Mind maps are a great way to get things in order. How to create an intelligence map in Russian with the XMind program

Introduction

The purpose of this article is not to promote mindmapping. The tree view of data has its advantages and limitations. The discussion has already been in the comments to the publication.

This publication is for those who want to choose a convenient tool and learn some new tricks that they did not know about yet.

For me, a mindmap is a separate chapter in my life, planning, structuring, generating ideas, analyzing, etc. When, sitting at any conference, I write down everything in a mindmap, then those sitting behind and seeing the process always shove me business cards with requests to send these files. And sitting only at the 1st conference, you can make 15-20 cards. Over the past 5 years I have made more than 1000 mindmaps (1043 files with the resolution mmap, xmind, imx, etc. I found on my disks and in the "clouds") and all this was done in 5 different programs.

This review is devoted to these programs. Here is a list of them:

• XMind;
• MindJet Mindmanager;
• iMindMap;
• Mindmeister;
• Mind Node;
• FreeMind.

Popularity table

As we can see, the most popular program in the world is XMind, followed by the ancient Freemind. In Russia, a country where there is still a lot of pirated software, the most popular (it is also the most expensive) is Mindjet Mindmanager.

Price comparison table

MindJet is the most expensive, followed by iMindMap, then XMind and cloud-based Mindmeister. Closes the list with MindNode and opensource Freemind.

Platforms

What can you pay attention to here?

• For Linux in general, only Freemind and Xmind;
• MindNode only on MasOS and iOS;
• Mindmeister does not have desktop versions for any OS. It is cloud-based and is also available on phones and tablets.

And let's see the file compatibility

The horizontal axis is the program, the vertical axis is the resolution and who is the author of the format.

* mindjet in android application can open * .mm files.
But it seems to me better to use Mindmeister for export / import.

Export table or in which extensions the program can save (export):

Looking at these tables, we can confidently say that only Mindmeister has export / import settings. It is compatible with the three most popular in the world, and in both directions. Well done. The rest are trying to "hook" on their software so that their files can only be opened by them. Here, of course, is the leader of iMindMap - only he understands his files.

Now that it is clear what and how much it costs and what it works on, let's move on to an overview of the programs themselves and their capabilities.

XMind

Main Feature: It has a supported free desktop version.
He is also the only one that has sheets (tabs) inside 1 file. Very comfortably.

Opportunities are generally average. XMind does a great job of creating a mindmap, with a basic set of links, markers, tags, and more. Apart from the price and the tabs, there is nothing that XMind would remember.

The Pro version has a presentation mode.

Freemind

According to Google, it is the second most popular. Personally, it seems to me that the design can be done better. But since FreeMind has no paid versions, it would be unreasonable to expect a large staff of designers and developers.

The most stylish, designer, creative, creative, bright, unusual. All these epithets are exactly about iMindMap. 4 years ago iMindMap won me over with its striking design. Has a very functional presentation mode. The presentation itself turns out to be bright, dynamic, animated, which allows you to keep the audience in good shape almost all the time.

One of the most key features is the ability to write text along branches, branches of any shape. If you need a more formal style, you can not write along the branches, but do the same as in MindJet and Xmind.

Experimentally tested: iMind's animated presentation keeps the audience's attention much better than the same PPT or MindJet content. If you want bright emotions, an unusual presentation - I recommend it.

But here, of course, it is worth noting that it is better to do a professional presentation in something like Prezi, but in terms of the speed of creating an animated presentation, iMind is ahead of the rest.

MindNode

Popularity: Low
Price: $ 19.99
Platforms: MacOS, iOS
Product site: mindnode.com

I first learned about MindNode when I saw this picture:

Conciseness and simplicity made me happy, and I was also surprised by the fact that I did not know the tool where MindMap was made. Literally a month later, I switched to MacOs and discovered MindNode. Here, the text is also written without borders, along the branches, which is convenient and concise, and does not distract the form as much as in iMindMap.

I know what else is there
Concept Draw
NovaMind
Mindmup.com
Coggle.it
Simplemind
and a couple dozen more
But the review included the most popular, and as a result, the most interesting for users.

That's all.

The next will be an overview of tablet versions for generating ideas, drawing prototypes, etc.

Mindmaps, mind maps, or mind maps are a great tool for planning and managing ideas. Want to prepare an agenda for your annual conference or plan your work schedule? Make a SWOT- company analysis, develop business processes or prepare a development strategy? Use free instruments to create mind maps.

This is a desktop tool available for Windows and Mac. In a free plan Lite 25 templates are available for creating mind maps.

This service can be used even without registration. has n easy-to-use drag'n drop interface.

In the free plan, you can create 3 m indmap. For every friend you inviteprovides the ability to create one mind map at a time. There are about 60 standard templates on the site.

• Draw

Completely free tool with no limits. This service is available to users both online and in the desktop version. You can save ready-made mind maps in Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Gi t Hub, Trello or direct download to your computer in formats: png, jpeg, svg, pdf, htlm, vsdx, xml, url.

A free plan is provided for one account. Users of such credentials cannot create mind maps with more than 60 objects. Otherwise, free accounts, like paid ones, have access to an extensive database of templates and can collaborate with other members to work on documents.

Free accounts will have 6 months of free use of the online tool. In the service, you can not only create mind maps, but also manage projects. VThe possibility of teamwork on documents has been implemented. The finished mental map can be published on social networks: Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

• M ind42

The capabilities of this tool are modest in comparison with others. Only one font and block type is available to users. The branches of the map cannot be changed at your own discretion. M ind42 is a simple service without unnecessary chips. If you need to quickly make a simple mind map, then this tool will come in handy.

• X mind

A beta version of the desktop program is available for free use. The test version contains 30 mind map templates and 89 stickers. Text formatting is available in the editor Markdown. The finished mental map can be exported to pdf format.

• M indjet

We hope that the methods for organizing time, which we described earlier, were useful to you. Someone began to actively use the Pomodoro method, someone liked to plan their affairs using the Eisenhower matrix or the calendar method.

We offer another effective tool that helps you plan everything in a very visual way - from going to the store to basic life tasks. These are mind maps. They are also called mind maps or mind maps. Many people who start using this method find it extremely useful and the planning process fun.

In fact, you can use them anywhere. This tool helps you see the big picture of the work ahead and sequentially break it down into smaller stages. With the help of mind maps, marketers and sociologists conduct their research, this tool helps to compose a semantic core or a sitemap, prepare for an important event or draw up a plan for large-scale written work, sketch out a to-do list or plan a budget. In a word, the technique is practically universal.

Here are just a few of the uses for mind maps.

1. Systematization of information

Mind maps allow you to structure any information. The drawn up scheme will allow you to visually display what properties, advantages or disadvantages this or that object has, how it can be used, etc.

Such a clear structure will make it easier to navigate a large amount of information both when preparing an article or speech, and during a presentation or lecture. Imagine that the listeners, instead of a chaotic verbal flow, will see in front of them a beautiful and understandable diagram of what is being discussed - and you will understand how much more winning your presentation will be.

2. Training

When preparing for exams, taking courses, you have to memorize and systematize a large amount of material. Mind maps are an excellent tool for drawing up abstracts or plans for articles, term papers, theses.

With the help of mental maps, it is easy to break any question into components, and, in turn, break them down into even smaller sub-points. Thus, you get a detailed holistic analysis of any issue that will be before your eyes in the form of a clear diagram.

The advantage of the cards is that you can "split" information almost indefinitely, adding new branches to the existing ones. As a result, you will not miss even the smallest details.

3. Generation of ideas

If you need to solve a problem or question, mind maps also come in handy. With their help, it is convenient to record the results of brainstorming during the discussion of work tasks and everyday issues.

Any problem is placed in the center of the map, for example, where to go on vacation, how to organize a party, how to open an online store - in short, whatever. Further, as ideas about how to solve the problem arise, branches are drawn to the central part. They are "overgrown" with new branches describing how to implement a specific idea. Here you can also reflect the specifics of each solution found, consequences and possible "pitfalls".

Such cards can be drawn independently or together with colleagues, depicted by hand on a sheet of paper using colored markers, or work in a special program - the result will still be very visual.

4. Making decisions

Maps work in a similar way when it is necessary to make a decision. If you are used to being guided by logic rather than intuition, then the method will be useful to you.

In the center of the map, an actual question or problem is depicted, possible solutions are placed on the branches of the first level, and the probable consequences of such a method of action are placed on the branches of the third. These effects can be broken down into positive and negative ones.

Thus, you can visually compare all possible options and choose the most optimal one.

5. Planning

You can plan anything using mind maps: budget, time spent on a project or actions for its implementation. You can even make a shopping or workout plan for the week.

The only significant disadvantage of planning with maps is the difficulty of binding to specific deadlines. If, for example, you use the Grant diagram, you can clearly see in what sequence and in what time frame a particular event should occur, how it is related to others in time. In mind-maps, you can only indicate the deadline for completing a specific task.

There is a way out: to combine planning with the slop of maps and the SmartProgress service, in which you can specify the intermediate deadlines for the execution of a block of tasks, as well as receive reminders. Thus, the map will allow you to see all the points of completion of your task in general, and SmartProgress will perform the disciplining function.

When planning in the center of the mind map, indicate the ultimate global goal, for example, "travel". On the rays of the first level, write down everything that is necessary to realize your goal: place, budget, route, cultural program, composition of participants, luggage, etc. On rays of the second and subsequent levels, specify each item in as much detail as necessary.

• Information structured in such a scheme is easier for the brain to perceive, because looks orderly and embodied in the form of a concrete image. This form is easy to remember for a long time.
• With the help of mind maps, we enable associative thinking, which is more natural for our brain than linear, which works when making sequential lists. That is why, with the help of mind maps, it becomes easier to organize and organize large amounts of information.
• Perceiving the map, we first fix our attention on general points, gradually moving towards private ones, which helps to correctly determine priority areas.
• The map allows you to visually see all the details of the project, down to the smallest, it is easy to identify possible inconsistencies and interferences.
• It is convenient to mark the completed items, you can add new branches at any time.
• Inhomogeneous elements easily "coexist" side by side within the same card.

Principles of building maps

At the beginning of work, the main idea (idea, problem, goal) is indicated in the central part of the page. On the branches of the first level, there are the main key concepts, components, associations that a central image evokes in you. Further, each ray is supplemented with branches of levels 2, 3. There can be as many levels as necessary for the full disclosure of each component.

1. Include not only logic, but also associative thinking - this way you help the brain to comprehensively consider the problem and quickly find not the most obvious, but perhaps the best solution.
2. Use a different color for each branch - this makes it easier to visually differentiate between different areas of activity. If more than one person will be using the map, mark the tasks of each with a separate color. In this case, do not use more than 8 shades - a card that is too variegated will be harder to perceive.
3. Do not forget about the peculiarities of color perception. Red, orange and bright yellow attract attention first of all, highlight the most important points with them. The most "calm" shades are brown, blue and green - use them for less significant points.
4. A map that is too “branched” will be more difficult to perceive than a simple and clear one. Try not to use more than 5-7 branches of the second and next levels, highlight the main one.
5. Special programs are great, but freehand drawing stimulates the thought process. By depicting a problem on a sheet, you are already starting to solve it.
6. Do not try to bring the map to a standard form. It reflects your thinking style, let it be a little "wrong" if your associations require it.
7. Pictures, pictograms, conventional icons are easier to remember than text, so feel free to invent them yourself and use them when drawing up a map. The more unusual, original and emotional they are, the better. This will facilitate perception and memorization.
8. Try to use words to a minimum. Long text is more difficult to read. Try to write in short phrases that fit on one line.
9. Highlight the most important points with thicker lines, the branches of the first level should be thicker than the next. Write larger information for more important information. The length of the line must be equal to the length of the word.
10. Use delimitation of honey branches, combine blocks with closed lines, show relationships with arrows.

Special services

Although it is useful to draw by hand, not everyone likes it. If you are one of them, use computer programs to draw up mind maps. They come in a variety of designs, capabilities, and platform compatibility, so pick the one that's right for you.

One of the popular mind mapping tools is MindMeister, an online service that is compatible with the Meistertask scheduler. It is also possible to connect paid PRO packages. The convenience of this service is in the "cloud" way of storing data, so the desired card can be opened on any computer. The service provides ample opportunities for a creative approach to drawing up mental maps: there are various templates, the interface is bright, and it is not difficult to understand the management. In short, it's worth a try.

Still, psychologists advise creating cards by hand. In this case, already in the process of drawing, you activate your creative thinking and start thinking about the problem. On the other hand, the use of modern technologies makes the process fast. Decide for yourself what is more convenient for you.

Intellect map, or mental maps (mind-maps) is a display of an effective way to think, remember, remember, solve creative problems, as well as the ability to present and clearly express your internal information processing processes, make changes to them, improve them. Mind maps are a tool that allows you to:

• it is easier to work with information: memorize, understand, restore logic.
• convenient to use for presenting material and clearly explaining your position to interlocutors
• makes it easier to make decisions, create plans, develop projects.

1. Coogle

2. Xmind

3. Freemind

4. MindNode

5. BubblUs

6. MindMeister

7. Mapul

8. WiseMapping

Mind maps or mind maps are one of the most popular planning and analysis tools. Lawyers use mind maps in preparing a position on a case, daily task planning, coaches and physiotherapists - in developing sports training courses, software developers - when calculating the structure and content of interfaces of sites and programs, journalists and writers - in writing structured texts.

According to Wikipedia, building mind maps (mandmapping) isa way of depicting the process of general systems thinking with the help of diagrams. It can also be seen as a convenient alternative notation technique.

We tested 5 of the most interesting online mind mapping services, below are their ratings and the resulting maps.

mind42.com

Number of free cards: unlimited

Stingy. There is no free movement of elements. Element styles cannot be edited. No color schemes or templates.

Design: in the working area of ​​the program there is a huge advertising block of Google Adwords. The design is primitive, formalistic. It looks like desktop programs from the mid 00s.

Collaboration: export to PDF, PNG, JPG

Cross-platform: there is a version for Android

Paid version cost: 1 $ / month (consists of disabling ads)

The main plus: endless number of cards, simplicity.

The main disadvantage: stingy functionality.

bubbl.us

Number of free cards: 3

Free account functionality: you can create several top-level elements (which goes against the rules of mind mapping), change the colors and sizes of elements. The engine is not the most convenient, in particular, it concerns the formatting pop-up window, which is not always displayed when you hover over an element, and the inability to drag the finished map while maintaining the relative position of the elements.

Design: not serious enough for business presentations, in particular, the rounded edges of the elements and the gradient confuse.

Collaboration: uploading to PNG, JPG, sending access to mail or by link without the possibility of editing.

Cross-platform: there is a version for iOS.

Paid version cost:$ 6 / month

The main plus: an atypical function for such services to add elements that are torn from the general structure

The main disadvantage: frivolous design

coggle.it

Number of free cards: unlimited

Free account functionality: change of colors and sizes of elements is available. It is not immediately clear that you can drag elements only by headings, and not by links, the same applies to editing through the right mouse button, but you can get used to these small spaces.

Design: at first glance, perfect. It is not a shame to include such a map in the presentation of even the highest level.

Collaboration: export to PDF, PNG. The most important disadvantage of the free version of coggle.it is that all maps are shared and indexed, i.e. there is no need to talk about any privacy.

Cross-platform: WEB only

Paid version cost: 5 $ / month (possibility of creating private cards)

The main plus: chic design

The main disadvantage: no private mode in the free version

mindmeister.com

Number of free cards: 3

Free account functionality: the first thing that attracts attention is the terrible localization, but the Russian language can always be switched at the bottom of the page. The similar icons for scaling and adding new elements are confusing, there is no adding a subordinate element through the right click on the parent element. It is possible to attach icons to elements of the map, highlight individual branches of the map with your own special color.

Design: In general, the design is up to date, there is a choice of color schemes, and they are quite cute and stylish.

Collaboration: there is uploading to PNG, JPG and PDF, sending access to mail with the possibility of co-editing.

Cross-platform:

Paid version cost:$ 6 / month

The main plus: stylish card templates

The main disadvantage: confusing workspace navigation

mindomo.com

Number of free cards: 3

Free account functionality: there are several card templates available in the service. When building, you can drag elements, changing their levels without additional clicks, the default arrangement of blocks is compact and intelligible, the original color scheme is pleasing to the eye and has sufficient severity for business needs. It is possible to select color schemes / templates for the entire map in one click. It is possible to attach pictures to map elements (in the free version only by link), icons, tasks, comments.

Design: a little outdated, but extremely functional.

Collaboration: uploading to PNG, TXT, sending access to mail with the ability to co-edit and control changes.

Cross-platform: there are versions for Android and iOS.

Paid version cost:$ 6 / month

The main plus: powerful and clear functionality

The main disadvantage: outdated design

That's all. If you have examples of mind mapping services that can compete with the one presented here, or even get all 5 stars, send links to them by mail, we will definitely supplement the review!