If you’re in the process of building your website, it’s normal to have hundreds of ideas each day. But without the right tools and practices, all your valuable ideas can go to waste. Imagine having a billion-dollar idea in your head, only to be forgotten in the future because you didn’t record it.
The best solution to untangle your thoughts is to give them a tangible form. Writing your ideas down can help you record your concepts, but there’s a better way to conceptualize your ideas.
If you haven’t used a mind map yet, then you’re clearly missing out. A mind map can give you tremendous benefits during the development of your website, and you’ll want to use them as early as possible.
If you don’t know what a mind map is, how it works, and how it can benefit you and your website, don’t fret. This article has all the answers you need.
Understanding a Mind Map
What is a mind map? Simply put, it is a graphical representation of your ideas. A mind map is designed to provide a visualization of ideas and concepts that are typically very difficult to explain. Mind mapping requires the use of visual tools such as images to make ideas easier for analysis, comprehension, and synthesis.
Unlike other tools and methods such as document creation and note-taking, a mind map uses a two-dimensional structure for idea organization. Typically, when creating a mind map, the main thought, idea, or concept is written in the middle of blank paper. Then, ideas produced that are connected and related to the main idea are branched out, creating a radiant structure. All these sub-ideas can also branch out to make way for more ideas.
In contrast with other traditional practices, a mind map is able to combine both analytical thinking skills as well as much-needed creativity. Safe to say, mind mapping allows your brain to perform cognitive functions while giving it room for creative release as well.
Now that you know what a mind map is, it’s time to understand why a mind is important, especially when you’re developing your website.
Importance of Mind Maps
Why do you need a mind map? You might be thinking that a mind map is unnecessary because you already use brainstorming tools and practices in the past. But consider switching to mind mapping. Not only will you be able to transform the way trains of thought are explained, but you will also have more liberty, and control over your own concepts.
Here are some benefits of mind mapping that you might need now:
- Provides a cohesive and comprehensive structure of information - Avoid messy, chaotic, and confusing brainstorming tools when using a mind map. The mind map operates by giving a hierarchical structure of data and related information. With a mind map, you are able to identify the big picture and produce ideas to connect and support the main concept. This makes it extremely useful when presenting ideas to others, and most especially when looking for solutions to complex problems.
- Enhanced Creativity - Your brain needs creative exercise too. When you subject your mind to constant thinking all the time, expect to feel tired immediately throughout the day. Your brain is your main driver, so as much as possible, you want to stimulate your brain with creative thoughts.
A mind map encourages creative outputs, making thought-production frictionless, and more importantly, more fun for you, and your team members. If you are fueled with creativity, you can build mind maps faster and better.
- Increased Productivity - Whatever your purpose is for using a mind map, there almost always is a guaranteed improvement in your level of productivity. On top of enhancing your creative thinking, a mind map also gives you room to brainstorm more effectively.
If you’re in the process of developing your website, you can use a mind map to discuss how information should be organized and presented on each page. You’d also want to use a mind map to construct the way a user would navigate your website. Where do you want to lead them? What do you want them to do once they reach the page? Mind mapping can help you answer these questions.
- Better Memory - When using traditional tools, were you able to observe that you tend to forget ideas quickly? A mind map can help you retain information better. A mind map does this by having visual tools, mind maps images, or other graphical symbols that can trigger a memory associated with it.
After learning the benefits of mind mapping, you may want to learn more mind mapping ideas. Other than that, you may also want to learn how to make a mind map too.
Here are the steps on making a mind map using mind mapping software so you can get started:
- Think of your main idea - If you’re developing your website, you can have each section or page of your site as the main idea. Start by writing the ‘Welcome Page’ or ‘About Us’ section. You may also add sections to your site and use that as your main idea.
- Branch-out Ideas - Think of ideas that should be included or connected to the main idea. If your main idea is the ‘Landing Page’, brainstorm supporting topics such as a welcome message, a window pop-up to sign up for a newsletter, or link to the products you are selling online. You can also think out topics like page set-up, color scheme, typography, and logo.
- Make sub-topics - you may still want to add more ideas or concepts to the ones you’ve added to the main idea. If one of your topics includes ‘typography’, you can list your choices of fonts. Just make sure not to make each topic too excessive. One to two words will do.
- Arrange your topics - One of the best things you can do when making a mind map online is that you have the ability to easily grab idea branches and drop them onto a new one. You might want to do this if your ideas have grown too much, and there’s only little room for a bit more. This also helps you when correcting errors, and re-structuring the organization of your ideas if necessary.
- Place images and add colors - One of the benefits of a mind map is that it enhances creativity. You can practice your creative skills by supplying the appropriate images onto your mind map. You can also pick a color scheme that can make it more visually pleasing. Visual tools, images, and other symbols as well as colors, can help foster memory retention. This can be helpful to avoid forgetting important information and to trigger old and new ones.
Here are some mind mapping software that provide mind mapping templates and tools to start your first mind map:
- MindView - Mindview is a visualization software used for mind mapping, concept mapping, and more. This software is available for use by businesses and even students. It’s also available on various platforms including Windows PC, Mac, and tablets. It’s also possible to view Gantt charts using this software.
- MindManager - MindManager offers various visualization tools to create a mind map. It’s a commercial mind map software that allows users to create and manage different projects and information organization. Some of the features and tools that they offer are concept map tools, flowcharts, as well as calculations and formulas. They also offer a Gantt Chart view.
- MindGenius - MindGenius offers an all-in-one project management tool. They offer MindGenius 20, which offers a Gantt view, solution view, and slides view, as well as a One Touch Technology for a simple mind map. They also offer MindGenius Online which allows teams to work remotely, and add files, images, and links.
After conceptualizing your thoughts on your website, having a mind map can help you visualize the processes that your users would have to go through while navigating your site. You can also think of other visual assets for your websites such as color schemes, blocking, typography, and other creative assets.
A mind map will also help you visualize potential problems and risks that you might experience in the future. For example, you might want to create a mind map specifically for how you want your products to be displayed, and how can a user proceed to checkout then track their orders.
Image taken from Strikingly Product
Once you’ve created your mind map, you can now head on to Strikingly website to create your account. Strikingly offers various services, tools, and templates to help you get started with your website.
Whether it’s about the physical look or the internal processes of your website, a mind map can surely help you achieve your goals, increase your productivity, foster creativity, and make brainstorming more fun. Whatever it is that you’ve managed to accomplish with a mind map for your website, Strikingly will make it possible for you.
