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Review: MindNode Pro

Planning your next project? Throwing out feature ideas for your next web app or planning the plot for a future bestseller?

If you prefer visual, non-linear note taking like me, you’ve probably given mind maps a try. If this involves pulling out your Sharpies and scribbling away on paper, next time you might want to consider reaching for your Mac.

For software to replace pen and paper, the application must be uncomplicated and not get in the way of what you’re trying to achieve, and MindNode Pro is exactly that kind of application.

On launching MindNode Pro, you’re presented with an almost blank canvas. Just one main node and a simple instruction, “Drag to create a new node”. There is a full help section and even a link to a couple of video tutorials, but to get started, one instruction is all you need.

Rename the main node, then drag out or click the plus (+) sign to quickly create new nodes, linked to the main node by coloured branches. The new node’s text is already highlighted ready for you to type over with your own content. If you’re not a fan of the mouse, MindNode Pro is just as easy to use with the keyboard alone, navigating the map structure and adding and editing nodes with just a few easy to remember keyboard shortcuts.

You are free to arrange nodes however you please, but if you like consistency, neatly organising all nodes is easily done by selecting the nodes you wish to arrange and hitting ⌥⌘R.

The appearance of nodes and connections can be modified using the Node Inspector. Changes can be made to the font and text colour, the width, style and colour of branches and, if using cross connections, the start and end point styles. The main background colour of the mind map can be changed in the Document Inspector along with the Spotlight information, essential if you have a Documents folder full of MindNode documents.

If your thoughts require multiple mind maps but are still centred around the same general subject, multiple main nodes are supported in MindNode Pro. This allows you to create several small (or large) mind maps within the same MindNode Pro document. Nodes on unrelated branches can be linked using cross connections.

As brainstorming can often be a frantic time, you’re likely to put frequent saving to the back of your mind. Luckily, MindNode Pro has a very handy autosave feature. By default, MindNode Pro documents will be autosaved every minute, so if your Mac explodes or, more likely, there’s a power cut, you’re not going to lose many of those great ideas.

If your research includes a lot of referencing of external material, MindNode Pro allows the creation of hyperlinks to webpages and files on your hard drive, as well as links to create new email messages.

If you need to share your thoughts with others, MindNode Pro offers several export options, including PDF, PNG and TIFF, but also FreeMind, OPML, HTML and RTF. I would like to see an option to export a PDF without a background (transparent). Adding mind maps to Keynote or Pages documents is something I do quite a lot, and the white background of the exported PDF just gets in the way. I currently open the PDF in Adobe Illustrator and remove the background easily, but eliminating this step would be nice, especially for those without something like Illustrator.

I would also like to be able to embed images in MindNode Pro documents, not full-size, that would destroy the simple feel of the application, but perhaps with small icons, clicking to reveal the image in a Quick Look style window, similar to that of Finder. Files can be opened using hyperlinks within MindNode Pro documents, but if you accidentally delete or move a file you’re going to have problems. Embedding the images would be, in my view, a much better option.

MindNode (touch) for iPhone will arrive in the iTunes App Store tomorrow. I’ll be interested to see how nicely the iPhone and Mac versions play together, and will be sure to review MindNode (touch) soon after its release.

If you have used the free version of MindNode, the upgrade to the Pro version is certainly worth it, adding several new features to the basic application including cross connections, node folding, hyperlinks and node reorganising.

As a simple way to gather thoughts and develop ideas, MindNode Pro is perfect, and for less than $15 is amazing value. It’s an application that will always sit at the top of my recommendations list.

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