Last week saw another exciting development for the mind mapping world, with the release of iMindMap 6, which has already received wide praise from all angles for being yet another giant leap forward in mind mapping software from the Cardiff-based ThinkBuzan team!
If you have not already tried iMindMap, you can download a free trial of the latest version by clicking here
Here's a few of our favourite new features!
3D View
iMindMap 6 boasts a number of great improvements, including a further development of the existing 3D view, providing not only rich 3D background environments for your maps, but also enabling you to actively build and edit your map in 3D view! We're pretty simple folk at Biggerplate, and we are fairly easily entertained, but we think that is really cool...!
Keeping others (or yourself) engaged with what you are mapping should be no problem with this amazing view, combined with easier navigation controls and manipulation of the 3D environment.
Actually, let's keep this really simple: it just looks fantastic.
If your goal is to make information more visually appealing and engaging, then iMindMap just took away your excuse for failing to do so. It would be near impossible to make a crap looking map with this software. Trust us, we tried.
Flow Charts
An under-rated addition to the previous version of iMindMap, flow charting within a map gives you the ability to switch from expansive, divergent thinking (in the map format) to more sequential, process-driven thinking using the flow-chart feature, and then back again. Commit to trying this approach, and you may be surprised how often you start bolting flow-charts into your maps.
This feature existed in version 5, but the iMindMap team have clearly got their teeth stuck into it for version 6, and (in their words) given it the "iMindMap touch". What this means is they were not satisfied with anything that did not look visually brilliant. So they made it visually brilliant. You've got to love that approach to development!
Presentations
Further improvement to the presentation mode gives you greater control over the order and amount of information that is shown to your audience. You don't lose the power of the map format, but you have greater control over how much your audience is shown at any one time, and that is always a useful tool for any presenter.
Oh, and there's definitely a little taste of 'Prezi' in some of the transitions and effects that can now be applied to make your map presentation more dynamic! This is a great sign that the ThinkBuzan team is paying attention to visual approaches that work elsewhere and bringing them to the mind mapping world. Just remember, just as there is 'death by powerpoint', there can also be 'nausea by Prezi'... so just go easy on the swirly transitions when putting together your new iMindMap presentations... your audience will thank you!
Conclusion
iMindMap 6 is a genuine jump forward in mind mapping software, and we're really excited and impressed! Chris and his team have once again pushed the boundaries of what is expected from their software, and continued to integrate the best aspects of other visual tools and approaches into the product. If we did star ratings, we'd give this 342 out of 343, just to keep them on their toes.
Software reviews are perhaps not the most exciting thing in the world, but this latest iteration of iMindMap should genuinely excite the mind mapping community, as it once again demonstrates the degree to which leaders in the field are pushing forward the boundaries and capabilities of the tools we are using.
Let's try and finish with something equally exciting: super heroes...
If iMindMap was a comic book hero, it would be Ironman: shiny, flashy, powerful, highly effective, and a bit of a show off... We love it.
