You probably know what a mind map is, even if you don’t think you do.
Have you ever seen a movie where a detective is trying to investigate a massive conspiracy?
The detective in that movie is trying to understand how several different ideas fit together. So, they tack a bunch of pictures to a bulletin board, then connect them with pieces of string.
As they connect more concepts, new things occur to them. They make notes on the board so they won’t forget.
That’s mind mapping: the art of visually representing the pieces of an overarching idea.
Much like the conspiracy always leads to a big boss, a mind map has a hierarchy. It’s a way to show how ideas break down and come back together.In 2021, we don’t have to use pins and strings anymore. Whether taking down a crime ring or coming up with new SaaS features, we can use mind mapping software tailor-made for brainstorming.
In this article, we’ll show you what makes up the perfect mind map app.
Why is mind mapping useful?
Let’s start by examining the idea of mind maps in more detail.
Every mind map starts with a central idea.
The theme can be as short as one word, like “Growth,” or as long as “Marketing plan for version 3.0 launch.”
It can be as general as “Party planning” or as specific as “Dave’s 35th birthday.”
The theme is the reason you made the mind map. What idea do you want to unpack, explore, develop? What question do you need answers to?
Whatever you choose, make sure it’s open-ended. This isn’t a flowchart. Try to avoid yes/no questions.
In a minute, we’ll go into more detail about how to choose the right starting topic. For now, all you need to know is that this concept sits at the top of your mind map’s hierarchy.
The next step is to expand that idea by adding ideas associated with it.
Then you add new ideas that your mind connects to those ideas.
As you create a visual display of all the information you’re considering, take note of any unexpected possibilities that arise. We guarantee that the more you add to your mind map, the more ideas will flow — as if by magic.
Well, it feels like magic. It’s actually just psychology.
When you write something down, your brain no longer has to expend energy to remember it. That makes you more comfortable thinking about that concept.
Once you’re not so focused on remembering things, you’ve got more energy to process them.
In fact, the best way to encourage creativity is to cut down the number of things you have to think about as far as possible.
That’s why you have your best ideas in the shower. Because what’s going to distract you in there?
Visually organizing your information frees you up to devote all your brainpower to processing it. The physical aspect of a mind map also encourages you to make connections that wouldn’t otherwise have occurred to you.
In that way, using a mind mapping tool becomes a kind of brainstorming. You’re seeking inspiration by removing your preconceived notions of what knowledge is valuable.
The mind map format is designed to present keywords in ways that open up new possibilities.
The use cases are practically endless. You can plan a party, outline an essay, come up with a new art project, or create a wildly original marketing plan.
How? By following the steps below.
How do I make a mind map?
Regardless of which mind mapping software you select — or even if you choose to draw it out freehand — the basic steps remain the same:
1. Start with a central theme
Here’s how to isolate your central theme.
Consider what problem you made the mind map to solve.
Say you need a marketing plan that will bring your SaaS platform more users.
You could center your mind map around “marketing plan.” But that’s not the root of the reason you’re making a mind map.
You’re not coming up with a marketing plan because it sounded fun. You need something: user engagement.
The farther you drill down, the more concepts — and potential ideas — you have access to.
Once you’ve selected your concept, place it in the middle of a blank page. You’re on your way!
2. Add immediate associations
Now, do some freeform word association. A mini-brainstorming session, if you will. When you think about customer engagement, what words come to mind?
“Excitement” is a valid answer. So are “reviews,” “passion,” “awesome,” “love,” and “profit.”
Whenever a word strikes you as worth exploring further, write it down in a space near the central concept. Then connect the 2 with a line.
Don’t go deeper for now. Come up with immediate associations until you have 4–6 words you’re happy with.
At this stage, use short keywords. Small pictures also work. Avoid longer sentences — the idea is to maintain a high potential for new ideas, while holding as much information in one snapshot as possible.
3. Add the next level of associations
Now it’s time to repeat the process with every word you came up with in step 2.
As before, focus on adding new keywords to one word at a time. Come up with several for one word before moving to another one.
Take a step back and look at your whole mind map. It should look a bit like the crown of a tree, with “branches” coming off a “trunk.”
Each branch represents a complete concept. The farther you go along each branch, the more likely you are to encounter something unexpected.
And the unexpected is exactly what you’re looking for: that spark of inspiration that will set your mind ablaze.
If you’re working with mind map software, try moving each concept around so that it’s near several other keywords in turn (this is especially fun on an iPad).
At this stage, feel free to use slightly longer words to get your point across. Make sure that if you leave the mind map then come back, you’ll understand what you meant an hour ago.
Although you can keep going indefinitely, we recommend staying within 4–5 layers for your first mind map. Once you drill that deep, step back and get the big picture.
4. Color-code and add images
Color-coding helps make concept maps easier to comprehend as a whole.
Use colors to distinguish parts of your mind map. You can have each branch be its own color, so it’s easy to see which ideas originate from which primary associations.
Or you can make each layer its own color, so you can tell at a glance what level of depth a certain idea comes from.
Images can serve to jog your memory and help you digest information more quickly. However, we recommend using them in conjunction with text. You don’t want to waste mental energy decoding a hieroglyph.
Once you’re finished coloring, step back and let the ideas flow.
What is the best mind mapping app?
The question “What’s the best mind mapping tool?” has one clear answer: “the one that works for you.”
We realized that if people have the power to build their own tools, they’ll always make the best one possible. Nobody knows what you need better than you do.So instead of our own mind mapping software, we created the monday.com app builder.
With our low-code apps framework, you can build your own custom tools, including the perfect mapping app for your team.
Once you’ve built it, you can connect it to other aspects of your business.
For example, you could have all the concepts in your mind map fed automatically into a collaborative text document, so you and your team can start turning your ideas into a plan.
It’s what we like to call the monday.com Work OS: not just personalized tools, but personalized workflows to connect them.
You can also see any template in the form of a mind map with our new mindmap view feature.
monday.com puts control into your hands, so you can design the best mind mapping app for your team.
Use mind maps to organize ideas and spark creativity
A mind map is a simple diagram of visual connections that helps you wring more use out of the information you’ve got.
In a way, every part of monday.com is built for that same purpose.
We strongly believe that organizing information isn’t just about storing it. It’s about putting information to work.
Check out monday.com today, and start building more creative apps and workflows.
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