Key Elements of Mind Maps in Ayoa

There are a few key elements of a Mind Map that pulled together will help power your creative thinking. This guide will show you the basic principles of mind mapping.

To get started, your Mind Map needs a structure. The main body of your map is made up of a Central Idea, and both Parent and Child Branches. 

The Central Idea:

Your central idea represents the topic that your map is going to cover. This is the starting point for your ideas to grow out of. Within Ayoa, you can adjust the size and shape of your central idea to focus your attention on the subject matter. Adding an image reflective of your topic will encourage you to find further associations for you to add to your map. In Ayoa, you can even hide the text on your central idea to let the image take center stage on your canvas. 

The Branches

The ideas that you add to your map are called Branches. The main branches that grow from your central idea will highlight the key areas of your topic and you can then add child branches to these for further detail. More branches will grow from each other as they trigger other thoughts. With an unlimited canvas in Ayoa, you can add as many branches as you like, allowing you to fully explore your ideas. To learn more about adding branches to your mind map, click here.

• If you enjoy the process of drawing mind maps, Ayoa lets you drag and drop branches onto your canvas into a space that you choose.
• Alternatively, use your arrow keys and hit Tab to speedily create multiple branches. When you make a branch and hit Enter, Ayoa will automatically prepare the next sibling branch for you. 

Formatting and Color

Adding color to your mind map enhances your work by linking the logical with the creative. Using color, you can highlight and categorize information in your map more effectively, allowing you to analyse, memorize and learn content. The more visually exciting a platform is, the more motivated and engaged you will be in your day to day work. 

• Ayoa has a varied color palette - ideal for creating both professional and creative mind maps. Find these formatting options by clicking the paintbrush tab in the branch menu.

• Outline your branches in color to differentiate between areas whilst keeping a clear and simplistic appearance. 

• Fill your branches in with block or gradient colors to inject a little more fun into your map. 

• Use the branch editor to your advantage - fill branches in, increase the size and change the connector style to draw attention to important ideas. 

Images

Images are powerful because they instantly convey messages, in a way that words do not. Acting as visual stimuli, they can spark numerous associations to help you create ideas and recall information. Within Ayoa, there are a few different ways you can add images to make your map more visually exciting.

• Add images to your branches to clearly represent key themes and spark further ideas. 

• Reacting to branches will insert emojis into your map, adding an extra visual element whilst informing others you have seen their idea.

• You can also add emojis to your text in branches.

• ‘Showing creators’ will add an image of that person’s avatar to each branch so you instantly know who has created what, helping you to remember your colleague's contributions.