Visio Reviews

I use Visio to elaborate on the workflows and use cases that I see for my product, and also to illustrate specific processes for users of the product. In essence, I use Visio to help visually represent processes and as a communication tool that lets me explain things to end users in a simple manner.

At the same time, I also use Visio as a base from which to communicate with my technical team so that they are able to better understand the user's perspective while they are developing the product. I use it on both fronts, especially since I have been in a role which is more on the consulting side while having to liaise with both the end users and the technical team. For all these use cases, Visio has been a key tool which has been very helpful to me.

The tools tab within Visio has been amazingly useful, and it is updated quite frequently. Along with how Visio handles components and everything else, I would call it an easy-to-use tool. Anyone with years of experience in IT who has just been introduced to Visio won't feel like they want to shy away from it because the entire tool itself is self-explanatory.

I have personally used Visio across three different organizations that I've been in, and I have been more happy using Visio than any of its competitors.

From my perspective, Visio could probably add more help guidelines for users, and I would prefer to see more intuitive user interfaces to help with dragging and dropping, using the right components, etc. For example, more tooltips would be appreciated, such as when hovering over a component with the mouse.

It would also be helpful is there were an option to customize the fields and diagrams based on the color, because sometimes you get a black and white coloring with your diagram, whereas I would prefer to have it set to my corporate template and color scheme, which can be a bit difficult to get right. 

I have been using Visio for more than eight years.

I would give Visio a nine out of ten for stability.

Based on my own personal usage, I find Visio very scalable as there are a lot of a options available to explore. Because of this, it is often used by people like myself who liaise between product users and other people such as technical architects who need to communicate their architectures.

I don't know the exact figure, but I would say there are around 10-15 people who use it in my company.

I would give it an eight out of ten for scalability.

I haven't yet needed to reach out for technical support.

Before Visio, I used Enterprise Architect (EA).

I had my IT team help me so it was pretty straightforward. I would rate it an eight out of ten for ease of setup.

My IT team took care of the implementation, so I don't know the technicalities of it all. The IT team's work in implementing it was an organization-wide activity.

We have about 10 to 15 people with Visio licenses in my company, but I wasn't involved in the direct negotiation of the prices and since this was taken care of by my administrative office.

I would definitely recommend Visio and I would rate it an eight out of ten.

I use Visio for designing diagrams and flowcharts. It is user-friendly and easy to use compared to other options. Although many people in my company use AutoCAD, I am not familiar with it. For all the designing, charts, and diagrams, I use Visio. If someone requests an AutoCAD format, I will design it in Visio and then forward it to our team who is responsible for converting it to a CAD file.

The main reason I choose Visio is that it is easy to use. The user interface is familiar and straightforward. Additionally, it offers a variety of templates, such as those for Cisco solutions, which make it easy to create diagrams for specific use cases. For example, we use a Cisco Meraki switch and we can find the exact template for it, then we can easily drop in the components and connect the cables to create the diagram.

Searching for specific templates within the program can be difficult. For example, if I need a template for an electrical diagram with certain symbols, it can be challenging to find it.

I have been using Visio for approximately three years.

I rate the stability of Visio a nine out of ten.

The scalability could be better for the cloud version.

I rate the scalability of Visio a six out of ten.

I did not use the support from Visio.

I have used some open-source solutions in the past but I prefer Visio.

The setup of Visio is simple.

The solution is expensive. The solution does come bundled in other packages.

I rate the price of Visio a three out of ten.

I rate Visio a seven out of ten.

There is a limitation in Visio. The solution is not aligned with a database. I can't submit more than one request at a time or do any calculations or have multiple users, or multiple procedures.

Microsoft needs to put more effort into data analysis around the tips and workflow related to the number of skills, procedures, and any small analytical information.

I would like Visio to use AI to evaluate the processing side because currently, it is not logically based.

I would like to have reports added to the solution. For example, if I drove a business process that related to a service, and this service related to another service, I would depict some servers. Reports which predict that from more than the related service would be very beneficial. These related procedures or related processes would take place on the solution's servers, database, and application.

I have been using the solution for ten years.

I give the stability of the solution a ten out of ten.

The solution is easy to scale.

We currently have around 20 users.

The technical support is easy to access and receive resolution.

The initial setup is straightforward.

I give the cost of Visio a five out of ten.

I give the solution a five out of ten.

There may be other solutions that are better than Visio on the market but when we complete an analysis we can conclude that the cost and ease of use of Visio are good.

I recommend the solution to other users.

I use it for high-level detailed and high-level conceptual drawings for leadership. I also use it for small drawings when I'm doing documentation, policy creation, or building some kind of a spec.

It is installed on my personal machine. In terms of the version, my Office suite is 19, so I assume the Visio version is whatever is packaged with Office 19 suite.

It improved the way our organization functioned years ago, but right now, people are trying to find other ways to do what they're doing in Visio because the tool is stagnant and really not moving. It hasn't for years. They've added features but really not much. They're more pulling those into higher-level tools such as Azure Development Studio and things like that.

What I like about it is that the templates are easily findable and usable, and they are usually created for other software packages. It seems to be pretty much widely adopted in the industry. 

It is a visualization tool, so database visualization is pretty static in it. They haven't moved the ERDs very well. They haven't adopted any real visualization like what you have in Hackolade for JSON or other data patterns. It has none of that. If you go onto broader patterns, you can actually label and integrate with a data set, if you want, for Visio, but it's very clunky and very difficult for me to assign that to another user. I can't assign it to a junior or a documenter. They really haven't cleaned up and made their tools simpler to use when linking to data, which is primarily what you're trying to do.

The versioning has always been a bit messy. You can't have a state of how it is to how it was without having two drawings. You can layer, but layers don't work very well for the most part. They just haven't progressed the tool. The tool isn't keeping up with the architecture that people are forced to do. So, more and more people around here are abandoning it and moving to alternate tools. It is now being used for just basic drawings. It is no longer an enterprise-quality development or documentation tool. It can be, but you'd have to work pretty hard at it.

It doesn't have autosave features with respect to the way some of the other Office tools have it. It is pretty clunky if your machine crashes or gets shut down because of a low battery or something like that. To make sure that the changes persist, you need to look at the last version of it. It has still got on-premise features, and it still has that same paradigm of clicking "save", and you better keep clicking "save" to make sure it doesn't get corrupted. It is very old school for cloud tools. Any Office tool, Google tool, or Apple tool is going to save all your work because it's basically updating via messages, but that's not how Visio works. It is very old school. They just aren't spending any money on it.

I'd love them to get back to being able to do true data flow diagrams that are easy to use and that actually can be pulled from data lineage. In lineage diagrams, you can pull the data and actually reflect them in the right drawing. There is a little bit of that going on in some of the drawings but not much. I want to be able to do database design documents, if necessary. I've got people doing those. I'd like to do network drawings with multiple layers in a simpler way and to the point where the layers have displays of viewpoints as most systems do. 

I have been using this solution for 10 to 15 years.

It is very stable, but there are no autosave features in it.

There is no scalability to it. It is on your machine. You could put files into Teams and somewhat scale through Teams, but it is not scalable. You don't have the ability to have team cooperation and repositories. You can do repositories, but it doesn't have any of the features that allow you to regulate and have all the things you'd have or expect in any enterprise quality development tool or design tool. It doesn't have any of those features. You have to broaden the suite and buy about nine other Microsoft things to somehow attempt to get those features.

Its usage is declining. We used to have about 150 users. Now, we probably only have about 50 or 60 users. We're buying tools that knock out some of the edges of what Visio would do. Enterprise architecture is really no longer done in Visio. It is done a little bit, but for the most part, we use other tools for it. Although it can make the boxes, it can't really work a process in enterprise architecture. It is not a development or life cycle management tool.

I've never been able to queue up technical support on it. We don't allow our internal people to directly communicate with technical support. It goes through an internal layer.

It is easy to set up. It is also easy to add libraries to it.

I know you can pick it up in retail for under a thousand per person. You can also pick it up for cheaper than that. Microsoft has about 7,000 licensing models, and you get certain percentages off specific licensing. If you're a partner, you get specific numbers of licenses with the partnership price.

Visio was owned not by Microsoft. It was its own company way back, and it was actually moving very well. It had ERDs and was actually developing very well. Microsoft bought it. They picked it apart and started moving those tools into other things and downgraded the tool. I don't think it has met the level of expertise and the level of technical proficiency that it had 15 years ago. It was downgraded, pure and simple. A lot of those pieces are used in other things now.

I would advise others that just don't try to make it more than what it is. Find a tool that is enterprise-worthy if you're trying to move to that level, but don't try to make it into an enterprise tool.

I would rate it a six out of 10.

I am a health and safety professional. I use it for flowcharting, but I also use it for drawing diagrams. 

I will do a technical assessment of a workplace scenario of equipment as well as noise measurements, and I will use Visio to draw out the scale.

There are many images that you can put in there and data to create images of workplace exposures.

It has improved the way our organization functions.

It's a tool that helped me diagram complex procedures. More as a picture versus words. 

It also for training and letting other people know how to do that same procedure.

It works really well for flowcharting, it can label.

Also, being able to pull the finished drawing out and put it in a Word document is easy, and very useful.

It allowed me to do some things and save them really well. And I found many different things to do with it. It's beyond flowcharting.

The latest version has taken some transitioning and it's a bit of a workaround, but it's also been good. I found the ctrl 1,2,3 buttons that I didn't know about and have been very useful. If you hit ctrl 3 it lets you do your line draw.

I just uploaded the latest version and using it now, and I'm struggling with it. It's very different than the other version I have used, and I haven't done any tutorials. 

The previous version was easier. It was easy to intuitively figure out what it did. I learned it on my own and it didn't require the review of tutorials. But with this updated version, I am definitely struggling with it. I need to go through the training and go through the tutorials. So far it seems more complex, but maybe it's just different.

It may handle images well, but I don't know yet. It is something that I would like to see in this solution.

It should be easier to transition into a new version without having to spend so much time in just one area. Providing information on what has changed and how to do it would be very helpful.

I would like the option of going back to the way of doing things in the previous version. I don't understand the block system. I had the favorites that I have to build again because somehow they got lost with the upgrade.

In my favorites, I had shapes, fans, and other things. You pull up all of your basic images or search for them, and you could drag them over into your diagram.

I have been using Visio for approximately eight years.

We are using the latest version.

I have not had any issues with stability. It's a stable solution.

It is easy to scale this solution.

I have never contacted technical support.

Previously, I did not use another solution. It was a discovery. 

I came across Visio, I saw what I could do with it, and I just continued to expand my uses.

The initial setup is straightforward. With this new version, it is a bit confusing. 

With the previous version, I was able to have all of my favorites, I was able to pull objects and do an arrow as a connector, and I had to stop and learn how to do that.

I like the way it was earlier, but it could be just my learning curve.

If you have a need for flowcharting, organizing, or creating diagrams, I think you should check it out. It's worthwhile.

Based on my previous experience with the previous versions, I would rate Visio a nine out of ten.

I use Visio when I'm writing a client report in Microsoft Word, and I want to put in a simple graphic to supplement the text or better explain something. Visio's graphics are not complicated. They're quick and easy to create, so I use them mainly for what I would call static graphics, like simple charts and diagrams.

Visio has improved my workflow by making it easy to create charts, diagrams, and essential illustrations to use in my client reports and proposals. It has saved me a lot of time I would otherwise spend creating visuals for clients manually.

One of the most valuable features is the online support from Microsoft. Whenever I'm stuck with a problem, I can contact customer support. They will almost certainly get back to me within a reasonable time frame. They're good with that.

It is easy to use online tutorials and training videos provided by Microsoft and elsewhere, such as on YouTube. So, if I want to create a new diagram, add some shapes, or increase the weight of a connection from one object to another in my graph, I can easily find out how to do that.

Another aspect that I enjoy is the seamless online integration. For example, there's the ability to download all sorts of extras like different shapes, stencils, objects, etc., for free directly from Microsoft into Visio. Also, I like that you can drag and drop online pictures straight from the Web into Visio.

There could be better integration between Visio and Word, especially when it comes to importing graphics from one to the other. Visio's graphics don't seem to play well with other applications. Sometimes I move a business process graphic to a Word document. It doesn't copy the picture correctly, or it leaves some of the connectors off. Or it puts the wrong one in or changes the font for no apparent reason. That's a pain in the neck, and it's one of my biggest complaints about Visio.

Moreover, when I connect a caption to a drawing and move the drawing, sometimes the caption gets left behind. And if you shrink the size of a drawing, I'd like Visio to scale the font automatically. Small details like this would significantly improve the product.

Aesthetically speaking, the graphics can be a bit crude and simplistic. The graphics are sufficient for most purposes, though dated in their appearance. Visio is a static program that tries to keep things simple for most users. However, I would appreciate it if Microsoft made an allowance for at least slightly more complicated graphics. As they are now, they do not inspire or motivate interest in the subject. People don't look at the graphics and say, "Wow, that's a great graphic." They look at it and say, "Uh-huh, move on. Next!" It's a lot of the sameness.

I would also love to see Visio with a more intuitive and reliable data linking feature. I shouldn't have to program or develop any complicated code. Just press a button, connect to the spreadsheet, and update it. For me, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. You should trust your application so that when you need it to link, it links. It would help to know that Visio is using the latest data, mainly because you don't want to embarrass yourself in front of a customer with wrong or outdated data especially when you have a time crunch and have little time to verify if an application worked as you wish it would.

I like dynamic programs. I want to take inputs from other places and have the application automatically update my chart and know that it's correct. And not only do I want it updated, but I wish to document updates, so I can see what updates were selected and used. So, if the document references a spreadsheet or an Access database, it shows where the data came from, what version it is, and the date. If you're doing a nice bar chart in Visio and you want all the bells and whistles, you can see the source material and revision of the chart so that you don't have to go back and say, "Is this right?"

I want to create my objects and my object library more easily. I think you can do some of that, but it's not that simple. I haven't had a lot of experience creating objects, but when I did tried, it was awkward.

The support is okay, though not super great; I wouldn't expect it to be. Visio is not a program where you need a lot of hand-holding for most tasks. It's quite suitable for those who want to drag and drop, so support isn't too crucial, though there is room for improvement.

I have been using Visio since it first came out in the early 1990s.  It hasn't improved much in that time.

It's very stable. I have never had a crash in Visio ever.

For my use case, there's not much need to scale it up in any meaningful sense. When I'm writing a proposal or preparing a report for a client, I try only to put in a sufficient number or well-considered graphics to get my point across.

I typically create my graphics and place them in a Word document. And then I hope they stay together as I move things around during the editing and review processes. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. So, in terms of scalability and accuracy, Microsoft could improve integration and consistency between their Office applications.

I haven't had to use technical support very often at all over the years. I might have used it only once or twice in the past twenty-something years. I'd rate the support I received as a five out of ten. Not too good, not too bad. Thankfully, they've gotten rid of a lot of the need for that kind of tech support by putting better help and documentation online.

Microsoft offers training videos online that teach the basics of Visio well enough. I can also go on YouTube if there's something unique or unusual that I need to do. Frequently, somebody's already done it, and I can quickly learn how they did it.

Suppose you do want technical support. In that case, Microsoft has a reasonably active Visio user group. However, it's not real-time help, and you may have to wait a little while for a response. If you want somebody to help you live, you're going to have to pay a third-party company for that kind of support. I don't use Visio so much that it's worth going that route.

Neutral

I used a similar solution to Visio many years ago, designed for business flowcharts and business processing. The company that built the software went out of business.

It's easy to get started with mocking-up simple flow charts and diagrams. Still, it can get very complicated when setting out anything a bit more detailed—especially when getting titles, labels, and font sizes to match up. Suppose you want to make a custom organizational chart or a product line chart with all the details and specifications. In that case, I suspect you'll need to set aside some time to learn the user interface more thoroughly.

In-house.  

I haven't actually calculated an ROI, but I would approximate that I save at least two hours' time of cumulative manual effort for each graphic built with Visio.

The licensing process is a breeze. Buy the license and download the application from Microsoft. Enter the license key in Visio to activate the software.

No.  I've used Visio for many years.  It does what we need it to do and is good enough for the simple graphics we use, but perhaps, we could improve our graphics if we had a more dynamic and creative graphics application.

I like to call Visio a program for the graphically impaired. I use it because I hate spending lots of time preparing graphics, especially when our clients don't spend a lot of time studying them. I would recommend skipping any fancier alternatives unless your business demands it. Most people might benefit from adding quality visuals to their documents but don't have design skills. In that case, I recommend using Visio instead.

As long as you don't have excessive expectations, it will do what you need it to do and do it for a reasonable cost.

I would rate Visio an eight out of ten.

We use the application for process mapping through architecture. It helps visualize the activities and interactions between 3,000 different systems on the network.

The product efficiently visualizes various business processes, including building and networking architecture. It is quite intuitive, and there is a lot of training documentation available. We can import an Excel Spreadsheet with all the essential data, and Visio can build the diagram using it.

In terms of features, it could provide more automation to display data flowing through architecture. It should give a real-time data update.

We have been using Visio for 20 years.

It is a stable application.

We have 30 Visio users in our organization, but soon, we will roll out the product for about 200 users. It is scalable.

I take help from our internal IT staff in case of technical issues. If they need further assistance, they approach Visio’s technical support team.

I have used Draw.io before. It is free software and designs diagrams quickly. However, it has very limited functionality and is not suitable for enterprises. I would recommend Visio for working on business processes on a day-to-day basis.

The product is easy to deploy and maintain. It takes a few minutes to complete the process and requires one admin executive to work on it. It received automated updates.

The product is inexpensive if you already have Microsoft products in your environment. The license encompasses all the required services.

I recommend Visio to others and rate it a ten out of ten.

Visio is used as a diagramming software for ITM.

Visio is a very easy tool in general, making it easy for anyone to understand.

Visio is a very good product.

The export and import functionality from Visio to other tools and the import and export functionality from other tools to Visio are areas with shortcomings. Widening the export and import functionality of Visio will be a great improvement.

I have been using Visio for twenty years. I am using the solution's latest version.

Visio is a very stable product.

It is used to buy a single user at a time because it is meant to be client-side software, so scalability does not apply to it.

For my company, we have around one hundred licenses.

I don't know what the license cost is, but we are not planning to extend the usage of the solution in our company.

I had previously used Sparx Enterprise Architect. Every company has its own standards, which is why you use what is meant for the company, provided by the company, which is not a big deal.

Visio's setup phase was very straightforward and easy. I bought a license to use Visio at my home.

An hour at the most was needed to deploy the solution.

One needs just to purchase the license and download it from the internet as a part of the deployment process.

The solution is deployed on-premises.

The installation phase of Visio was carried out in-house.

I never calculated the ROI, but Visio provides me with far better than what I am paying.

My company does pay toward the licensing costs of Visio. It is a cheap product based on my experience, and since I purchased Visio for my own use.

To those planning to use it, I would say that it is the simplest tool.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.