The 9 Greatest Thoughts Mapping Instruments for Design

A thoughts map is a diagram drawn to assist brainstorm concepts with out being compelled to arrange or construction them. As an alternative, concepts are visually depicted in a hierarchical construction displaying the circulation and relationship between varied concepts as they come up, which permits us to investigate them and recall them with ease.

Let’s check out the varieties of thoughts maps which might be utilized in UX, and the thoughts mapping instruments which might be used to create them.

The Advantages of Thoughts Mapping

So, why thoughts map?

Ideation is thrilling. Concepts right here, concepts there. Nevertheless, the passion to conceptualize them may be so invigorating that we don’t take the time to develop upon them or contemplate different concepts.

Speeding into an idea can take us down a highway that’s seemingly innocent however truly fairly harmful. It’d get us to complete line, which feels nice, however with an end-result that’s mashup of random ideas and concepts that don’t work collectively.

By mapping out concepts, we will higher perceive their:

1. worth (what’s to be gained by exploring this concept?)
2. function (how does the thought match into the greater image?)
3. relationships (how does the thought relate to different concepts?)

Finally we will begin to set up these concepts by similarity utilizing a technique referred to as affinity mapping, which in flip helps us design user-centric mockups and wireframes versus being pushed by private opinion.

How Thoughts Maps Are Utilized in UX

Thoughts maps can evolve into different varieties of maps with extra particular makes use of. For instance, maps that discover the navigational hierarchy and consumer flows of software program techniques similar to web sites, apps, and so forth, are known as sitemaps. Maps that discover the quite a few methods through which clients may work together with a product are referred to as buyer journey maps.

Each of those are helpful when planning UX design tasks — sitemaps for planning wireframes, and buyer journey maps for optimizing the net and offline buyer expertise.

Coggle

• Pricing: $0, $5, or $8 (/month)
• Platform: net
• Professionals: easy options, real-time collaboration
• Cons: seems to be a tad outdated, solely accomplishes thoughts mapping

Whereas many old-school thoughts mapping instruments have grow to be tragically outdated over time, Coggle is one which’s managed to outlive by maintaining its focus solely on thoughts mapping and sporting a reasonably easy consumer interface.

It nonetheless seems to be considerably dated, however nonetheless is a lot better wanting than veteran instruments like FreeMind (which hasn’t been up to date in at the very least 4 years) and Thoughts Supervisor (which seems to be prefer it got here bundled with Home windows 95).

Take a look at the Coggle Thoughts Map Gallery, particularly the thoughts map that describes the assorted varieties of emotion.

Discover how every emotion is split by colour, then additional divided into extra particular feelings depicted with capital letters, after which divided as soon as extra in a smaller font. It’s completely as much as you the way visually set up your ideas and relationships. Coggle lets us discover concepts utilizing photos, branches, loops, shapes, and no matter else we have to discover our story.

Stakeholders can weigh in by commenting on thoughts maps, but additionally collaborate in actual time as if utilizing a whiteboard.

Other than real-time collaboration, these options are normal and are included in each different instrument on this checklist.

TL;DR: Coggle is every part you want, and nothing you don’t.

XMind

• Pricing: $1.24, $4.58, or $4.99 (/month)
• Platform: net, iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, Home windows
• Professionals: lovely maps, very trendy, wonderful UX
• Cons: solely thoughts mapping, no real-time collaboration

Apart from Coggle, XMind is the one thoughts mapping instrument to resist the check of time, nowadays taking inspiration from critically acclaimed display screen design instruments like Sketch to supply a mighty thoughts mapping expertise, however nonetheless with a minimalist and intuitive consumer interface. XMind thoughts maps look beautiful, and whereas there’s no real-time collaboration, the maps may be shared with stakeholders and exported in quite a lot of codecs.

In the event you’re searching for a modern-looking thoughts mapping instrument with out the bells and whistles, XMind is greater than appropriate.

Tip: strive “Zen Mode” to take away all UI distractions!

LucidChart

• Pricing: $4.95, $8.95, or $20 (/month)
• Platform: net
• Professionals: caters for giant groups and every kind of diagrams
• Cons: one of many dearer thoughts mapping instruments

LucidChart has the flexibleness of Coggle, however with higher options for groups (together with enterprise) utilizing diagramming in a variety of eventualities and integrating with a big number of completely different third-party instruments, most notably the Google Suite.

Premium and enterprise-level groups also can count on top-notch privateness, GDPR compliancy, and SAML-based Google SSO safety.

As a designer, you possibly can use LucidChart for buyer journey maps, product roadmaps, affinity mapping, and naturally thoughts mapping. LucidChart is a critical enterprise possibility for critical groups, though the prices most actually match the options.

In the event you’re a smaller workforce with smaller wants, Coggle or XMind could be extra appropriate. If not, LucidChart evaluations very nicely.

MindMeister

• Pricing: $0, $4.99, $8.25, or $12.49 (/month)
• Platform: net
• Professionals/Cons: none actually; it’s pretty respectable throughout

MindMeister is LucidChart however with real-time collaboration options and decrease prices for enterprise-level groups. Whereas there’s nothing that units it aside, it’s nonetheless an honest alternative.

Whimsical

• Pricing: $0, $8, or $12 (/month)
• Platform: net
• Professionals: very inexpensive, additionally has wireframe instruments
• Cons: no integrations or critical collaboration instruments

Since every object on the canvas has its personal contextual toolbar, Whimsical looks like a extra modernized-looking Coggle, and whereas it’s new-kid-on-the-block standing means there’s no integration with different instruments (but?), the upside is that it’s the best instrument on this checklist to grasp. Additionally, once you’re performed making your thoughts maps (sitemaps, consumer circulation diagrams, and so on.), you’ll be able to start mocking up designs utilizing their wireframe instruments.

All in all, a beautiful-looking instrument at a really inexpensive value.

Gliffy

• Pricing: $4.99 or $7.99
• Platform: net
• Professionals: Atlassian integration and wireframe instruments
• Cons: Atlassian integrations value further

Very similar to LucidChart and Whimsical, Gliffy can also be aimed particularly at designers, and it may be used for wireframing as nicely. Whereas its core instrument doesn’t do something out of the peculiar, Gliffy does supply each a Jira and Confluence integration to assist resolve design bugs in context, talk successfully, and general cut back confusion amongst stakeholders.

RealtimeBoard

• Pricing: $0 or $40 (/month)
• Platform: net
• Professionals: face-to-face video, real-time collaboration
• Cons: the prices are somewhat steep as compared

RealtimeBoard is no doubt the simplest real-time collaboration instrument there may be, not solely making it extremely simple to thoughts map as a workforce of 5 or extra, however to facilitate design sprints as nicely.

RealtimeBoard is the mightiest whiteboard there may be, and with a 5/5 Capterra score, it’s clear that the excessive prices are price it.

One of many prime options that units RealtimeBoard aside is the face-to-face video chat, which is great for distant design sprints!

Pen

• Pricing: free
• Platform: Paper
• Professional: you can begin proper now
• Con: dangerous to the setting — so recycle responsibly

Like InVision Freehand, however … in actual life.

Observe: you too can use InVision Freehand, which is solely free-for-all sketching.

Conclusion

Choosing the proper thoughts mapping instrument largely comes all the way down to your function as a designer. In the event you’re utilizing thoughts maps as a approach to kickstart a mockup or wireframe, then a instrument like Whimsical or Gliffy will take you all the way in which. Freehand could be higher suited to those that take pleasure in sketching, and RealtimeBoard is great for lean and agile groups working design sprints.

Or, in case you simply need someplace to arrange your concepts, then Coggle, XMind, or LucidChart will do the job simply properly.