Mind Vector

A general description of the application/topic

Mind Vector is a free online software program that allows users to create mind maps. A development of i2e Consulting LLC , this tool is aimed at users from all walks of life who want to organize and present ideas in a visual, clear format. The software can be used across a variety of projects including business planning, revision activities, creative project management and thought showers (aka brainstorming). The benefits of mind mapping have been long since supported by academics. The application is available across all platforms including web, iOS and Android. A limited version of this software is available for free and for the one-time amount of $9.99 (USD) a Pro version unlocks unlimited amounts of mind maps. It scores pretty high in reviews although, as this reflection will discuss, it is far from the best option when compared to its rivals.

An account of your personal experimentation

In this research project I used Mind Vector to create and publish a mind map. The focus of this map was to summarize an article which we are studying in our Content-Based Writing II class, here at Laval University. The software was easy to access and setting up an account was relatively simple. There is nothing too complicated about the site and everything works on a point-to-click set up which makes it great for beginners. Check out this quick demo for more. What was tricky was that organizing all of the bubbles and ideas wasn't very intuitive. For example, when moving a parent bubble, all attached bubbles stay put. This results in having to individually move and organise each section of the mind map individually which took way too much time. This becomes particularly annoying when adding a new bubble in to an already arranged section. Another criticism would be that there is no way (that I found) to copy/paste information across from other documents. This means that each section must first be drawn, edited and the placed in the mind map.

Here's what my mind map looked like:-

An analysis on the use of the technology in class for ESL

This software could be easily used in an ESL context. The presentation of ideas in a clear and easy to understand could help teachers and students alike. For instance, I would recommend using this software when looking at cooperative learning activities. Groups of students can easily share and arrange ideas in a simple and efficient way. the advantage of using software over paper-based maps is that this can be shared, presented and documented. Also, from a teacher's perspective, when looking at learning modular units, ideas can be arranged to show to the class what will be studies. For example, if a class is studying sports, the mind map could be used to gather key vocabulary around the sports with sub-sections for each category (i.e. team sports, Olympic sports, winter sports).

The Competition

In addtion to the review of Mind Vector, we will take a look at simliar mindmapping software and take a look at how it compares to the competition. I took at look at three similar services to see what the main similarities and differences were.

Sign in through either Facebook or Google clients avoid extra passwords. The results of this product remain very simliar. It allows the creation of simple mind map wisch can be printed, downloaded or shared. Customisation of colours, icons and fonts allow personalisation - just like Mind Vector. The similiarities stop here, however. What really sets Mind Meister apart is the user experience. This software seems much more user firendly and intuitive. I spent much les time click and having to place bubbles in the diagram. The Organise feature is totally a time-saver. Simply clicking on this button automatically arranges the mind map in to a well spaced and presentable diagram. The options of personalisation are much wider and all is accessible through a very straightforward menu on the left hand side of the screen. A simple but huge difference which shows the level of detail the developers have put in to this software was the Undo function whihc doesn't feature on Mind Vector. Also the mapping of this function (Ctrl+Z) mirrors all other document publishing software. Another great feature, which I didn't full explore was the possiblity to Collaborate. Other features including a walk-through set-up wizard, export to Google Drive, history view and cloud sharing gave the feeling that there is much more functionality to this system that Mind Vector.

On the whole, I would say that this system share some of the drawbacks of Mind Vector in terms of the simple process of mind map creation (still trying to beat a pen and paper here!). However Mind Meister stands heads and shoulders above the cometition in terms of its sophistication, intuition and user experience. It was a much more effcient and less frustration process to get the map draw up quickly.

A great feature is the profile customisation. You can select wether you are a student, teacher or professional and the software will adapt to your needs. Instead of a demo or walkthrough tutorial, Mindomo offers a sample mind map to showcase its featues and allow you to play around with the software. Movement of sections is as intuitive as Mind Meister. Simply double clicking in to spaces adds bubbles to the mind map and the arragning of information is super smooth. Features such as Comments and Task Management potential which make it great for group work and project managament.

However, these addtional features and its professional, clean look come at a higher price. While the free version is highly usable for occassional project, it is limited. For example maps can only be shared as links and I didn't find anywhere to download or print. upgrading to the more advanced level of this software is not cheap. This software is the most expensive of the range.

Overall this looks like a great piece of software for more regular/long-term use. It looks even more geared to an ESL classroom evironment. But if you are looking to use this on the regular, make sure there's some room in you yearly budget!

You can access this website and start mapping within one click of landing on the page. As a reault, publishing of mind maps is public unless you opt for the paid version. Users are given 100kbs of free space with mind maps whihc remain accessible for six months. This means MindMup is great for temporary work, almost like a post-it, but would be difficult to use this site. It can always be screen grabbed and then coverted from an image in to a document, but this requires additonal tech-savy users to manipulate the mind map to suit user needs.

In terms of user experience, Mind Mup delivers a solid performance despite its simplicity. While there is no auto-arrange function bubbles and sub-groups seems follow each other pretty smoothly. Organising the map is quick and simple. Most of the customisation offered by other services is not present. There are fewer options for adding pre-loaded images icon and bubble styles. However, fonts, colours and uploaded images can be added. A nice touch which makes MindMup stand out from its competitors is use of both an Icon quick link menu and, unlike the other systems, there is also a more tradtional menu bar at the top of the page.

On the whole MindMup is a successul platform and it offers a 'to-the-point' mindmapping software. As a consequence, I qwould recommend this software for on-the-fly mindmapping when ideas need to be mapped quickly, efficiently and shared as rapidly as possible.

Further Information

For more information on Mind Maps and how to use Mind Vector, check out the following links:-

· Online review of Mind Vector

· Benefits of mind mapping

· Demo video