Slack-Compatible Drawing Tools: Alternatives and Recommended Methods

Slack-compatible drawing tools refer to any setup that lets you run drawings or random selections within Slack's channels and messages. For IT companies and startups that use Slack daily, there's a strong desire to handle role assignments and prize drawings without leaving Slack.

This article compares six methods for running drawings in Slack and introduces options that balance transparency with ease of use.

What Slack Can and Can't Do Out of the Box

What Slack Can Do

Reaction voting lets you use message reactions for majority decisions or casual choices. Adding polling apps (Polly, Simple Poll, etc.) enables surveys and automatic tallying.

Usage example:

/poll "Where for lunch?" "Place A" "Place B" "Place C"

What Slack Can't Do (Built-in Features)

Random drawing functionality is not part of Slack's standard features. This includes:

• Prize drawings
• Randomizing presentation order
• Automatic duty rotation
• Automatic team assignment

Six Methods for Running Drawings in Slack

Method 1: Slack Bots (Random User Picker, etc.)

Install a drawing bot from the Slack App Store. Key bots include:

• Random User Picker: Randomly selects a user from the channel
• Team Picker: Team assignment bot
• Dice Roller: Dice bot (indirect drawing method)

Usage example:

/random @channel
-> Randomly selects 1 person

/team-picker 5 teams
-> Automatically divides into 5 teams

Pros:

• Stays within Slack
• Easy to use via slash commands
• Instant results

Cons:

• Low transparency since the algorithm is a black box
• Leaves "Was it really random?" doubts
• Can't handle complex drawings like 1-to-1 matching
• Free plans may have feature limits

Best for small groups (5-10 people) doing casual drawings where team trust already exists.

Method 2: Slack Workflow Builder + Spreadsheet

Collect participants through a Slack workflow, record them in Google Sheets, draw using the RAND() function, and post results back to Slack.

Steps:

1. Collect participants via Slack workflow
2. Record in Google Sheets
3. Draw using RAND() function
4. Post results to Slack

Pros:

• Uses only official Slack features
• Highly customizable
• Can be automated

Cons:

• Complex initial setup
• Requires spreadsheet knowledge
• Difficult to explain transparency

Best for engineering teams or organizations with technical backgrounds.

Method 3: Zapier/Make (formerly Integromat) External Integration

Set up a Slack trigger (specific message) that calls an external drawing tool's API and auto-posts results to Slack.

Steps:

1. Set Slack trigger (specific message)
2. Call external drawing tool API
3. Auto-post results to Slack

Pros:

• Advanced automation possible
• Integrates with various tools
• No-code setup

Cons:

• Paid plan required (from $20/month)
• Complex configuration
• Requires API knowledge

Best for large organizations with budget, running frequent drawings.

Method 4: Custom Slack Bot Development (In-House)

Build a bot with your own drawing logic.

Example tech stack:

• Bolt for JavaScript/Python
• Slack API
• Hosting (AWS Lambda, etc.)

Pros:

• Fully customizable
• Perfectly meets your requirements
• Can ensure transparency

Cons:

• High development cost
• Requires ongoing maintenance
• Needs technical resources

Best for large IT companies with many unique requirements and abundant engineering resources.

Method 5: Share a URL via Slack Message (Amida-san)

Create an event on Amida-san, post the URL in a Slack channel, and have everyone participate.

Steps:

1. Create an event on Amida-san
2. Post the URL in a Slack channel
3. Participants access and add their horizontal bars
4. Run the drawing
5. Share results to Slack via URL or screenshot

Example Slack message:

Time to decide this month's duties!

Please join via the URL below (Deadline: 5PM today)
https://amida-san.com/events/xxxxx

Once everyone has added their bars, we'll start the drawing

Pros:

• No Slack App approval needed (just paste a URL)
• All participants are involved in the drawing process
• Mathematically guaranteed fairness
• Results stored and verifiable via URL for 180 days
• Supports up to 299 people
• Completely free

Cons:

• Doesn't stay entirely within Slack (external URL)
• First-time users need a brief explanation

Best for IT companies and startups that prioritize transparency, medium to large group drawings, and situations requiring fair role assignment.

Method 6: "Ready, Set, Go" Number Posting in Slack

Ask everyone to "Think of a number from 1 to 10," have everyone post to the channel simultaneously, and decide based on the numbers. No tools needed and it works on the spot, but numbers can overlap, fairness is hard to prove, and it only works for 3-5 people in urgent situations.

Comparison Table of All Six Methods

Method	Transparency	Cost	Setup Time	Stays in Slack	Large Group Support
Slack bot	2/5	Free+	5 min	Yes	2/5
Workflow + Sheets	2/5	Free	30 min	Yes	3/5
Zapier integration	3/5	Paid	60 min	Yes	4/5
Custom bot	4/5	High	Days	Yes	5/5
Amida-san	5/5	Free	5 min	No	5/5
Number posting	1/5	Free	1 min	Yes	1/5

Practical Example: Deciding Weekly Duties in a Slack Channel

Deciding Presentation Order in #engineering

Slack post (Monday 9AM):

@channel Good morning!

Time to decide this week's tech sharing presentation order

[Steps]
1. Visit the URL below
   https://amida-san.com/events/tech-share-week47
2. Join with your name
3. Add 2 horizontal bars
4. Drawing starts once everyone's done

Deadline: Today at noon
Questions? Head to #engineering-help!

After participants finish, they report with a reaction. Once the deadline passes, the drawing is run.

After the drawing (12:15):

Presentation order is set!

1. Taro
2. Hanako
3. Jiro
4. Shiro
5. Goro

Check results here:
https://amida-san.com/events/tech-share-week47

Use Cases in Slack

1. Daily Duty Rotation

For morning meeting facilitator selection, combine with Slack's reminder feature:

/remind #team "Time to pick this week's facilitator
https://amida-san.com/events/facilitator-w47"
at 9am every Monday

Also works for code review assignments -- automatic reviewer selection for new PRs and load-balanced rotation.

2. Events and Gatherings

Prize drawings, online social event drawings, and distributing prizes at company events. Also useful for hackathon team formation and training group work assignments.

3. Project Management

Assigning tasks no one volunteers for, fair customer allocation for sales teams. For pair programming partner selection, random pairing enables knowledge sharing and prevents fixed partnerships.

4. Casual Decisions

Picking a lunch spot by randomly selecting from candidates. Choosing tech talk topics from multiple proposals.

Slack Workflow Integration (Advanced)

Automation Ideas with Slack Workflow

Step 1: Recurring reminder

/remind #team "Join the duty assignment
https://amida-san.com/events/weekly-duty"
at 9am every Monday

Step 2: Confirm participation via reactions

Add a checkmark when you've finished participating

Step 3: Run the drawing after everyone's done

@channel All done! Starting the drawing

Step 4: Share results

This week's duty roster:
1. Taro - Monday
2. Hanako - Tuesday
...

Details: https://amida-san.com/events/weekly-duty

Once this workflow is established within your team, weekly duty assignments become highly efficient.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Is Slack App approval required?

With Amida-san (URL sharing approach), no Slack App approval is needed. Since you're just pasting a URL, IT department approval isn't required either.

Q2: Can people participate from the mobile app?

Yes. Tapping the URL in the Slack app opens it in the phone's browser. The same URL works on both PC and mobile.

Q3: Can drawing results be auto-posted to Slack?

Sharing the URL is all you need -- the participation URL doubles as the results URL. Combining with Slack Incoming Webhooks also enables automated posting (technical knowledge required).

Q4: Are there security concerns with using an external URL?

As long as you don't enter sensitive information (real names, employee IDs, etc.), there's no issue. We recommend participating with nicknames or Slack display names.

Q5: Isn't a Slack bot more convenient?

Bots win on convenience, but lose on transparency. When the trustworthiness of "no one can manipulate the results" matters, a participatory Ghost Leg drawing is the better fit.

Achieving Transparent Drawings in Slack

While Slack doesn't have built-in drawing functionality, fair drawings are possible by leveraging external tools.

Key considerations when choosing a Slack drawing method:

1. Transparency: Can everyone accept the result?
2. Ease of use: Is Slack App approval required?
3. Cost: Are there additional fees?
4. Participation: Can everyone be involved?

In particular, Amida-san offers:

• No Slack App approval needed (just paste a URL)
• All participants involved in the drawing process
• Mathematically guaranteed fairness
• Completely free with support for up to 299 people
• Results stored and verifiable via URL for 180 days

Give it a try with your IT company or startup's Slack team.

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Related articles:

• How to Energize Remote Meetings
• Fair Role Assignment Methods
• Virtual Team Building in Practice
• What is Amidakuji? How It Works