Clearly communicate and share ideas by creating mind maps in Lucidspark and Lucidchart. Read this article to learn how to build and work with mind maps.

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Note: Lucid’s AI capabilities are currently available to all users but may be subject to a paid subscription model in the future.

Watch: Create mind maps in Lucid

The basics of mind maps

A mind map, also called a concept map, is used to visualize the parts of a main theme or idea. The central idea of a mind map is represented in the middle and the lines that branch out are used to connect each individual part of the central idea.

Here’s some standard mind map terminology to know:

The root or base is the center node of a mind map, representing a central theme or idea.
Nodes contain keywords that represent pieces of information.
- The parent node represents a main idea from the root.
- A child node contains information related to its parent node.
- Multiple child nodes of the same parent node are called sibling groups.
Branches connect each node and idea to the root.
A level of a mind map refers to all of the shapes that have equal degrees of separation from the root.

To summarize, a mind map is constructed with a hierarchy where the root is the central idea. Each related idea is represented in branches to parent nodes, child nodes, and sibling groups. Generally, as you add ideas further from the root, you can represent more granular or specific ideas and keywords.

Add a mind map to a Lucid document

Mind maps work similarly in Lucidspark and Lucidchart, but with slight differences in how to access and add them to your workspace. To find instructions specific to the Lucid product you’re using, refer to the relevant set of steps below.

Add a mind map to a Lucidspark board:

Click the Organizers icon from the Primary Toolbar on the left-side of the canvas.
Select Mind Map from the menu that appears.
Click anywhere on the canvas.
- You can also click and drag the mind map from the Primary Toolbar onto the canvas.

Add a mind map to a Lucidchart document:

Click More shapes at the bottom of the Shape menu.
The Shape menu is located on the left side of a document.
You can also press the “M” key on your keyboard.
Check the box for “Mind Maps”.
Click Use selected shapes.
Drag the mind map shape from the Shape menu onto the canvas.

Edit a mind map

After following the steps above to add a mind map to the canvas, you’re ready to start adding your ideas.

You can:

Edit text by clicking a node and typing.
Add a new node by selecting an existing node and clicking the plus icon that appears.
- The plus icon to the side of a node will add a new child node.
- The plus icon below a node will add a new sibling node.
Collapse a node and any child or sibling nodes connected to it by clicking the minus icon.
Move a node to a new branch by clicking and dragging it to a new spot in the mind map.
Add emoji to a node by typing a colon followed by an emoji keyword and selecting an option from the results.
Delete a node and any child nodes connected to it by selecting the node and pressing “Delete” or “Backspace” on your keyboard.

Tip: Use hotkeys to quickly add new nodes to a mind map. Press “Tab” on your keyboard to add a new child node and press “Enter” to add a new sibling node.

Customize a mind map

Change the font size, style, and color of text on nodes

Click the node you want to customize.
In Lucidspark, selectthe Text options icon from the Context Toolbar that appears.
- In Lucidchart, use the text styling options found in the Formatting bar.

From these menus, you can make adjustments to font style, size, and color; and add bold, italics, underline, and strikethrough text.

Learn more: Refer to our Add and style text in Lucidchart and Lucidspark articles for more details.

Set layout style

Select the mind map's root node.
In Lucidspark, click the layout icon from the context toolbar that appears near the shape.
- In Lucidchart, click the Contextual Panel icon on the right-hand side of the canvas to open the panel.
Choose a horizontal or vertical layout.

Tip: To ask questions and get help, visit the Lucidspark or Lucidchart post in the Lucid Community.

Use Collaborative AI to build a mind map in Lucidspark

Leverage the power and ease of Collaborative AI in Lucidspark to build an even more comprehensive mind map. Here's how:

Select a node in your mind map that you want to generate ideas from.
Click the Collaborative AI icon from the Context menu that appears.
Select either Expand with ideas or Expand with questions.

example-of-how-to-use-collaborative-ai-to-build-an-intelligent-mind-map-in-lucidspark.gif

New ideas or questions generate on new branches from the node you selected. You can rearrange or edit generated nodes by following the steps in the Edit a mind map section of this article.

Note: Currently, our AI capabilities support English only. Additionally, Collaborative AI is not available to users in the FedRAMP environment. To learn more, see our FedRAMP overview article.

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