MindMeister

Create mind maps on virtually any device with Mindmeister: a cloud-based, convenient visual platform to capture, develop & share ideas. Be it brainstorming, project management, or planning & note-taking, Mindmeister caters to all. Being ecosystem agnostic, access in all browsers & do away with any software downloads or installations. Live collaboration features enable commenting, idea exchange, sharing of material, updating content & much more. Chat with colleagues & observe changes instantly. Dynamic presentations & exportable slides allow for embedding these into sites or even broadcasting them over social media channels. Utilise their dedicated project app to easily drag & drop items & convert them into actionable objects or tasks. Troubleshoot issues, sketch freehand & correspond effectively with various communication tools to format your ideas into a bespoke image representation.

Begin with a blank canvas with a central idea, then branch out ideas as extensions from this. Subsequently, simplify the context with phrases to add to the flow & apply icons to translate images into ideas. Structure your ideas & combine them into a concept, especially with colored themes to improve retention & linking of new ideas with existing knowledge. Be creative with new mental associations which pave new pathways to process & understand information. Translate all of this by involving other team members to promote teamwork. From critical logical thinking to marketing strategies, there’s always a distinctive application for mind mapping. Engage to meet & share knowledge on a specific topic, add widgets, use agile methodologies & prioritise liabilities. Video attachments & archived versions enable media-rich additions as well as retrospective overviews to analyse everyone’s individual contribution to a project.

The main niggle is that despite their assurance, the mobile app is difficult to use, whilst editing can be counterproductive (your intended executions yield undesired effects). Limited integrations & functionality on their free package is another repelling factor. Formatting & navigation can also be a problem at times. Nevertheless, the mainstay of features hosted by Mindmeister is respectable & shouldn’t be wholly discounted.