Gnomedex: MindManager demo

Posted in Blogging, Events, Gadgets & Gizmos

There was a demo of MindManager by Hobie Swan of MindJet. MindManager is currently PC only, but Mac is on its way.

What is MindManager? To help manage work in a nonlinear way, which matches the way our brain works. Information is focused on the big picture, branching out into greater detail. It’s like a visual map we used to draw when we were taught to brainstorm in order to write essays (at least I was).

1. brainstorm & organize into branching tree

2. look for existing info & drag URL/feeds into tree

3. sketch designs of your idea right in an integrated drawing space on the tree

4. assign tasks & priorities

5. publish

6. rss

7. web search (right click to search & add to tree)

MindManager allows you to organize visual thinking in the same workspace and thought area as you have your factual information, links, pictures and more. Visually, you can open or close your tree to manage your ideas easily and clearly. It can be as simple visually as you want, but contain great drill down information. I just came back from the CTC conference where this was a hot program that many executives were finding extraordinarily useful as their own idea tool as well as for group collaboration. In the latter, you can together work on the tree and, because it is electronic, even though its ideas are like a drawing, you each can take it away for reference use. If you ever want to go back to it, you can “get it” at a glance, rather than reading through a lengthy, unconnected project brief document.

At the same time as having these visual interfaces for reference to those who made it, it is also a great tool to introduce others to the idea topics. It does something that printed lists cannot do. It branches, and that tends to express ideas far more than any long list can. It shows the equality of ideas and what comes out of the subsections. It connects designs with text and all rotates around a central pivot point.