MyMind 1.2 Review

Continuing on the theme of small, free but very useful OSX software is MyMind. Mind mapping tools are fairly new to the scene but there are plenty of them about now. I have always looked at these tools and wondered why I would pay for something I can just as easily do with a pen and paper. MyMind is something special however as it is free and takes advantage of OSX's Aqua framework to create an elegant tool that is functional to boot.

A Quick MyMind Map (Click to Enlarge)

If you are not familar with mind mapping it is just the formalisation of those bubble diagrams we all have been doing since childhood. It is great for planning out loosely connected ideas when thinking through a problem. The really nice thing about a tool like MyMind is that at the end of the process you are left with a very presentable diagram that can be used in a number of scenarios. MyMind has a few map 'styles' plus nearly all aspects of the diagram can be changed to suit your presentation needs. Completed lists and maps can be exported to a number of formats from OPML to JPEG and SVG so you are able to exchange your thinking with others fairly easily.

MyMind's versitile list tool

At the heart of MyMind is a simple yet powerful heirarchical list builder. A nice touch is the ability to add custom columns to your list and create relationships between items based on a variety of variables. Everything is simple and intuitive to do and with a tiny bit of experimentation you are producing fairly complex yet smart looking diagrams in minutes. MyMind is a great little tool for many occasions, its small and concise yet powerful enough to achieve great results in minutes.