Buy ConceptDraw MINDMAP Online!

Mind Mapping

ConceptDraw MINDMAP offers you a set of handy features for creating your Mind Maps quickly and easily and making them clear, visual and attractive. Here you will find a detailed description of these features, together with some useful techniques for Mind Mapping: Outline mode, Brainstorming mode, Mind Map Assistant.

ConceptDraw MINDMAP offers you a possibility to represent the Outline and the Map views of the document. The Outline view represents information as a certain way organized text. Indents show topic place in a hierarchy. You can generate a Mind Map from text outline also.

ConceptDraw MINDMAP allows to represent on the screen the Outline and the Map views of the document simultaneously or individually.

For this you can do one of the following:
Menu	Choose the Map Only / Outline Only or Map and Outline item from the View menu.
Keyboard	Use the following keys: F3 - Map Only / Outline Only Shift + F3 - Outline and map views simultaneously

Brainstorming

Besides drawing mind maps you can use ConceptDraw MINDMAP for brainstorming. Brainstorming was originally used to find a quick solution to a difficult problem. As a rule, several people take part in Brainstorming, and the session has a time limit. Each participant must generate as many ideas as possible, inspired by what the others said. One shouldn't concentrate on the logic, instead, surrender wholly to the flow of ideas. The Brainstorming mode in ConceptDraw MINDMAP allows to organize these ideas in a hierarchical structure.

As in Brainstorming one must concentrate on ideas rather than appearance, this technique is convenient for sketching the structure of a mind map.

ConceptDraw MINDMAP allows to create a new document in the Brainstorming mode, or if you have already the Mind Map and like continue to work with it, you can add the new ideas to it with the help of Brainstorming session.

Menu	To create a new document in the Brainstorming mode, choose the Brainstorming... item from the File / New menu.

You can also choose the Begin Brainstorming item from the start dialog at the launch the program.

For holding the Brainstorming session in the current document, do one of the following:
Toolbar	Click the Brainstorming button on the Map Management toolbar.
Menu	Choose the Brainstorming... item from the Tools menu.
Keyboard	Press Ctrl + Alt + B.

When you switch to the Brainstorming mode all the toolbars, floating dialogs and map Outline view will be hided to attract attention to the Brainstorming session. Brainstorming toolbar will appear. However the most of the tools that can be used for Mind Map building, will be available from the menu.

At holding the Brainstorming session for current document, the map will be simply moved some up.

Brainstorming toolbar is visually divided into 4 steps of the Brainstorming session holding:

Step 1: Enter theme of Brainstorm

On this step you can enter the theme of your Brainstorming in the text field. When you switch to the Brainstorming mode, the text of this field is selected and ready for editing. The text of the theme is marked by the color and by the large font (20 pt). There are the following ways of filling of this field:

a) Brainstorming in new document - the default value of this field is the "Theme of Brainstorm". If you will change the theme, the value of Brainstorm theme field will be set the Mind Map main idea.

b) Brainstorming in the existing document, in which the main idea's name is not set (i.e. by default) – in this case the default value also is the "Theme of Brainstorm" and if you will change it, after the exiting the Brainstorm mode, the value of Brainstorm theme field will be set the Mind Map main idea.

c) Brainstorming in the existing document, in which the main idea's name is set - the value of the Mind Map main idea by default will be setted the value of the Theme of Brainstorm field.

Note: But not vice versa, i.e. if the values of Mind Map main idea and Brainstorm theme are different, all will stay without changes.

Step 2: Set time and start Timer for Brainstorming

Toolbar

To start timer, click the Start/Stop Timer button.

As soon as the specified time is up, ConceptDraw MINDMAP will show the message: "Time is up!".

Toolbar

When the timer is on, you can stop it at any moment by clicking the Start/Stop Timer button.

The last timer settings are preserved and offered by default in the next Brainstorming session.

Step 3: Enter all your ideas

It's the main step of the Brainstorming session, on that all your ideas adds on the map. You can enter ideas in the text field or add them directly on the map.

To add an idea on the map, do one of the following:
Mouse	Click in the Enter all your ideas text field and enter the idea.
Keyboard	Simply begin enter the text, the pointer will automatically switched in the input field.
Clicking the Add button or Enter key, the entered idea will be added to the Mind Map as a floating topic.

By default, the Add button is inactive. After you will start to enter the text, it will be activated. Ideas will appear in the visible region of the map by columns. Click the mouse on the map to deactivate the button and close the editor mode.

If you are over the Enter all your ideas text field, pressing the Enter button will add the idea directly on the map.

To add an idea directly on the map in the pointer location as floating topic in the editing mode, do one of the following:
Mouse	Double-click on the map and enter the idea.
Context menu	Choose the Insert Floating Topic item from the map context menu and enter the idea.

You will work with the topics added during the Brainstorming as well as with ordinary floating topics. You can connect them to the main idea, to the topics of the Mind Map if it already exists, and connect among themselves.

You can also add subtopics to the topics in the Brainstorming mode.

To add subtopic to the topic, select the topic and do one of the following:
Context menu	Choose the Add Subtopic item from the topic context menu.
Keyboard	Press Insert or Shift + Enter.

Other actions with topics are also similar to the map mode.

Context menu

To detach the subtopic from the topic, choose the Detach item from the subtopic context menu.

In the Brainstorming mode you can also copy topics to the Clipboard, insert the content of the Clipboard, delete topics.

These commands can be applied by following actions:
Context menu	Choosing the Copy, Paste, Cut, Delete items from the topic context menu.
Keyboard	Pressing: Ctrl + C, Ctrl + Insert - Copy Ctrl + V, Shift + Insert - Paste Ctrl + X, Shift + Delete - Cut Delete - Delete

Step 4: Finish Brainstorming and organize your ideas

On this step you can close the Brainstorming mode and continue to work with a Mind Map.

For this you can do one of the following:
Toolbar	Click the Finish Brainstorming button.
Keyboard	Press Alt + F4.

Main Idea Visualization

In ConceptDraw MINDMAP, the Main Idea of the Mind Map is a special object on which it's very important to concentrate attention. The Main Idea is the one to which you add topics to create the map.

It is convenient to place the Main Idea in the center of the page to create certain symmetry and facilitate the perception of your Mind Map.

The images are the one of the basic and most simply way to attract the attention to the Main Idea. They allow to visualize the sense of the Main Idea to more fully activate the mental perception (in its turn, it facilitates concentrating on the essence of the problem and evoking new ideas). For good visual perception the picture should be enough big, expressive and several colors should be used in it.

In ConceptDraw MINDMAP, you can use any objects for your Main Idea image: shapes drawn in ConceptDraw MINDMAP by using elementary figures and segments; Clipart objects; the images imported from graphic files.

According to the image type you can attach it to the Main Idea or embed in it.

The name of the Main Idea it is also important aspect. It have to be clear, laconic, expressive. Make sure that the name of the Main Idea is readable. Emphasize the name by color, font size, etc.

Buy ConceptDraw MINDMAP Online!