Brainstorming is considered the mother of all creativity techniques. The aim is to unleash creativity in a group in order to put new ideas on paper. The basic idea of triggering a "storm of ideas" is not new. Everyone who starts brainstorming asks themselves the question at some point: What is the best way to get the many ideas down on paper? Free brainstorming tools such as Collaboard - the online whiteboard for teams that want to collaborate digitally in a modern way - act as helpful supports and pacemakers in the brainstorming process.
As you may already know, there are different methods of brainstorming. Some are more effective than others. A good brainstorming method is one that suits your team and is fun, structured, and accessible to everyone at all times. Traditional methods, such as sticking up pinboard cards or writing in notebooks, often lag behind modern brainstorming online tools. In a direct comparison, the advantages of the brainstorming tools available online outweigh the disadvantages:
Have you found a good brainstorming tool and would like to get started right away? Good ideas don't automatically arise when many people are working on a project. Structured work with brainstorming tools channels creativity and produces useful results. And this is the best way to proceed:
Plan your brainstorming session by taking care of the technology, the method, and all the necessary utensils. Agree on the date with the participants. They do not necessarily have to prepare the content. Sometimes brainstorming is more fruitful if the exact question is not yet known.
Some participants like to write, others do not once they are in the "flow". Therefore, make sure you choose someone to take on the task of writing down the ideas. All other participants can focus entirely on brainstorming in the meantime. You also need a moderator to ensure that everything runs smoothly. They determine the framework conditions, address participants, and ask questions. Ideally, your team will appoint a person with strong soft skills as a moderator. The moderator should be motivated, empathetic, and a team player in order to manage the idea generation process well.
Depending on which version of a brainstorming tool you use, a large number of people can work together in real time. Experience has shown that five to eight people are enough to get fresh ideas flowing. If there are more, it can become confusing. Ideally, the participants should come from different departments and have different areas of expertise.
The primary goal of your sessions is to collect as many good or even outstanding ideas as possible. You should avoid unnecessary discussions or criticism so that you stay in the flow. Instead, try to think outside the box, for example, by taking up an idea and generating a new one from it. Even ideas that seem unconventional or crazy at first glance can serve as inspiration.
To further develop ideas together, you should visualize them as well as possible. This facilitates the exchange and, depending on the individual learning types, creates vivid images in the mind. Various tools are available for this purpose. The Collaboard brainstorming tool, for example, offers a digital drawing workshop where you can work with a brush, pen, and pencil. Various shapes and inserted images also visualize your ideas. For even more multimedia, you can record videos during your session or upload finished videos. You can even embed the content of your favorite websites on your board using an embed code.
Once the ideas have been collected, they need to be sorted and prioritized. It is best to agree on this in advance and define how many ideas will ultimately be selected. Then, it is a good idea to vote on the collected suggestions and evaluate them. Collaboard offers a corresponding function for evaluating maps, texts, images, videos, and documents.
Good online brainstorming tools come with a range of useful functions and features. These brainstorming tools for teams facilitate joint collaborative work:
The selection of available online brainstorming tools is now almost unmanageable. Nevertheless, some applications are particularly popular with users. Below are brief descriptions of the 12 most popular brainstorming tools.
Mindmaster is a German mind mapping tool with a wide range of functions. With Mindmaster, you can create notes, manage to-dos or import files. You can also use ready-made templates and an app. The free basic version is limited to three mind maps.
Mind-map-online contains only the bare essentials: a mind map with a few functions that can be shared via a link or exported in JPG/PDF format.
The open-source Java application Freeplane organizes, groups and classifies ideas in a mind map. Shapes and colors can be used for visual design, which can be protected with a password.
LucidChart specializes in diagrams. The tool creates self-designed diagrams and works with templates. Content can also be imported from external sources such as Jira or YouTube. It also maps advanced processes.
With Collaboard, you can implement numerous brainstorming methods. Team members and guests can develop ideas together in real-time, vote on them, and much more. Collaboard is a GDPR-compliant brainstorming tool available as a cloud solution and a self-hosted solution (on-premises and for the private cloud).
Brainwriting can be implemented with Google Docs. Several users can write down their ideas on the web-based software. Interactive elements such as tables or drawings can also be edited together as a team.
Visual Thesaurus aims to promote associative thinking with the help of groupings. As the tool breaks down synonyms, it helps to develop concepts and find unknown words.
Bubble.us is a web-based application that generates bubble diagrams. With the basic version, teams can quickly create, share and download mind maps in real-time.
Popplet is a simple tool for capturing ideas. It creates visual presentations based on mind maps and diagrams. Popplet also provides a mobile app.
The web-based Factro application creates to-do lists and tasks with priorities. You can also define time frames and assign responsibilities to put ideas into practice.
As a kind of "digital notebook", OneNote mainly creates texts. You can add tables and images to these. Unlike other tools, OneNote does not have a task function, so it is mainly used to collect ideas.
As an online whiteboard, Miro also offers large companies many templates for brainstorming. In addition to whiteboards, the application provides mind maps and flowcharts. It is possible to collaborate in real-time with a video function or asynchronously in a team.
Mural enables interactive workflows with a wide range of functions. The main features include visual elements such as sticky notes and workshop functions. Features have also been integrated to simplify reporting and analysis.
All in all, the right free brainstorming tool can make all the difference in the joint brainstorming process. With the right application, you can visualize your ideas quickly and easily and record them for further processing. Finally, make sure you find a tool that suits you and your team. It is best to get an overview of the respective range of functions, the visual appearance, and the price-performance ratio.
Brainstorming is a method of collecting ideas. All team members write down their thoughts individually or together. The aim is to find new innovative ideas in joint projects and then implement the results.
The brainstorming technique is particularly popular in creative fields. It is, therefore, used in sectors such as marketing, product design, and event management.
The idea generation process goes through different phases. First you collect the ideas, with the scribe recording everything. You then organize the ideas and evaluate them. At the end, the prioritized ideas are developed further.
A good brainstorming tool for free simplifies the planning process and at the same time promotes collaborative working. Applications that are available everywhere have a user-friendly interface and a wide range of functions are ideal. Good tools also make brainstorming easier with templates that can be called up quickly and available interfaces to other programs.
Online brainstorming tools can also be used in larger groups. In practice, the best number of participants is between five and 15.
Remote brainstorming tools must ensure real-time transmission and have a whiteboard with versatile functions. Recommended free brainstorming tools such as Collaboard work remotely with just a few clicks and have an almost unlimited digital canvas for sketching ideas.
Collaboard is a free brainstorming tool that also offers a paid version with additional features. Up to five members can work on one project in the free version. A total of up to three projects are available simultaneously in the free version of the brainstorming tool.