Brainstorming is the key to innovation.
You can’t create something awesome out of nothing. You need ideas for new products or features that can elevate your company and its unique selling point.
But when you’re working in a team, sharing ideas through notes and emails can become tedious, messy, and unproductive.
Rather than focusing on your ideas, you focus on all the elements surrounding them, such as communication, visuals, and file-sharing.
With brainstorming software, everything related to ideation happens in one place. Your team has all the tools necessary to list, visualize, and discuss ideas collaboratively.
In this guide, we’ll explain what brainstorming apps do, why you and your team need one, and the 8 features that make up a good ideation software.
What is brainstorming software?
Brainstorming software, also known as mind mapping software, is a web platform that lets you jot down ideas, add visuals or notes to them, and organize them as required.
It helps you put ideas into action and let go of those that aren’t feasible.
And, even if in-person teams can manage without brainstorming software, remote and hybrid teams definitely need it.
The right brainstorming tool allows for real-time collaboration and has project management capabilities to act on approved plans.
Why your team needs the latest brainstorming software
Here’s why every team requires brainstorming software:
- Boost creativity: everyone in your team can easily share ideas, and all the ideas are saved in one place for consideration.
- Elevate your team’s innovation: team members can bounce ideas off one another and get inspired by their peers’ ideas.
- Effortless organization: all your ideas can be grouped by different factors, such as status, department, type of idea, etc., for easy organization.
- Great ideas, anywhere: a portable brainstorming app can help your team contribute ideas anywhere, anytime.
- Identify ideas with true potential: insights and feedback from peers and managers will help identify truly worthy ideas.
What to look for in brainstorming software
Now we’ve convinced you your team needs brainstorming software, what key features should you be looking for?
Here are 8 essential features to include in your requirements list:
1. Flexibility
Since every team doesn’t work the same way, their processes are bound to be different.
A marketer’s thought process for getting more exposure will be different from that of a developer’s. For example, the first might focus on SEO and engagement, while the latter might add more features that users love.
You need brainstorming software that can support these differences without slowing either team down.
Ideally, your platform will have templates for multiple teams and offer project board views to support varying processes.
In monday.com, for example, there are 100s of templates to suit any department and over 8 different ways to visualize your data so you can list and expand on your ideas however you want.
So, if you want to create a network of interrelated ideas, you can use the Gantt chart view to list the main idea and then build a web of relevant ideas around it to create a mind map. Alternatively, you can use the Kanban view to group ideas by the stage they’re in.
2. Real-time visual collaboration
It’s not enough to list ideas. You need others to weigh in with feedback or suggestions to make the idea even better.
You need a platform that allows you to collaborate in real-time effortlessly. This is crucial in the current workplace, where many companies host remote or hybrid teams.
monday.com actively encourages collaboration. The platform has Whiteboard, a supporting app your team can download to instantly get a virtual whiteboard where everyone can write, draw, and comment.
It acts like a real-life brainstorming session where your team sits down and throws ideas around. Everything is written on the board, and then the team decides what action to take.
Except, monday.com’s Whiteboard is digital, so it’s even easier to contribute and have everyone’s voices heard. Since you have tools to both write and draw, team members can explain their ideas better.
When you have an idea for a cross-functional multi-team project, you don’t have to create a separate board or hold a separate meeting to share it. Instead, you can simply invite others to view the board.
3. File sharing
The easiest way to explain an idea is to show, not tell.
Traditionally, when you have a new idea and want to get everyone on board, you send a group message or email with lengthy text or hold a meeting to talk people through it. But, you don’t have to anymore.
Dynamic brainstorming apps, like monday.com, allow you to share files seamlessly. Right on the project board.
Every task or idea on monday.com lets you add images, documents, MP4s, and GIFs. Using this, you can add a photo to showcase your vision. It’s definitely more appealing than a wall of text.
4. Idea management
If your team produces more than 5 ideas a month, you can’t really manage them through pen and paper, sticky notes, and a gazillion folders.
A mind mapping tool with all your ideas and additional relevant details in one place is far more efficient.
Had an idea from 2 months ago that you think is viable now? Just use the search bar to find and edit it.
Online brainstorming platforms like monday.com are also better for grouping ideas. For example, you can easily create different groups for ideas that are “New,” “Under Review,” “Approved,” “Save for Later,” etc.
You could also group ideas based on the specific clients, projects, or teams they apply to.
To manage these ideas, you can simply drag and drop them from one group to the next.
5. Integrations
Choose an online brainstorming tool that integrates with other apps so you can bring your idea to life.
Integrations make it easier to brainstorm collaboratively since you don’t have to keep going to different apps to communicate your ideas or design them. This boosts creative thinking and improves efficiency.
monday.com integrates over 40 third-party apps, so anything you need to support your idea, be it design or programming, is right at your fingertips.
The more in-depth your idea is, the easier it is to understand and build on.
6. Good user interface (UI)
You can’t expect your team to be creative precisely at 2 pm on Tuesday. Creativity strikes randomly.
Maybe your best idea will come to you when you’re waiting in line at the grocery store.
You can’t wait until you’re back at your work desk to share that idea. This is why it’s essential that your brainstorming app works on mobile devices, and not just works but has a good UI.
monday.com has desktop and mobile apps for this purpose. All with intuitive UIs, so you can quickly add your idea and any notes and then get back to whatever you were doing.
7. Project management
Don’t just store your ideas. Put them into action with brainstorming software that has excellent project management features.
Combining brainstorming and project management creates an integrated workspace that increases efficiency.
monday.com is a market leader in project management, with the all-in-one work platform helping you seamlessly execute all of your ideas.
The dynamic software has countless project planning, task management, budget tracking, collaboration, and reporting features, so your team is fully equipped to turn ideas into real projects and goals.
8. Tailored pricing
Enterprises can spend significantly on finding the perfect brainstorming software, but mid-sized and small businesses might not have the budget.
You want an effective brainstorming app that is priced to match your team, and monday.com has got that for you.
We offer 5 different packages so all our users can enjoy the benefits of our platform.
Remember, with monday.com, you aren’t just paying for brainstorming software. You’re bringing your entire workplace onto one easy-to-use platform.
Bring your ideas to life with monday.com
Anything you need from a brainstorming app, monday.com has it. You and your team can list your ideas, explain them, and collaborate in real-time to see which ones are worth investing time and money in.
Why not give monday.com a try today?
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