MindMapping with MindNode

1211 days ago in Articles, Contributors, Reviews by John Fuller | 1 Comment

If you’ve got ideas circulating through your head, or constantly find yourself in the position to brainstorm – MindNode is an app for you. MindNode is what’s known as mind mapping software, similar to programs like XMind and Curio. Mind Mapping programs are designed to make it easy to lay out ideas, brainstorm, and organize ideas.

Mind Mapping software works by allowing you to create a web of ideas. You start off with a central topic in the middle of your screen and create “Nodes”, or subtopics, to branch off of your main idea. Each node can have another set of subtopics, and so forth.

Interface design is extremely important when using a mind mapping application. In my opinion, MindNode got the interface right. It’s incredibly simple with only four buttons in the toolbar, and a blank canvas for your utilization. What’s also great is that the canvas will automatically expand with the addition of each node. The nodes are also color coded, which is customizable.

There are three pop out control panels – Inspector, Fonts, and Colors. The Inspector panel gives you miscellaneous options such as line thickness and color, background color, as well as an entry panel for adding Spotlight metadata. You can customize the line and font color of each node, as well as the size.

MindNode comes with the ability to “auto save” a document down to the second, which is always a plus. Each canvas can also hold multiple “root nodes”, or central ideas. The app will also check grammar and spelling on-the-go for you. Also, the addition of a new node is animated.

A Pro version is available for $14.95 and includes a few advanced features. The interface remains the same as the free version, but the preferences and inspector panels are vastly improved. For instance, you have greater control over the style and design of nodes, keyboard shortcuts, and the ability to add hyperlinks in your mind map.

MindNode is definitely a nice application, and worth a try. The freeware and Pro version is available for download at MindNode.com. If you like the free version, I’d suggest upgrading to the Pro, not only for the features, but to support the developers – especially if you want to continue to see updates.