The Mind Mapping Software Weblog

The Electronic Graphic Organizers Project

Thanks to Hobart Swan's reference in the Mindjet Blog, I've just learned of the intriguing EGO (electronic graphics organizer) project. This is a research project headed by Leigh Zeitz of the University of Northern Iowa and Lynne Anderson of the University of Oregon. Their goal is to advance the use of electronic graphic organizers for learning through better understanding and application. Using a blog, they will collect information about graphic organizer software packages, and then enable users to post their comments about each of the software packages that are presented.

The authors define graphic organizers as "tools that are used to graphically show the relationships between ideas or concepts." This can encompass mind mapping software programs, but also "passive" tools like Visual Thesaurus and LivePlasma (a tool for finding musical artists who are similar to one another).

Although the focus of their research is primarily on the educational market, much of what the authors collect ought to have some business implications, too. It will be interesting to see what they come up with in the weeks and months ahead!

The latest NovaMind updates

The developers of NovaMind continue to add new features and functionality to the "early adopter" Windows version to bring it up to parity with the Mac OS X version, via weekly releases. Latest improvements include the addition of branch boundaries (drawing a border around a group of items in your map), completion of the outline view, full screenwriter capabilities, a full graphics library and an auto-save capability.

They are also working on a NovaMind 3.1 release, which they hope to release in the next few weeks. According to the latest NovaMind newsletter, it will be rolled out first for the Mac, followed shortly thereafter by the Windows version. Watch for some new cool new features, according to a NovaMind reseller who has gotten a "sneak peek" at version 3.1.

New podcast: Mind Mapping for Results

Blogger Eric Mack and Gyronix principal Nick Duffill are collaborating on a new series of podcasts, entitled Mind Mapping for Results. The first installment is now available for download from Eric's blog, and is focused on how to utilize Gyronix's popular ResultsManager application with MindManager. The basic focus of this podcast is that Eric wants Nick to tutor him on how to utilize ResultsManager effectively. But in the process, they cover a lot of valuable principles of successful visual mapping, including:

• The importance of creating learning/knowledge maps, where you can log what you've learned and questions to which you need answers.
• Remembering to focus on the outcomes you want, not the tool you're using.
• The importance of thinking about the intended audience of your map, and how you're going to collaborate with them or communicate the content of your map to them.
• Software-produced visual maps as a new paradigm of communication and collaboration.

Eric and Nick have a fascinating and engaging conversation. I don't know much about Eric, but I have talked to Nick on several occasions, and when it comes to mind mapping software, the guy is positively brilliant! There's only one problem with this podcast: Eric and Nick left me wanting more. Here's hoping that they will continue to expand the knowledge base of visual mapping for the rest of us through this informative and entertaining series of audio presentations!

NoteTalkers announces winners of MindManager map contest

NoteTalkers.com has announced the winners of its MindManager map contest, and there's plenty of inspiration here for all users of mind mapping software. In particular, I really enjoyed student Jason Dorko's screencast of how he utilizes MindManager as his central planning and management tool, on a Tablet PC. His strategies include creating an Active Desktop map, which gives him fast access to his frequently used apps and maps, and his use of a MindManager macro that displays the contents of specific folders of his Tablet PC within a map. Great job, Jason!

I've discovered that it's often instructive to look at the ways in which other people build and style visual maps. You always learn something! In addition to the winners of the NoteTalkers contest, you can view other submitted entries here. NoteTalkers plans to add more screencasts to this area in the next few weeks.

Nice mention of my mind mapping software e-book

Kyle McFarland from The Underlying Blog likes to write about mind mapping and information visualization, and recently had some nice things to say about my e-book, Power Tools & Strategies for Mind Mapping Software:

"I've noticed a lot of people are interested in how to build better, more sophisticated sets of map infrastructure. To that effect, I want to whole-heartedly recommend a book by Chuck Frey, who also has an excellent blog on visualization tools. The e-book is 'Power Tips & Strategies for Mind Mapping Software,' and you can safely view it as an investment that will pay itself back many times over."

Thanks, Kyle!

Overcoming dyslexia with MindGenius

The latest white paper from Gael Ltd., the developers of MindGenius, describes how mind mapping software can help dyslexics to organize their thoughts and access them in powerful new ways. Christina Sellers knows what she writes of, because she is dyslexic. Here's a summary of how visual mapping benefits her and other dyslexics:

"Many widely accepted characteristics of dyslexia can be helped by the use of mind-mapping software, for example: poor memory; things taking longer to understand and produce; misinterpretation or misunderstanding of a topic; working out exactly what’s required from any task; and, of particular value, help with focusing, planning and organization. Many dyslexics experience low self esteem as a result of these obstacles, however, they often compensate by being particularly good with computers, therefore, having such a helpful tool can allow their creative talents to come to the fore and their thought processes to flow.

For those unaware, or unconvinced, of mind-mapping benefits, probably the most useful advantage is the ability to divide topics into clear manageable chunks making problem solving, comparison and analysis more accessible to dyslexic learners. This helps greatly with explanation, exploration and understanding of concepts… reinforcing learning and providing memory triggers to aid recall. Mind-maps are not dense with words; useful to those for whom reading is more challenging; and their graphic and colorful format is particularly good for visual learners."

Interestingly enough, the challenges that Chris describes are shared by many non-dyslexic users of mind mapping software: the ability to clarify your train of thought and make sense of what she calls the "spaghetti bowl" of ideas floating around in your head. Chris now practices what she preaches - she teaches staff and students at West Kent College in the UK on how to use MindGenius.

This is a brief but fascinating case history, and really does a great job of capsulizing many of the benefits of visual mapping using software like MindGenius.

New white paper on using MindManager for project management

Mindjet recently published a new white paper entitled, "MindManager: A Vital Solution for Improved Project Management." It explains, in a very clear, easy-to-understand writing style, how MindManager can be used to:

• Create a project charter (a high-level document that identifies business needs, and the product or results that will satisfy those needs)
• Create a project scope statement (which goes into more detail on what, exactly, the project must accomplish)
• Create a work breakdown structure (or WBS, which goes into much more detail on the project deliverables - including everything from initial budgets and staffing plans to project schedule and communication plans)
• Monitor and manage the progress of the project with a visual project "dashboard" (which can be used to capture current project status and generate progress reports)
• Close out the project (which can include capturing insights and lessons learned, generating final reports and creating a "knowledge base" that documents the report for future reference and learning).

Author Timothy Bolwerk PMP (project management professional) wisely bases his recommendations on the Project Management Institute's widely accepted set of best practices, something called the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).

Even if you're not a user of MindManager, you will benefit from reading this white paper. It talks about general principles and practices, and is quite instructive. Kudos to Tom on creating an excellent reference piece that advances our knowledge of how to get the most out of mind mapping software!

New site for mind map templates

A new website called My Mind Map offers downloadable templates, which you can use to map out your ideas - manually, not using mind mapping software. The site currently contains 6 templates, plus a collection of articles about mind mapping and links to additional resources.

How does mapping software create value inside organizations?

Nick Duffill from Gyronix has posted an interesting essay on how mind mapping software can create value in organizations. He divides this value into three levels:

1. Features, functions and ergonomics - The basics of what the program is capable of, which provides the foundation for the other two levels.
2. Representation and modeling - This is the level at which the visual "language" of the mapping tool is used to accurately represent business challenges, processes, plans, strategies, etc.
3. Business process enablement - How does the mapping software contribute, directly or indirectly to the organization's bottom line? This is the hardest level to accomplish, because in order to have such an impact, Nick says that visual maps must become a common "currency" that is commonly understood and valued by more than just a handful of individuals within the company.

Nick concludes by demonstrating how to understand the potential value of software mapping in your organization. Rather than steal his thunder, I strongly recommend that you read his post to get the full story!

i2Brain takes a unique approach to mind mapping

At first glance, i2Brain looks like just another mind mapping software program. But in fact it can do much more. Its developer calls it “a new type of software for visualizing information and its structure.” It enables you to create a conventional mind map, with a topic in the center and sub-topics radiating out from it. But it can also be used to regroup information into grids and columns, giving users more of a multi-dimensional view of their information. Here is an example.

When I asked the developer, John Boyd-Rainey, what makes i2Brain different than “conventional” mind mapping software, here’s what he had to say:

"Conventional mind mapping software represents things in flat trees. i2Brain uses 'networks' of elements. I disposed of the central point in a mind-map because I found it to be unnecessary. When I enter my office I know that I'm going to work. I don't need a block in the middle of the floor with the word 'Work' on it. The second, and possibly more important difference is the 'aspects.' (To mathematicians and such like they are in fact 'dimensions.') When planning a project I will want to input the status of each activity. The status could be not started, working, finished or tested. i2Brain allows you to add such an aspect and to input the status for each activity. Then you can use colors to show the status, or indeed a filter so you can see only those items you are currently working on, or perhaps everything except those which are finished and tested."

In other words, you can use the program to view your information and knowledge and its "meta-data" from multiple perspectives, which could lead to new insights and ideas.

For a tutorial that visually explains how i2Brain moves beyond a web-type mind map, please click here.