The Brains Inside the Bubbles: How ThoughtOffice Makes MindMaps Smart

PRLog (Press Release) - Jul 08, 2009 -
Blaine, WA -- It was 1967 when Tony Buzan first coined the term "Mind Mapping" as a way to visualize ideas. Since that time, dozens of firms have created tools to help visualize the creative process. But what goes inside the "bubbles" that make up the visualization? The leading lateral thinking software promises an intriguing solution.

"We've always felt mind mapping was the core of creative visualization," says Mark Alan Effinger, CEO of ThoughtOffice Corporation. "We've also seen our clients struggle to find the right questions and answers to fill up those mindmap bubbles. ThoughtOffice ends that struggle by providing thousands of the right questions and millions of lateral thoughts. When you have the right content at hand, the speed and intelligence of the mindmapping process improves dramatically."

What Effinger refers to are the lateral thinking components that make up the core intelligence of ThoughtOffice. The program has distilled hundreds of man-years of domain expertise into precise sequences of questions. ( http://www.thoughtoffice.com/?page_id=4 ) The questions are presented in a four-level hierarchy to keep complexity low and idea generation throughput high.

"We're big fans of Eli Goldratt's work," says Effinger. (He's referring to The Goal and It's Not Luck, two books that clarify the Theory of Constraints. These works describe how to locate and shift or remove bottlenecks to improve the volume and velocity in any process). "We believe it applies just as well to ideas and creative development," notes Effinger. "First, users have instant access to the right questions, questions that open the mind. Then they can search millions of thought particles, allowing creative solutions to simply flow ( http://www.thoughtoffice.com/?page_id=7 ). Mindmaps get completed faster, with a much higher level of detail and intelligence than they might otherwise."

ThoughtOffice has produced a short series of videos that share how to integrate mindmaps and ThoughtOffice in an effective manner. The video series will be available starting July 30th at http://www.smartermindmaps.com.

ThoughtOffice Corporation provides a discount to existing owners of brainstorming, mindmapping, creativity and innovation software, hardware or "paperware". To apply, simply visit the Upgrade Discount link here: http://www.thoughtoffice.com/?page_id=63 .

About ThoughtOffice:
ThoughtOffice Corporation is a technology and software developer headquartered in Washington state. Founded in 2004, the company provides solutions for corporations and individuals seeking to quickly generate creative ideas & innovations. ThoughtOffice products are used by most of the Global 5000, Homeland Security, NASA, Inc. 500 firms, hundreds of advertising agencies, and consulting organizations. The company can be reached by telephone at 360-450-6888, by e-mail at info@thoughtoffice.com, or online at http://www.thoughtoffice.com.

Contact:
Mark Alan Effinger
ThoughtOffice Corporation
9734 Lincoln Lane
Blaine, WA 98230
360-450-6888
info@thoughtoffice.com
http://www.thoughtoffice.com