Ondrej Holzman Mind maps are used as a tool for refining thoughts and ideas more and more often. Similar to managing tasks and time management, some prefer paper and pencil while others prefer electronic tools. The iMindMap 7 application could bring even die-hard conservatives to computers - it is a very advanced tool with which you can do practically everything you can with a pen on paper. Plus, you can easily share your creations.
The iMindMap application is the flagship product of the well-known ThinkBuzan brand, which is owned by none other than the inventor of mind maps, Tony Buzan. The seventh version of iMindMap was released last fall and brought many changes, including a new user interface and a number of editing and creative functions.
At the very beginning, you need to compare who the application is for iMindMap 7 determined. Primarily for active and advanced users of mind maps, due to its wide range of functions and due to its price. The basic version (marked as suitable for students and home use) will cost 62 euros (1 crowns), the "ultimate" variant will even cost 700 euros (190 crowns).
So it's clear that iMindMap 7 is not an app that you buy for a trial run and throw away in a week because you don't like it. On the other hand, ThinkBuzan offers seven-day trial version, so everyone can try iMindMap and only then decide whether to make a really significant investment. Everyone can find themselves in this software, it is mainly about personal preferences and experienced habits with mind maps that will decide which solution to choose.
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Options like on paper
The user interface has undergone significant changes in the seventh version, but we will not dwell on what has changed, but how it looks now. The dominant and at the same time the main control element, which, however, you don't even have to use that often in the final, is the ribbon. Above it are five other buttons, for example for returning to the start screen, opening already created maps or settings. On the right, like in web browsers, maps are opened in individual tabs if you have several of them open.
An important control part of iMindMap 7 is the initially inconspicuous side panel, which after unpacking offers an extensive library of images, illustrations, icons, and at the same time you can create notes or insert audio here. Interesting are snippets, which are ready-made mind maps for problem solving, creative writing or SWOT analyses.
Of course, you can create mind maps yourself from the ground up. In iMindMap 7, you always start by selecting the so-called "central idea", which in practice means what frame or form the central term around which the entire map will revolve will have. iMindMap 7 has dozens of graphical representations to choose from, from a simple frame to a character with a whiteboard. Once you have chosen, the actual "thinking" begins.
The neat thing about iMindMap is that once you have an object marked, you don't have to look for any text field, you just start writing and the text is automatically inserted for the given object. A key tool in the map creation process is a set of buttons that appear in a circle next to each marked object. It is somewhat impractical for the "central idea" to have these buttons overlay the text, but for other objects, this problem usually no longer occurs.
There are always five buttons in a circle, each color-coded for easier orientation. Use the red button in the middle to create a branch - by clicking the branch will be created automatically in a random direction, by dragging the button you can determine where the branch will go. Using the same principle, use the orange button to create a branch with a frame, which you can then branch out further. The green button is used to create connections between objects, the blue button allows you to move them arbitrarily, and the gray gear wheel is used to set the colors and shapes of the branches or to add images.
The circular "panel" of tools significantly speeds up work, when you don't have to move the cursor to the ribbon for individual steps, but just click inside the currently created map. iMindMap 7 also brings this closer to the paper-and-pencil experience. In addition, double-clicking the mouse on an empty space on the desktop will bring up another menu, this time with four buttons, so you don't have to take your eyes off the mind map even for the actions mentioned below.
With the first button, you can quickly access the image gallery, or you can insert your own from the computer, but you can also draw your own shapes as needed directly in iMindMap. This function of sketching and sketches will be welcomed by users accustomed to pencil and paper, to whom other applications do not give such freedom when illustrating maps. At the same time, it is precisely your own pictures and sketches that can significantly help when thinking.
The second button (bottom left) inserts floating text with arrows, in a bubble, etc. You can also quickly insert a new central idea by double-clicking it, further branching it out, and then, for example, linking it to the first map. The last button is for inserting and creating diagrams, which can also be a very important part of mind maps for some users.
Many also navigate their maps by color. You can also make your own choices practically anywhere in iMindMap 7 (including the appearance of the application itself and its top bar with the control panel and ribbon). Whenever you write, basic editing options for the font, including changing the color, appear around the text. As mentioned above, the colors and shapes of branches and other elements can also be changed manually, but in iMindMap 7 there are also complex styles that completely transform the appearance of entire maps. The color palette used, the appearance and shape of the branches, shading, fonts, etc. will change - everyone should find their ideal here.
Ultimate version
According to ThinkBuzan, the significantly more expensive iMindMap 7 Ultimate offers more than 20 additional functions compared to the basic version. For example, who liked the ability to easily create diagrams, unfortunately it is only available in the higher version of iMindMap. It also offers really wide export options – from presentations to projects and spreadsheets to 3D images.
The 3D view is also a function intended only for users of the Ultimate version. It must be said that iMindMap 7 can create a really impressive 3D view (see the first image above) of your created map, which you can then rotate to any angle, and all creation and editing options remain, but the question is how much is the 3D view really useful and to what extent it is just a thing of effect and not effective.
It is also necessary to pay extra for the possibility of creating presentations and presenting mind maps themselves, but those who actually use this function will be whistling in iMindMap 7. Within a few tens of seconds, you can create a very effective presentation that you can show and explain the desired issue or project at a meeting or in front of students. You can work quickly thanks to pre-set templates for meetings, learning or in-depth research, but you can of course also put together the entire presentation, including various effects, animations and the selection of objects that are displayed at a given moment. The result can be exported in the form of slides, PDF, video or directly uploaded to YouTube (see below).
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We should not forget the integration of the DropTask service, which is a very interesting online project management tool with the possibility to work in groups. You can easily synchronize your maps from iMindMap 7 with DropTask in the form of projects, and individual branches are then effectively transformed into tasks in DropTask.
Mind maps for the most demanding
Although the list of functions above is quite long, it is not possible to mention nearly all of them due to the complexity of iMindMap 7. Also in this regard, it is nice that ThinkBuzan offers a seven-day trial version of its app so that you can go through it to the last feature and see for yourself if it suits you. It is certainly not a small investment, and many can certainly get by with one of the cheaper and much simpler alternatives.
iMindMap 7 has many advantages over these alternatives, whether we look at the application from different angles. On the other hand, its complexity and extensiveness can sometimes cause confusion, and working with iMindMap 7 may not be so simple and pleasant.
Above all, it is important to realize that there is no one-size-fits-all guide to mind maps, because everyone has a different style of creation and a different style of thinking, and therefore it is impossible to say that iMindMap 7 will suit you. But everyone can try this application for a week. And if it suits him and makes his life easier, then invest.
[do action=”tip”]Visitors of the Mind Maps block on iCON Prague 2014 will receive iMindMap 7 free for three months.[/do]
Finally, I should also mention the existence of mobile applications iMindMap for iPhone a iMindMap HD for iPad. Both apps are free to download, however a few in-app purchases must be made for full functionality. With mobile applications from ThinkBuzan, mind maps can be viewed and edited even on your iOS devices.
it seems to have better graphics than mindnode .. but in the end it's still just a spider of arrows and icons :)
excellent program, you can do a lot more with it than "just spiders"
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Well written, thanks