Mind mapping is a popular technique for all kinds of work, especially in the tech industry. It helps us organize our thoughts and flesh out ideas, turning complex and overwhelming projects into digestible plans. However, there is one problem with the traditional mind map: you must know where to start, and where you are going. Mind maps begin with a big idea and work outwards, which encourages one type of thinking, and does not offer insight or unique perspectives. There is no room to reimagine your project or question its basic structure, and it does not offer much help if you have lots of important ideas and no place to put them.
For this reason, Jon Ward, a fifty year veteran of the marketing, education, and business consulting world, has developed an app called Braincat. This software guides you through a new way of thinking to narrow your focus and hone your ideas. Instead of making assumptions about your project, Braincat starts where you start: with a mess of ideas.
By going from the ground up, Braincat allows you to see your project in a new way – identifying connections and relationships you may not have otherwise noticed. It also helps you to clear your mind and think deeper about the project, boosting your creative process and producing a high-quality end result. It’s a natural fit for the tech industry, from developers to designers to start ups.
How Does Braincat Work?
The Braincat process involves five steps to guide you through an effective thinking style:
Discover: Braincat is equipped with a full library of thought-provoking questions tailored for different types of projects. There are question sets for writing, making a decision, design, or even personal exploration. Pick a set and answer as many of the questions as you like; this is designed to offer new angles to your project and give you a deeper understanding of the project purpose and direction. This step is completely optional.
Input: At this step, you will enter everything on your mind related to the project, no matter the importance or priority. This is similar to brainstorming – the idea is to get all thoughts out of your mind and into Braincat. This process should grant you with a feeling of clarity once you are not weighed down by extraneous ideas and details.
Categorize: Now that you have entered all of the important and juicy details, you create buckets or categories for each item you inputted. Take a look at each piece of information and ask yourself, “What is this? Where does this belong?”. This allows you to give meaning and purpose to each idea.
Sequence: With all of your buckets created, you can now determine the priority or order of the essential components of the project. Sequence your categories however you see fit; it can be an order of events, steps in a process, or a ranking of importance. This step should highlight relationships and connections within the project. At this step, you also get to name your big idea – this means deciding the underlying meaning of all the data. This step makes Braincat unique because it occurs at the end of the process rather than the beginning like traditional mind maps, allowing you to come to unexpected conclusions instead of following a predetermined path.
Output: Finally, Braincat takes all of your information and produces a variety of outputs, including a mind map. Now you can see the full structure of your project with all details and components integrated. Export any output type with ease to share it with colleagues.
Discover a new way to mind map and streamline your outlining process with Braincat. The app’s versatile design makes it suitable for any type of work, or personal exploration. Users typically choose Braincat for writing projects, planning presentations, developing products, web design and programming projects, or even making tough decisions. They offer a free trial and strong customer support to guide you through the process of making Braincat work for you.
