Adam
Adam Feinberg
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Adam Feinberg: Chris, Tell us a little about Mindjet:

Chris Holmes: Mindjet was established in 1994, and has offices in Larkspur, California, Frankfurt, Germany and North Hampton, England. We have about 300,000 customers worldwide, including users at 60 of the Fortune 100. Our larger customers include BMW, Oracle, HP-Compaq, Whirlpool, Kodak, Dow, Con Edison of New York, Paramount Studios, NPR, Aon, Kinko’s and Charles Schwab.

Who uses MindManager?

Individuals use MindManager alone or as part of a team. Typically, users will be in IT, training and R&D departments. Increasingly, though, we are getting more interest from C-level and middle-management users. Really, though, it is useful for anyone who needs to organize a great deal of information, map out complex processes, or who needs to capture the kind of interactions that take place within meetings - whether those are formal meetings in the board room or casual conversations in the hall. Our software is particularly useful for planning projects and to give teams the ability to toggle between big picture and details across the project lifecycle.

What kinds of projects are you referring to?

I mean projects in the broadest sense of the term. When you really think about it, just about everything we do at work is a project: planning a meeting, launching a product, designing a web site, reengineering a process, conducting strategic planning—even writing a report or creating an article like this. A lot of people use very complex project management tools to run even quite small projects. We understand the need for dedicated project software for very large activities. But our customers never cease to amaze us with stories how they have come to prefer to run complicated projects in MindManager.

So when we say projects, we mean everything from creating a meeting agenda to rolling out a new product line.

So that’s your main use—project management?

Well, let me take a step back. If you would accept for a moment our premise that “everything is a project,” then what is basic to all projects is meetings. To move just about any kind of project forward, two or more people need to come together (either locally or remotely) and work. Our product is very good for “project” management because it is, in many ways, the perfect meeting facilitator.

Despite all of the technological advances over the past 20 years, there has been very little progress in helping people do meeting better. There has been a lot of activity in the market in the past couple of years around the “where” of meetings. Net meetings have become popular for obvious reasons, and companies have spent a lot of money in collaboration tools that help people find content and experts within their organizations and then create various kinds of work spaces. But when it comes right down to a team of people getting together on line or in person, people tend to revert to pretty old technologies: flip charts, note pads and white boards. While you can capture information that way, it is hard to get a coherent view of what transpired at the meeting.

Rather than create another place for a meeting, we create another way to meet. MindManager enables meeting participants to create a kind of living document of the meeting. If you’re in a conference room, you project a map up on a screen. If you’re meeting online, you share a map online.

How exactly do people use MindManager for meetings?

Some of our customers are just now starting to integrate the Tablet PC into their meetings with great result. One IT consultant says he loves the way he can walk around the room, talking to individual participants, capturing their comments in handwriting—all the while using a wireless connection to put the map he is building up on the screen for everyone to see.

We have a lot of customers who talk about how creating this kind of “transparent,” two-way meeting environment both keeps everyone on the same page and encourages people to participate more. Exactly why that happens is a long story—maybe something we can talk about another time. Once people have been a part of this very participatory process, the resulting “map” can then be exported to Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Outlook or Project—as well as to HTML to create a fully functioning web site, something that can be posted on a corporate Intranet site, for example, as meeting minutes.

My main point is that besides MindManager there really is no technology at the moment that helps people gather their thoughts, especially in the crucial formative stage of a project. Nothing helps the inflow of information better than MindManager. That is really our sweet spot.

How did the Tablet PC edition come about?

MindManager 2002, I think, helps with all that I have mentioned, both for individuals and for teams. What we have tried to do with the Tablet PC edition is to say “How can I as an individual be even more productive in meetings? How can I digitally capture as quickly as possible what goes on in meeting, then carry those notes forward into broader business processes?”

This is where the use of the pen comes into the picture. There have been a lot of stories in the media about how some people consider it rude to have a laptop open before them at a meeting. And you hear stories about how managers wonder if people are taking meeting notes, answering emails or playing solitaire. I don’t know if the Tablet PC will eliminate all those concerns! But two things it can do: First, use of the pen eliminates the need to a flat surface to type on, so the Tablet PC immediately becomes more mobile. Secondly, once people start taking notes with a pen, they often find that they can work much faster than if they were typing—even if they type faster than they write. And when they are able to use a pen to create maps, they are able to work extremely fast.

I should say that our Tablet PC-enabled version is built on our 4.6 version code base. It is not new code that we are just trying out. The code base has been tested and been around for a while. We currently have around 100,000 users running on the 4.6 version. So it is on top of this tested, stable structure we have added pen functionality. MindManager  2002 for Tablet PC takes full advantage of the ink handwriting and other features that Windows XP Tablet PC Edition offers.

How would a Tablet PC user use the product?

We have provided 2 modes of operation in MindManager 2002 for Tablet PC.

1)      First, we have provided what we call “mouse” mode. This mode gives the user exactly the same functionality as our current desktop PC software. As such, this particular mode in optimized for pen use. The icons are relatively small and harder to click on using the pen. They are designed for use with the cursor and key commands.

2)      The second mode—the Tablet PC mode really—is called “pen” mode. In this mode, the interface gets slightly simpler with fewer and larger icons. Fewer icons doesn’t mean you have lost any functionality. What we have done is to provide icons for the most common activities you are going to use in pen mode. The goal here is to offer you ink, gestures and speed, just as if you were using a pen and paper. In fact, in pen mode you are also able to create and insert sketches.

You mentioned gestures; can you explain what you mean?

We have a number of pen gestures designed to assist in the rapid creation of business maps. These predefined gestures are for commonly used actions: A straight line opens a new topic; a check mark allows you to edit a branch. There are gestures to open and close branches; to copy, cut or paste branches, as well as undo a previous action. By drawing a triangle, you open a sketch window. By making a little scribbling mark, you erase a branch.

What we want to do is to allow you, as a user, to interact with your screen as you would with pen and paper. Think of the page as an immense piece of white paper that you can pan (we also have a tool to help you navigate large maps.)

MindManager offers templates in the product. How are these used? 

We see most people using templates in the context of meetings. Most meetings have a standard format. So rather than having to go through the process of building notes from scratch (meeting objective, participants, agenda, goal, date, time, place, etc.), we provide the user with preformed templates so that they can quickly create a logical structure within which to place meeting content.

We also provide what we call branch templates. These are designed to help people structure recurrent data forms such as contact details, task lists, days of the week, months of the year and so on.

Another way that you get data into the maps quickly is by using wizards. How do these work?

The Enterprise version of MindManager 2002 supports the use of wizards in “mouse” mode. This allows you to set up a series of questions that will then guide users as they populate the maps with information. If I wanted to fill in a project map, the wizard would guide me through the name of the project, who is involved in it, etc. You just key in the details. This information then will flow into the map.

How do users of MindManager collaborate with one another?

 

We have 2 modes of collaboration in the product:

 

1. P2P. You and I can collaborate over the phone each with our tablets and work together on a map. You connect over the network. When 2 people connect together, the person with the map starts off in control. The person connecting receives a copy of the map on his local machine. When the "master" makes changes, it is reflected in the other person's map. When control is passed, the process works in reverse. When they end the collaboration session, both users have exact copies on their own local machine.

2. The Enterprise edition of our software, with the addition of our bundled Enterprise Conference Server (runs on NT4 SP6 & Win2000), allows up to 100 people to collaborate and share a document. Usually it is 5-10 people having team meetings. You have some people here, some in England, some in Germany.
   This online collaboration mode uses a token-sharing technique. Only one person can edit the document at a time. You need to request to take control of a document. The document can be "passed around" as needed. We work on a map, check on the progress of the project. When someone initiates a conference, they select a map that resides on the Conference Server. That map is a permanent, maintained document on the server.

How do you handle environments that have both Tablet PC and “traditional” users?

If you and I both are using Tablet PCs, we clearly both have ink control. We both can view and edit ink objects such as handwritten branches and sketches. If you don't have a Tablet PC, these ink objects become Windows Metafile images. The non-Tablet PC user can see them but cannot edit them, but can otherwise treat them as normal parts of the map, adding branches before or after branches that contain ink.

When a user leaves a meeting setting, what do you think they will do next?

We see users going back to their desks and then reviewing their notes.  If I am going to share my notes around, it is probably more efficient for me to turn my handwritten notes into type so others can read them. We have given users two ways to do this: First, once you have captured your meeting notes in a map, you can then choose to recognize your handwriting branch by branch. Or, you can just recognize the entire map at once. Our goal is to enable you to first quickly capture content. Once you have it, then you can take the time to go in and make sure each branch is accurate. But we decided not to have a “recognize ink” window pop up every time you add content. That would slow you down to much. We designed it so you do all that later.

One other thing to consider is that maps filled with handwritten notes are much larger than maps in which the handwriting has been recognized. That’s simply because handwriting is saved as an image, which takes up much more memory than type.

You export information to a number of other applications. Can you elaborate?

MindManager for Tablet PC supports a number of applications such a Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Project. When you export a map to Word, for example, you are given a number of options such as how to deal with bullets, text boxes, and handwriting recognition. You can make refine your export quite a bit, then select the export, and within a minute or so you have a complete Word document of your map contents.

When you export to PowerPoint, you are presented with formatting options and have the opportunity to select from a number of PowerPoint templates. If you are exporting directly from a handwritten map, the ink is converted to bitmap images. Again, within a minute or so, you have a fully functioning PowerPoint presentation without even having to open PowerPoint itself.

The same is true of our exports to Microsoft Outlook and to HTML. Our Outlook export is a great way to build or assign task lists. With our web export, you can build a very complex map, choose the web export, select from a number of formats and templates, and within a minute or so have a fully functioning web site.

To enable a constant source of export solutions, our exports work as external plug-ins. We have API around this that allows developers to engineer add-ins to the application. We have around 25 partners right now who continue to develop new kinds of export add-in.

How do you interact with Microsoft Project?

One of the things that we hear a lot from Project people is that even though Project is a fantastic tool, its learning curve is pretty steep. It’s pretty foreboding at the start of a project to be presented with a blank Project plan and just start figuring out what you and your team are going to do first. The nice thing about MindManager is that you don’t have to think linearly like that. When you start a project in our tool, you can just starting thinking about the things you  know need to be done, or taken into account, or remembered from the last project like this. You can create branches for people you need to talk to and things you need to ask them; potential pitfalls and possible timelines. You can start to define the scope of the project or its purpose of how success will be measured. You can capture all this in one big map, then start to drag and drop branches to create a logical structure. And you can spin branches off into new maps: a scope map, a stakeholders map, etc. Once you have organized your map into a series of sequential steps, then you can synchronize with Microsoft Project. When the sync is done and you open up the Project file, you are already well into the process and don’t have that blank project plan staring you in the face.

 

As a result, projects tend to be easier to start. And because you’ve been able to think broadly before you actually start creating the project plan,  projects tend to be more successful.

 

How do you view Microsoft's soon-to-be-released OneNote?

 

Some people compare MindManager to OneNote and say “Gee, isn’t that what you are doing?" In a simple sense, that might be true. Both tools have to do with note-taking. The difference is the way that each product addressing that function.

 

We see OneNote as being very much about capture notes that the individual user—the creator—may use later down stream. OneNote creates a sort of a repository, a silo of notes. The sense that we have is that OneNote users probably will not share that information with others very much. You may come back to it and refer to it for reference, but the notes will have been captured in a very idiosyncratic way that will probably make sense only to the person who created them.

 

MindManager, on the other hand, is all about creating notes that can easily be shared with others. This has to all to do with structure. Our software really forces the user to put their notes into a clear visual hierarchy. Because if your notes are captured inside a structure, others will be better able to understand them. OneNote creates the digital equivalent of a three-ring binder, which is a useful way to store notes. But if you wanted to share the contents of one of those binders with others, you are going to have to go in there and put them into some kind of structure. In fact, MindManager might be a good way for someone to structure the random notes they have captured using OneNote.

 

OneNote gives a step forward. You don’t have to be linier. You can write anywhere, insert anywhere, and then move things around to develop some kind of structure. But what you end up with isn’t really “one note.” It is many notes. It is more like OnePlace. It is a place to keep your many notes.

 

MindManager’s structure implicitly puts your notes into a context and that context gives you hierarchy and gives you relationships between informational pieces—and it does so in a clear, easy to understand visual manner. A picture paints 1000 words. That’s what our product is about.

 

You can get lost in a picture too

That’s true. One of the key features of MindManager is designed to avoid a kind of visual overload. The maps are built on a kind of cascading structure of branches, sub-branches, sub-sub-branches, and so on. This means that by closing levels of branches, you reduce the amount of visual information on the screen. Users can close branches to gain a 30,000-foot view, or start opening them to drill down to details. The user can always control how much information they see—how “big” a picture they see.

 

In what other ways are your clients using the software?

 

With 300,000 customers, we hear about a tremendous variety of uses. Our Tablet PC version is being used by people like the IT consultant I mentioned. He uses MindManager to collect input from line workers in large hospitals and factories, then goes back and uses that feedback to create sales proposals. Another tablet user, the president of a large organization, does all his strategic thinking with MindManager as he travels around the country. He uses it to capture notes when he visits customers, and says that on the flight back to his headquarters he can usually create most of the reports and PowerPoint slides he needs to push the opportunity on to the next level. We are also seeing a rapid growth in the use of MindManager among college faculties and students. We think there is a huge need among academia for a tool that helps students structure information in a very personal way.

 

Companies like Schwab, Con Edison and NPR use our desktop version to improve software development. Genencor uses it to manage multiple biotech projects. Shawcor does chemical R&D with it. BMW uses it to manage tons of documentation. Aon, a Fortune 300 risk management firm, used it to build a 14-country knowledge portal. We have one large insurance company whose salespeople use the tool for guided selling. They have even taken all of their financial services product information and built template wizards.

 

One leading sales person in this insurance company used MindManager the very first time on a call with the CFO of a large, well known corporation in the San Francisco Bay Area. His ability to convert what turned out to be a very large sale was due, he said, to his ability to clearly walk the client through the insurance product choices he needed to make. He didn’t walk to client through a big document, he just opened up concise map branches as they went through the options. The salesperson could also add notes to specific branches. At the end of the meeting, he had notes that were relevant to the conversation. He’s very excited to get going on at Tablet PC, which he thinks will make this process even easier.

 

We have an open interface so what people can do with MindManager is only limited by their imagination.

 

How much does the Product cost?

 

Because we see customers using Tablet PCs as a replacement for, rather than in addition to, their desktops, we have priced MindManager for Tablet PC exactly the same as our desktop PC versions: MindManager for Tablet PC Business Edition retails for $189. MindManager for Tablet PC Enterprise Edition costs $269. In both cases, there are discounts for volume purchases. We also have educational pricing available. We also have MindManager Mobile for both Palm OS and Pocket PC. We sell them as companion products to the desktop version for $49.

 

We also have a free 21-day, fully functional trial version of the software on our website.

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For more information on Mindjet or on MindManager 2002 for Tablet PC, visit Mindjet on the web http://www.mindjet.com.

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