Mind mapping vs. Venn diagrams

Posted by Dr Andus
May 22, 2012 at 03:50 PM

Usually when we do mind mapping (or even outlining), we start from a general topic and break it down to multiple sub-topics and sub-sub-topics etc. that are increasingly more specific. However, this process is limited because it only allows you to operate within the realm of the original general topic.

But what if you wanted to do mind mapping where you are trying to establish the intersecting areas of multiple general topics (something similar to what a Venn diagram does)? Mind mapping software don’t seem to be equipped for that.

Are there any tools that can do that? One practical application for that would be the identification of an interdisciplinary research area, which would emerge at the intersection of multiple literatures and sub-domains. One could use a Venn diagram but it can get awfully messy and busy, especially if drawn by hand.

It would be nice to have a different type of visualisation. E.g. a pyramid where the lower layers are wider and more general, and the specific intersecting topic emerges at the top (with lines connecting to the underlying more general building blocks of the pyramid). Or a mind map that allows for multiple general topics and also allows for the intersecting of their more specific branches (sounds complicated).