Chuck Frey of the Innovation Weblog MindMap Software Survey Results
MindMap software is a relatively young category of business applications. As a result, little research has been done to find out how people utilize it and the specific value it provides.
Chuck Frey of the Innovation Weblog objectives in conducting this survey were to find out how, specifically, executives are using MindMap software, and to shed some light on the challenges of increasing its acceptance in corporate settings.
During the month of August 2006, just over 500 people participated in this online survey, which apparently makes it the largest survey ever conducted about this genre of software.
For you to learn how these software tools are helping business users, here are results of the most important questions that this survey asked:
- What is the primary mind mapping software you use in your work?
| MindMap software |
Percentage using it |
| MindManager |
72.6% |
| FreeMind |
10.4% |
| Other |
4.5% |
| Inspiration |
2.4% |
| MindMapper |
2.4% |
| NovaMind |
2.0% |
| MindGenius |
1.6% |
| None |
1.6% |
| Visual Mind |
0.8% |
| Mapit! |
0.4% |
| AVIZ MindMapper |
0.2% |
| ConceptDraw MINDMAP |
0.2% |
| HeadCase |
0.2% |
| MindCad Pyramid |
0.2% |
| OpenMind |
0.2% |
| VisiMap |
0.2% |
| SMART Ideas |
0.1% |
Mindjet MindManager was clearly the most popular software, with nearly 73% of respondents saying that they utilize it.
The second most popular software was FreeMind, with 10.4% of the responses. This is not too surprising, because FreeMind is an open-source software that is - like its name implies - free.
And that means that many people who are thinking about buying a mind mapping software will first try out FreeMind before purchasing another software.
The third-largest response (4.5%) was for other MindMap software than those listed in the survey.
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- What applications are you currently using mind mapping software for?
Currently use
MindMap software for |
Percentage
of Respondents |
| To do lists |
58% |
| Preparing presentations |
58% |
| Note taking |
56% |
| Problem solving |
53% |
| Project planning |
52% |
| Decision making |
52% |
| Knowledge management |
52% |
| Project management |
51% |
| Individual ideation |
46% |
| Writing |
45% |
| Strategic planning |
44% |
| Meeting planning |
42% |
| Group brainstorming |
38% |
| Life management/goal setting |
32% |
| Training/Education |
31% |
| Business process mapping |
30% |
| Event planning |
28% |
| Conducting research |
28% |
| Managing other lists |
26% |
| SWOT analysis |
26% |
| Creating Web sites |
19% |
| Competitive analysis |
13% |
| Journal/blog |
12% |
| Other |
9% |
The survey contained a long list of applications of mind mapping software; respondents were asked to check all applications for which they are currently using it.
Not surprisingly, 71.4% of participants ranked project-related applications very highly: 52.4% said that they currently use this software for project planning. Nearly 51% also use it for project management.
Also ranked highly were preparing presentations (57.6%), note taking (55.8%), decision making (52.1%), problem solving (52.9%) and knowledge management (51.9%), in descending order of popularity.
Most types of mind mapping applications received at least a 20% response, which points to the impressive flexibility of these software tools.
This question also gave respondents the option to specify other applications for which they are using MindMap software. Here are some of the "other" responses to this question:
- Documenting software requirements.
- Software development and modeling.
- Writing reports.
- Knowledge elicitation.
- "Signposting" - creating diagrams that display links to documents that are part of a management system (such as quality or environmental system).
- Designing investment strategies.
- Document management.
- Prioritizing issues for team management.
- Visual project reporting.
- Creating indexes to documents.
- Comparative analysis.
- Legal hearings and motions.
- Business planning and contract management.
- Medical case management.
- Negotiation planning.
- Theory of Constraints (TOC) thinking processes.
- Meeting minutes.
- Managing committee roles and out-of-committee networks.
- Gap analysis.
As you can see from the survey data and the "other" responses, the applications of this software are quite varied. These software tools help business users to solve many different types of information, knowledge and data visualization challenges, and the survey results appear to reflect that.
- How many hours a day do you utilize mind mapping software in your job?
| # of hours |
Percentage |
| < 1 hour |
41% |
| 1-2 hours |
33% |
| 2-3 hours |
13% |
| 3-4 hours |
6% |
| 4-5 hours |
3% |
| 5-6 hours |
1% |
| 6-7 hours |
1% |
| 7-8 hours |
1% |
| More than 8 hours |
1% |
The largest number of respondents, 40.4%, said they use MindMap software less than one hour a day. Another 32.4% use it one to two hours a day. This could lead to several possible conclusions:
- It may be pointing to the fact that people are utilizing this software in a support role in their work. In other words, they use it to capture and organize their ideas and then transfer them to another application for further development.
- It may also have something to do with the types of jobs that respondents have, and how much those roles lend themselves to MindMap software.
For example, a new product development manager or R&D professional, who has a strong need to develop, capture and refine new product ideas and effectively manage multiple projects, would probably use this software more hours a day than a salesperson.
- What is the single biggest benefit you have experienced from using mind mapping software?
| Single Biggest Benefit |
Percentage |
| Clarity of thinking |
43% |
| Manage info overload |
12% |
| Productivity |
9% |
| Get better organized |
9% |
| Visualize info relationships |
8% |
| Communicate better |
4% |
| Other |
4% |
| Fresh/new ideas |
3% |
| Manage projects |
3% |
| Speed |
2% |
| Collaborate better |
2% |
| Get more work done |
1% |
The runaway favorite, with 42.6% or responses, was "improved clarity of thinking". The second most popular response was "manage information overload better" at 11.7%.
These first two responses are definitely related: Most people are inundated by information, knowledge and data, and they need a tool like mind mapping software to help them make sense of it.
Rounding out the top five, were "make me better organized" at 8.7%, "productivity" with 8.5% of the responses, and "see relationships between different aspects of a situation", 8.3%.
The answers to this question point to the primary value of MindMap software: no other type of software enables you to record your ideas, thoughts and knowledge and rearrange them up with the flexibility that MindMap software enables.
- If you had to quantify the productivity increases that mind mapping software has enabled in your work, how much would that be?
Productivity
Increases |
Percentage
of Respondents |
| Over 100% |
4% |
| 75-100% |
2% |
| 50-75% |
5% |
| 40-50% |
8% |
| 30-40% |
15% |
| 20-30 |
26% |
| 10-20% |
25% |
| 0-10% |
12% |
| None |
3% |
Two responses nearly tied in the results for this question: 25.1% of respondents said that MindMap software helps them increase their productivity by 10-20%, while 25.9% said that it increases their productivity by 20-30%.
If you consider the number of responses for each choice and the ranges of productivity increases covered, you could conclude that MindMap software increases the productivity of executives by an average of 20%.
Click here to buy Mindjet MindManager Pro 6, the most popular MindMap software, at the best price
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