Overview
User Groups allow Platform Administrators to organize users into categories (such as "Faculty," "Student," or "Staff") so that reservation policies can be applied to each group. Every user in the platform belongs to exactly one user group. User groups are the foundation for Reservation Policies, which control space access, booking duration, daily limits, and other booking rules.
This article covers what user groups are, how the default user group works, and how to create and manage user groups.
Who Should Read This
- Platform Administrators responsible for organizing users and configuring access policies
Prerequisites
- Platform Admin role
- Access to the Admin panel
Understanding User Groups
A user group is an organizational container that groups users together so that reservation policies can be applied to the entire group at once. Rather than configuring booking rules for each individual user, Platform Administrators define rules at the group level.
Key Concepts
- Every user belongs to exactly one user group at a time.
- A user group has a Name (required, unique, max 255 characters) and an optional Description.
- User groups are managed from the Admin panel under Users > User Groups.
The Default User Group
Every platform comes with a pre-configured Default user group. The default group has special behavior:
- All new users are automatically assigned to the default group when their account is created.
- The default group cannot be deleted.
- The default group establishes the baseline access level for all users on the platform.
Recommended Default Group Configuration
The default group comes pre-configured with no restrictions (very permissive). However, the recommendation is to restrict the default group so that it represents the least permissive, minimum level of access that all users on the platform should have. This means:
- Restrict space type access to only the space types that should be universally bookable (e.g., study rooms)
- Set conservative duration limits (e.g., a reasonable maximum reservation length)
- Set daily booking limits to prevent any single user from monopolizing spaces
- Enforce building hours to keep bookings within operating hours
Custom groups are then created to grant additional access for specific user populations. For example, a "Faculty" group might have access to more space types, longer reservation durations, and auto-approved reservations compared to the default group.
Best Practice: Restrict the default group to the minimum access level appropriate for the broadest user population, then create custom groups that expand access as needed for specific populations.
Step-by-Step: Creating or Editing a User Group
- Navigate to Users > User Groups in the Admin panel.
- Click Create User Group to create a new group, or click on an existing group to edit it.
- Fill in or update the following fields:
- Name (required) — A unique name for the group, up to 255 characters. Names are case-insensitive, so "Faculty" and "faculty" are treated as the same name.
- Description (optional) — A description of the group's purpose, up to 1,000 characters.
- Configure the group's Reservation Policies in the Access Policies section. Platform Administrators can set reservation policies — including space type access, duration limits, daily booking limits, and special rules — during creation or editing. See Configuring User Group Reservation Policies for full details on each setting.
- Click Save.
Common Use Cases
University with Faculty and Student Groups
| Group | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Default | Minimum baseline access for all users. Restricted to universally bookable space types with conservative duration and daily limits. |
| Faculty | Created to expand access beyond the default — access to most space types, longer or no duration limits, and no building hours enforcement. |
| Student | Created to grant access to specific additional space types (e.g., group work rooms) beyond what the default group allows, while still maintaining reasonable duration and daily limits. |
When to Create a New Group vs. Using Default
- Use the default group for the broadest user population that should have the minimum baseline level of access.
- Create a new group when a specific population of users needs expanded access — such as more space types, longer durations, higher daily limits, or auto-approved reservations.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Resolution |
|---|---|
| Cannot delete a user group | The group still has members. Reassign all users to another group first, then delete. The default group cannot be deleted under any circumstances. |
| Cannot create a user group with a specific name | The name is already in use. Group names must be unique within the platform (case-insensitive). |
| New users are not appearing in the expected group | New users are always assigned to the default group on creation. To assign new users to a different group, edit the user after creation or use bulk assignment. |