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Mind mapping vs. Venn diagrams
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Posted by OutlinerBill
May 27, 2012 at 02:23 AM
The iPad version of Inspiration, Inspiration Maps (which I previously posted on) actually has a template with that, and if Inspiration for Windows doesn’t have the template, it wouldn’t be hard to replicate… for that matter with any concept map.
Basically it looks like two mindmaps joined side by side by their common nodes. Imagine two central topics, each with 3 subtopics out the left side, and 3 out the right side. Now imagine that the left map’s right side subtopics, and the right map’s left subtopics are the same - that is to say that both central topics point to the same 3 subtopics in between them. If you imagine them arranged as in 5 columns, they’d be:
Col1: the 3 leftside subtopics of mindmap A
Col2: the central topic of mindmap A
Col3: the 3 rightside subtopics of mindmap A..
AND the 3 leftside subtopics of mindmap B
Col4: the central topic of mindmap B
Col5: the 3 rightside subtopics of minmap B
The outside subtopics are unique to their single mindmap, whereas the inside topics are shared between both mindmaps (Intersection). There’s no reason (other than space) why each of the intersection subtopics couldn’t have sub-subtopics branching out from them.
Hope this helps. Let me know you’d like me to email you a ‘snapshot’ (unless there’s a way to upload a graphic to this forum).
Cheers
Bill
Posted by Dr Andus
May 28, 2012 at 11:26 AM
OutlinerBill wrote:
>The iPad version of Inspiration, Inspiration Maps (which I previously posted on)
>actually has a template with that, and if Inspiration for Windows doesn’t have the
>template, it wouldn’t be hard to replicate… for that matter with any concept
>map.
Bill, thank you for the suggestion. I downloaded the light edition and played around with it a bit. Generally the app looks good for mind mapping. I tried to replicate the template and tested it but in the end I found it didn’t quite do the trick for me mentally. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that I need a Venn diagram functionality here. However, most of the drawing apps in iPad that I’ve seen so far focus on presentation (i.e. creating something pretty, once you know what you are saying) rather than brainstorming (working rapidly to develop and discover ideas and relationships). At this point I think I will just stay with pen and paper, as that seems to be the fastest.
Posted by OutlinerBill
May 28, 2012 at 05:24 PM
I agree that most tools focus on presentation. Also
, I think I may be more closely wired to pen(cil) & paper than I’d like to admit for lightning brainstorming, although I prefer the brain-supercharging enabled by limitless digital multidimensionality and editability.
The closest I got to both (for me) was a Windows program called Axon Idea Processor. It’s designed for speed-of-thought capture, after-the-fact rearranging, and then extending into digitally enabled frontiers like simulation and 3d reach. It’s created by a developer in Singapore and you can see a gallery of possibilities at http://web.singnet.com.sg/~axon2000/showcase.htm.
I haven’t thought about this in quite some time as I seem to be leaving my windows laptop more and more behind as I live with my iDevices. Your initial scenario, however, reminded me of a model I’d built in Axon that was similar. If I recall, it was less a pyramid than a layered collection of primitive nodes at the bottom connecting up and aggregating to create composites in the layer above (the same primitive could be used in more than one composite), and then repeated up a couple of more layers. I believe I was architecting service layers, but can’t remember exactly.
In any case, maybe that’ll help (he used to have a free version with limited number of nodes so if you use Windows, you could try it out).
Good luck
Bill
Posted by Dr Andus
May 28, 2012 at 07:07 PM
OutlinerBill wrote:
>The closest I got to both (for me) was a Windows program called Axon
>Idea Processor. It’s designed for speed-of-thought capture, after-the-fact
>rearranging, and then extending into digitally enabled frontiers like simulation
>and 3d reach. It’s created by a developer in Singapore and you can see a gallery of
>possibilities at http://web.singnet.com.sg/~axon2000/showcase.htm.
Thanks Bill, this looks interesting and there is still a lite version, so I will check it out.
Posted by Alexander Deliyannis
May 28, 2012 at 07:33 PM
As often happens nowadays, there are also online tools for creating Venn diagrams, such as http://www.lucidchart.com/pages/examples/venn_diagram_maker and http://creately.com/Draw-Venn-Diagrams-Online
They both have a free option.
I understand that these also fit under the ‘mostly for presentations rather than brainstorming’ category, but they seem quite easy to use.
I also post, for reference, a link to a Venn template for Word http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/venn-diagram-chart-TC030002098.aspx