Developers have a lot to focus on in their professions. Many of the problems and innovations they tackle are complex with even more complex solutions. As such, it’s important to have a good way to keep track of what needs to be done and what could be done. This is where mind mapping comes into play.
What Is Mind Mapping?
Source: oreilly.com
1. The Ability to Organize Thinking
The first reason that this technique can help developers is that it organizes thinking. When starting a job, they are starting something that is full of detail. Any developer can tell you that a simple list isn’t enough. Not to mention, that once simple list will quickly get messy with the number of ideas and to-do’s that get added along the way.
When using one of these maps, professionals will be able to draw out their plans in a simple format. One thought can branch off from the main topic and the steps to bring that thought to life can be put together off of that branch.
2. Flexibility in Planning
The structure of planning something step-by-step can be frustrating, to say the least. This is, in large part, because many people don’t think consistently in a linear fashion. If you are someone who leans towards more non-linear thinking, you might have one idea but not know right away how to get to that point.
With a mind map, the structure doesn’t depend on thinking in order. Instead, it’s just about coming up with ideas centered around the main topic. This allows users to jump around and plan the way they think.
3. Connecting Multiple Developers
When working on a large project, developers might find themselves working with people they aren’t a cubicle away from. In fact, one study found that at least once a week, almost 70% of people worldwide work remotely.
With this in prevalence, it’s important that developing plans are able to be shared with one another. Luckily, thanks to the increasing convenience of the internet, everyone can stay much more connected than they once were. Mind maps online can help teams collaborate even if they are on opposite sides of the world. These usually have the following features;
- Collaborative editing
- Color coding
- Templates
- Illustrations
- Keywords, and;
- Some feature search bars for easier navigation
4. Retroactive Linear Structure
It was noted earlier this mapping method can help to aid non-linear thinking. This is because it helps give structure without necessarily requiring immediate order.
Eventually, though, most ideas do need to be given an order. Mind mapping can help this in a couple of ways.
The more old-school option is to look at the map that’s been created and take down the sequence that those ideas need to happen in. But, to restate an earlier point, the strides developers have made in computer software have taken traditional methods and improved upon them.
For most software of this kind, users are able to move branches around as needed. This is oftentimes as simple as clicking and dragging objects to new locations. With this feature, it’s easy to go back and retroactively add in a chronology and connections to a brainstorming session.
5. Identify Relationships
As noted in the last sections, mind mapping can be used for finding connections. This is an extremely useful tool in any sort of planning. When developers are planning – especially in a non-linear fashion – they may have multiple goals for their project that don’t initially seem to connect.
The type of thought organization allows you to look at each concept that you come up with in extreme detail. When ideas are being fine-tuned to the most minuscule level, it’s easier to see how to link ideas together to reach every goal the project has.
6. Creating a Program with a Wide Map
When designing something like a website, it can get confusing to try and remember what’s where and how to connect it all back together. This type of mapping can be used to untangle these paths by creating them on a simple map before programming them fully.
Conclusion
Mind mapping has a variety of benefits when it comes to helping developers. For instance, you can use it to organize thinking, allow flexibility for non-linear thinkers, and online software can even allow for collaboration. With the benefits we’ve looked at here, it only makes sense that it is the way to go for your next project!
