iMindMap Mobile HD for iPad – review
Since some days I’m not only the owner of an iPad but also of iMindMap Mobile HD (V1.0.0) – the new mind map application from ThinkBuzan. Within just a few minutes after receiving the app the first branches were made and WOW!, this is mind mapping as Tony Buzan preaches it! Not just structuring thoughts and ideas but drawing and stimulating the right brain more than in other so called mind map tools. It is really a pleasure for the brain to see the rounding’s and automatically generated colors.
Yes, this is the kind of application you want to buy an iPad for. And yes, this is the way I want to work with it – KISS (Keep it Stupid Simple) – not struggling with the tool but just do what has to be done in a pleasant way.
After this first wow-experience it’s time to have a closer look at the features. Reading it I think it is good to divide between more or less ‘only iPad users’ and professionals who also use iMindMap and other mind mapping software on PC/Mac.
Creating and editing an iMindMap
As I said, making a mind map on the iPad is a great pleasure. It has an attractive look & feel and on my way to a meeting last Saturday I quickly and intuitive produced the branches and sub branches after first finding the right central image out of three categories (‘Objects’. ‘Abstract’ and ‘General’) – more than 40 images in total. Every branch comes up with a new color and will keep that for its sub branches (you can give them another color afterwards).
The organic form is standard and cannot be changed. Unless you are in speed mode you can draw in any direction. Want to add an image to a branch? Ten groups with 2 – 12 images each are available – this should be enough for most mind maps.
If you want to add a so called ‘box branch’ (a branch that has a text box in it) than you have to select this before. Drawing a branch brings up the keyboard to enter text. While with normal branches you push ‘Done’ after finishing the text with a ‘box branch’ this button is not available …
The Speed Mind Map Mode is a fast way of creating an iMindMap – it means less drawing. In this mode there are two extra buttons available on your screen (bottom left and right) to add ‘child’s’ or ‘siblings’ on the next place (clockwise) in your mind map. It’s possible to change the places of the branches afterwards.
Editing a branch
To edit a branch just select it and hit the ‘pencil button’ on the top. An edit box appears and you are able to edit text, add an icon, a branch link (to be opened in iPad’s Safari) and/or a branch note. The last possibility in the edit box is the delete button, but be careful: the application doesn’t have an undo button …
Holding your finger on the body of a branch brings up a little menu with the functions cut/copy/paste/edit. Cut/copy and paste to another branch works fine but it’s not possible to paste to the central theme.
After finishing the mind map it will appear as a thumbnail in the Map Browsing Screen, sorted alphabetically. Tapping the thumbnail will show a preview and possibilities as export, delete and presentation.
Exporting an iMindMap map
Exporting a mind map means generating an email with attachments. Exporting an image will generate a PNG image of the map and also a zipped file that again contains the PNG image and an .imm version of the mind map. The .imm makes it possible to continue working on your map with the iMindMap application on your computer. The export to PDF also generates a PNG image and a zipped file with a PDF and an .imm version of your mind map.
The quality of the PDF could be better – using Adobe Acrobat I see some thin lines that don’t belong there. Also Adobe gave me the message that it couldn’t extract an embedded font. Drawing a mind map in the train and send it directly to
colleagues or customers is a comfortable function – but it also means that you need an Internet connection and a mail service on your iPad.
Importing an iMindMap from your PC doesn’t work. The application does not have this functionality. I tried it by selecting an iMindMap in my DropBox but it was not recognized by iMindMap Mobile HD. I hope this will be possible in the next version.
Presentation Mode
I was very interested in the presentation mode, but I must say that I’m a bit disappointed. Yes, you can make that mind map to present and iMindMap Mobile HD has a presentation mode. But to start with you have to draw the branches in the appropriate sequence because it is not possible to change that afterwards. Exporting to the PC/Mac version would make it possible to change this sequence but then you can’t bring it back to the iPad … Also existing presentation maps cannot be used because of the missing import function.
Something else is that a monitor or beamer is necessary (and not always available) because the presentation cannot be shown on the iPad itself – something I could use … On the moment the mind map branches are in the right sequence and there is a monitor or beamer available the presentation mode is very impressive for your audience.
Working together on iMindMap for iPad
For an individual use iMindMap Mobile HD is great. Depending on the situation I was using the normal mode or the speed mode to generate some mind maps that impressed also the people that I showed the way to do it and the results.
Working with others on a mind map is difficult because this ‘mind map in progress’ cannot be shown on a monitor or beamer – this function is only available in presentation mode. I tried to use the ‘Camera Kit’ for the iPad (because this has an USB-adaptor) to connect the iPad using the USB-connection of my extended monitor but the monitor was not recognized 
Video
Please see the official video 4 miniute from ThinkBuzan below.
Conclusion
iMindMap Mobile HD for the iPad is an easy and accessible application, the development department of ThinkBuzan has done a great job. It’s a pleasure to work with and it’s also a pleasure to look at. There are however a few improvement points for the actual version and some extra for the next version of iMindMap Mobile HD for the ‘professionals’.
For me the most important improvements would be
- the connection to a monitor/beamer with the possibilty to make the drawing process also visible for others,
- a presentation mode on the iPad itself with the possibility to easily re-sequence the branches and
- importing existing iMindMaps from my PC, even if I eventually would lose some elements.
Still, I love it!
Hans Terhurne is a facilitator, trainer and efficiency coach using the ingredients ‘dialogue’, ‘visual mapping’ and ‘creative problem solving techniques’ to generate involvement and commitment for the next step in business management items. The name of his organization is CreaMatics – active in a systematic way and finding new solutions for today’s challenges.
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