• Multiple Filters: Combine different filter types for precise results
• Quick Reset: Clear all filters with one click

Sorting

• Sort by Name: Alphabetical (A-Z or Z-A)
• Sort by Join Date: Newest or oldest participants first
• Sort by Labels: Sort by numeric labels (low to high, high to low) or text labels (A-Z, Z-A)
• Direction Toggle: Switch between ascending/descending order

Random Participant Spinner

The spin wheel feature provides fair, random participant selection for games, icebreakers, or decision-making:

• Visual Spinner: Animated wheel with participant names
• Filter Integration: Only spins through currently filtered participants
• Result Display: Shows the selected participant prominently after spinning
• Multiple Rounds: Spin multiple times for different selections
• Fair Randomization: Uses proper randomization algorithms for unbiased results

These tools make it easy to find specific participants, organize large groups, and add fun random elements to your events.

Role-Based Access

Different user roles have different levels of access to features:

• Owners and Editors: Full access to all tabs and settings
• Captains: Can manage their team’s participants during captain’s pick drafts
• Participants: Limited to viewing their own information and team assignments
• Placeholder Participants: No login access, managed by organizers

For detailed information about specific draft types and advanced features, continue reading the draft types documentation.