Wanted: Your input on my next mind mapping software survey

Thanks to many of you, my first mind mapping software survey, conducted last fall, was a great success.

I'm now beginning to brainstorm questions for my next survey. And I'd like your help! Please use the comments section of this post to tell me what YOU would like to know about the business use of mind mapping software. Please note that this survey will not be focused on one specific vendor or software program. Rather, I envision it exploring issues related to how it's used in business settings, collaborating with it, integrating it with other popular business applications, and other usage-related issues. I look forward to your feedback!

To view the results of my last mind mapping software survey, please click here.

Comments

[Florian]

Dear Chuck,

very interesting and comprehensive survey! May I quote that in my blog?
I'll give you thoughts about questions for the new survey later.

Florian

[Marc Clarke]

How do we get management to buy us the expensive MindJet suite?

[Florian Rustler]

Dear Chuck,

as promised, I'd like to propose some questions that I think might be interesting:

In your last survey, a quite high percentage of people said that they did not know about Mind Mapping. One question would be: "Would a better knowledge of the traditional Mind Mapping technique - as invented by Buzan as tool with pen and paper – help to make better use of the Software?" I believe it does.

I also would like to know if people make a difference between Mind Mapping and Mind Mapping Software or if they equate the two? One respondent in your last survey mentioned the topic. Mapping Software can produce visualizations that are not Mind Maps in the Buzan-sense: e.g. you can write whole sentences on branches.

Finally one interesting question would be if people believe that the closer connections and compatibility of Mind Mapping Software and existing Office applications (e.g. Mindjet MindManager and Microsoft Office) will help the spread of the software.

I am looking forward to the new survey!

Florian

[Edwin]

Hi Chuck, It's great that you are beginning a new survey, you know, I've got many ideas from your last survey.

To get more people participated I can translate the survey content into Chinese and let people know here by the active BBS, IM group, etc. If you are interested in it, email me.

And I'd like to suggest the following questions:

1. What features of a new mind mapping software will make you throw away your existing one, and switch to the new one?

2.Do you usually use the extention mechanism provided by the mind mapping software? G.g. Macro, Xml import/export, etc.

2.1 What extention echanism do you use the most often?
a.Macros
b.import customization
c.export customization
d.user defined properties of a branch.

3.What are your most concerned factors of choosing a mind mapping software(multiply choice):
a.Easy to use.
b.Price.
c.Integration with MS Office or like.
d.Nice-looking display of both drawing and UI.
e.Ability to extend the function of the software.
f.Program performace(quick UI response time, low CPU, memory usage).

4.What's more important btween increasing productivity and creativity.

[Compl Yue Still]

Hi Chuck,

Much respects to your great work!

And I'd like to suggest a emerging new MindMapping software:
http://www.webofweb.net
this is the demo site, it is open source and free, souce code and deployables are available from http://wow.dev.java.net

WoW is still young and a little limited in MindMapping features, but it is *web based* i.e. people can collaboratively editing and viewing mind maps in realtime. So I think it's worth a look.

Cheers,
Compl