Capablio

Handbook

Operator guide — 360 Insights Studio

This guide is for facilitators and coaches who run 360 feedback sessions. No technical background required.

Updated

Install the app

Download the installer for your computer from your organization's release page or the project's CI artifacts (see packaging.md for build details).

Your system What you get Typical install
Linux .AppImage or .deb AppImage: make executable, double-click. deb: install with your package manager.
Windows .exe installer or portable .exe Run the installer, or unzip portable and run the .exe.
macOS .dmg Open the disk image and drag the app to Applications.

First open on an unsigned build

Release builds are unsigned in v1. Your operating system may warn you the first time. This is normal — the app only talks to itself on your machine; it does not upload 360 data to the cloud.

macOS (Gatekeeper): If you see "can't be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software," right-click the app icon and choose Open, then confirm Open in the dialog. You only need to do this once.

Windows (SmartScreen): If you see "Windows protected your PC," click More info, then Run anyway.

Linux: If your desktop asks whether to trust the AppImage, allow it to run. For .deb installs, use your usual software-center flow.

First run — setup wizard

When you launch 360 Insights Studio for the first time, a short three-step wizard appears:

  1. Reports folder — Choose where generated reports are stored. Each run becomes its own folder; you can move or back them up later.
  2. AI narratives (optional) — You may connect an AI provider for optional written summaries in the report. This step is fully optional. Click Skip — reports work perfectly without AI if you do not need narratives. You can add AI later in Settings.
  3. Try a sample — Optionally generate a demo report from bundled PDFs, or skip and start with your own files.

Nothing leaves your computer during setup.

Everyday workflow

1. New report

Open New Report in the sidebar.

  1. Select the Thomas 360 report PDF (required). This must be the standard Thomas International 360 export for your participant.
  2. Optionally add a facilitator snapshot deck PDF.
  3. Enter the subject name (for folder naming).
  4. Click Generate report.

2. Four progress stages

While generating, you will see four stages:

Stage What it does
Parse Reads the PDF and extracts scores, comments, and rankings into structured data.
Analyze Computes development metrics, priorities, and themes from that data.
Render Builds the interactive HTML dashboard and reader wiki pages.
Verify The app re-reads the original PDF and cross-checks every number before letting you export.

If Verify fails, you can still open the report to inspect it, but export is blocked until the numbers reconcile. This protects you from sharing a pack built on mistaken extraction.

3. Read the report

Open Report to view the dashboard inside the app, or Open in browser for a larger window.

For interpretation help, open the built-in reader wiki (linked from Help and Settings → Reader guide):

  • How to read each tab
  • Methodology and scales
  • Glossary of terms

Wiki pages are also included in every exported zip under wiki/.

4. Live view

Live View shows the same dashboard with sliders for priority weights (importance, performance gap, blind spot). Moving sliders re-sorts development priorities in the browser only — the underlying source data and saved JSON files never change. Use this to explore "what if" framing in a coaching conversation.

5. AI narratives (optional)

If you configured AI in Settings, AI narrative on the Report screen adds optional written sections. Each AI block is labeled in the UI. Always review before sharing — treat AI text as a draft, not a certified assessment.

6. Export and share

When Verify has passed, open Export and click Export offline zip.

  • The zip is saved inside the active workspace folder (shown after export).
  • Recipients can unzip and open index.html or 360-report.html in any browser — no internet required.
  • The pack includes data files, the dashboard, and the reader wiki.

Troubleshooting

Report won't generate

  • Confirm the file is a Thomas International 360 PDF export, not a scan or a different vendor's format.
  • Ensure the PDF opens normally in a reader (not password-locked or corrupted).
  • Try again with only the Thomas PDF (skip the optional snapshot deck) to isolate the issue.

AI test fails

  • Check your API key in Settings and that you selected the correct provider.
  • AI features need a working internet connection for the test and enrichment calls.
  • The rest of the app (parse, analyze, render, verify, export) works without AI.

Export is blocked

Export requires a passing Verify stage. If export is blocked:

  1. Open the workspace and review verify.json (or the Verify badge on Export).
  2. The app re-reads the original PDF and cross-checks every number before letting you export — a failure means something in the extracted data did not match the PDF.
  3. Re-run generation with the correct source PDF, or contact your technical support contact with the workspace folder. Do not share a zip until Verify passes — the block exists to protect you from distributing incorrect numbers.

Privacy

All 360 feedback data stays on your machine. API keys for optional AI are held in memory for the session only and are not written to disk.

More help

  • In-app Help screen (sidebar) — quick reference for daily use.
  • Reader wiki — /wiki/index.html when a report workspace is active.
  • Technical documentation — docs/README.md (for IT and engineering).