Mind Map Formats: 9 Types, Examples and When to Use Each

Mind map formats are the different layouts you can use to organise ideas visually. Each one suits a different kind of link between ideas. The nine most useful are the radial mind map, the tree (hierarchy) map, the flow map, the concept map, the bubble map, the double bubble or Venn comparison, the fishbone diagram, the brace map and the lotus diagram. To choose one, ask what connects your ideas: loose association, rank, sequence, a named relationship, description, comparison, cause, parts of a whole, or expansion. The HuddleIQ online whiteboard has ready-made templates for most of these formats.

This guide is for anyone who has opened a blank board and stopped at the first question: which layout? That might be a teacher planning a revision lesson, a student turning lecture notes into something they can remember, or a team lead mapping a project before kick-off. For each format we give a one-sentence definition, an example, the job it does best and the HuddleIQ template to start from. We also include a selection matrix you can reuse. If you want topic ideas rather than layouts, our companion post on mind map ideas and examples covers seven of them.

What is a mind map, and why does the format matter?

A mind map is a diagram with one central theme in the middle and related ideas branching outward from it. The format matters because each layout makes one kind of relationship easy to see and hides others. If you pick the wrong layout, the map fights the content.

The classic definition comes from the medical-education literature. D’Antoni and colleagues, writing in BMC Medical Education in 2010, describe mind maps as using “a central theme in the middle of a page with categories and subcategories that radiate peripherally”. They credit the technique to Tony Buzan and note that mind maps “include color and pictures”. The same paper contrasts this with concept maps, which are “constructed in a top-to-bottom hierarchy”, and with standard notes, which run “from the top of a page to the bottom”.

That contrast is why “mind map” has become an umbrella term. Teachers and teams use it for any diagram of connected ideas, from a radial brainstorm to a step-by-step flow. The Arizona State University engineering learning guide puts the main split this way: a mind map is “a visual of data and information about one topic/concept/idea”, while a concept map “represents an abstraction of a complex problem by showing relationships between multiple concepts or ideas.” The other formats in this guide sit between those two poles.

What are the main mind map formats?

Nine formats cover almost every brainstorming, study and planning task. Each is built around one type of relationship. The table pairs each format with that relationship, the question it answers and a HuddleIQ template to start from.

We call this the Relationship-First Format Matrix: a framework that picks the map format from the relationship between your ideas, not from how the map looks. We built it by combining three sources. The first is Buzan’s radial structure as described by D’Antoni et al.. The second is Novak and Cañas’s definition of concept maps in their IHMC technical report on the theory underlying concept maps. The third is David Hyerle’s Thinking Maps, a classroom set of visual patterns that each match one thinking process, as listed by The Victory Academy’s Thinking Maps page. The template names come from HuddleIQ’s brainstorming, problem-solving and education template libraries.

Format	Relationship it shows	Question it answers	Best use	HuddleIQ starting point
Radial mind map	Free association around one theme	”What do we know or think about X?”	Brainstorming, note-making, revision	Mind Map, Mind Map 2, Spider Map, Word Web
Tree (hierarchy) map	Rank and category	”How does X break down into groups?”	Classifying, outlining, project breakdown	e Chart; shapes and linked lines
Flow map	Sequence	”What happens in what order?”	Processes, procedures, plot, essay order	Flow Chart, Flow Chart Blank, Flow Chart Blank 2, Essay Sequence Planning
Concept map	Named relationships between many concepts	”How do these ideas relate, and why?”	Deep understanding, assessment, systems thinking	Concept mapping on the HuddleIQ diagramming board
Bubble map	Description by attributes	”What is X like?”	Vocabulary, character study, product traits	Describing Wheel, Character Map, Vocabulary Word Map
Double bubble / Venn	Comparison	”How are X and Y alike and different?”	Compare-and-contrast tasks, option reviews	Compare and Contrast, Venn Diagram
Fishbone (cause and effect)	Cause leading to effect	”Why did X happen?”	Root-cause analysis, incident reviews	Fishbone Diagram, Cause & Effect
Brace map	Whole and parts	”What is X made of?”	Anatomy, product structure, system components	Shapes and linked lines
Lotus diagram	Structured expansion	”How can each idea grow into more ideas?”	Idea generation that has to go deep	Lotus Diagram

Which mind map format should you use?

Use the format whose relationship matches your content. Use radial for association, tree for categories, flow for order, concept map for explained links, bubble for description, double bubble for comparison, fishbone for causes, brace for parts and lotus for structured expansion.

A quick test is to say the link between two neighbouring ideas out loud. If the honest word is “and then”, you need a flow map. If it is “is a kind of”, you need a tree. If it is “because”, you need a fishbone. If you keep saying a different verb each time (“produces”, “requires”, “is measured by”), the content wants a concept map. If the link is only “this reminds me of”, a radial mind map is the right choice. That is the point of the radial format: you capture thoughts before they are sorted.

Some tasks change format halfway through. A team often starts with a radial brainstorm, sorts the ideas into a tree, then turns one branch into a flow map of next steps. On an online whiteboard this costs nothing, because you can copy a branch to a new area of the canvas and rearrange it without redrawing. HuddleIQ’s linked lines stay attached to sticky notes and shapes “no matter where you move the objects on the board”.

The nine mind map formats, with examples

Each format below has a definition, a worked example, its best use and where to start in HuddleIQ.

1. Radial mind map (the classic format)

A radial mind map puts one topic in the centre and spreads main branches outward. Each branch splits into smaller sub-branches. It is the format most people picture when they search for a mind map example, and its free shape suits early thinking well.

Example: a Year 10 history class puts “Causes of the First World War” in the centre. Students add four main branches: militarism, alliances, imperialism and nationalism. Each student adds evidence, dates and names on sticky notes at the end of a branch.

Best use: brainstorming, first-pass note-making, and revision where you redraw a topic from memory. Colour-coding each branch helps. D’Antoni et al. link mind maps’ use of colour and pictures to moving information into long-term memory.

In HuddleIQ: start from the Mind Map or Mind Map 2 template in the brainstorming template library. HuddleIQ describes the first as starting “with a central theme” and branching out related ideas. For classroom work, the education templates include Spider Map, which brainstorms around a central topic, and Word Web for vocabulary. Sticky notes let a whole class add branches at the same time.

2. Tree or hierarchy map

A tree map arranges ideas from a single top node down into categories and sub-categories, like an organisation chart or a family tree. Hyerle’s Thinking Maps assign the Tree Map to classifying.

Example: a product team splits “Customer feedback, Q3” into Usability, Performance, Pricing and Support. Under each heading they list the individual comments. The structure shows at a glance which category is heaviest.

Best use: classification, outlining an essay or report, and breaking a project into deliverables and tasks. A tree imposes rank, so it is the format to move to once a radial brainstorm has produced more ideas than you can hold in your head.

In HuddleIQ: the e Chart template sorts ideas into categories and shows how concepts connect. To build a tree from scratch, place shapes and join them with lines and arrows. The stepped line type produces the right-angled connectors a hierarchy usually uses. If you think better in outline form first, lists with indents let you nest levels inside a sticky note or shape with Tab and Shift+Tab.

3. Flow map

A flow map shows a sequence: boxes for steps or events, joined by arrows in the order they happen. In the Thinking Maps set, the Flow Map is the pattern for sequencing.

Example: a science teacher maps the water cycle as evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection, with an arrow from collection back to evaporation. A support team maps a refund request from ticket received to refund issued, with a decision diamond for “within 30 days?”.

Best use: processes, procedures, story plots, lab methods, and essay or presentation order. Adding decision points turns a flow map into a flowchart.

In HuddleIQ: use the Flow Chart template in the brainstorming library, or Flow Chart Blank and Flow Chart Blank 2 in the problem-solving library. Students planning writing can start from Essay Sequence Planning, which helps them put ideas in order. HuddleIQ’s diagramming board is built to “visualize processes and decision trees easily”.

4. Concept map

A concept map is a network of concepts joined by labelled lines. Each pair of linked concepts forms a meaningful statement. Novak and Cañas define the label on each line as the “linking words or linking phrases” that “specify the relationship between the two concepts”. Concept + linking phrase + concept makes a proposition. Joseph Novak developed concept maps in 1972 at Cornell University. The general concepts go at the top, the specific ones below, and cross-links connect different parts of the map.

Example: a nursing student puts “Heart failure” at the top and links it: “Heart failure → reduces → cardiac output → triggers → fluid retention → is treated with → diuretics”. A cross-link from diuretics to “electrolyte imbalance” shows a side effect that sits in another part of the map.

Best use: understanding how many ideas in a subject relate, checking understanding, and system thinking. The ASU learning guide suggests concept maps for summarising lecture content, unit reviews and lab write-ups. It also notes that maps reveal how students think about concepts, which helps instructors.

In HuddleIQ: HuddleIQ’s diagramming board lists concept maps as a core use: “Map ideas and relationships between concepts.” Build each concept as a shape, join pairs with linked lines, and put a short linking phrase on a small sticky note beside each line. For worked layouts, see our concept map examples and the benefits of concept map templates.

5. Bubble map

A bubble map puts a subject in a central circle and surrounds it with bubbles of describing words. The Thinking Maps set uses it for describing.

Example: a primary class describes “The Gruffalo” with bubbles for terrible tusks, knobbly knees, purple prickles and a poisonous wart. A marketing team describes a target customer with “time-poor”, “mobile-first”, “price-aware” and “loyal once won”.

Best use: vocabulary building, character study, persona sketches and product attributes. Because every bubble is a description, the format keeps people from drifting into causes or steps.

In HuddleIQ: the education library includes Describing Wheel, for organising thoughts to describe a topic together, plus Character Map and Vocabulary Word Map.

6. Double bubble map and Venn diagram

A double bubble map compares two subjects. Each one has a central circle, shared traits sit in bubbles linked to both, and unique traits sit on the outer edges. A Venn diagram shows the same comparison with overlapping circles. The Thinking Maps set uses the Double Bubble Map for comparing and contrasting.

Example: a geography class compares Sydney and London. Shared bubbles hold “capital of a state or nation” and “major port”. Unique bubbles hold climate and population facts the students research. A team uses a Venn to compare two software vendors before a buying decision.

Best use: compare-and-contrast essays, option reviews and before/after analysis.

In HuddleIQ: use the Compare and Contrast template, which lays out similarities and differences between two subjects, or the Venn Diagram template. Both are in the brainstorming library.

7. Fishbone (cause-and-effect) diagram

A fishbone diagram puts a problem at the “head” and arranges possible causes along “bones” grouped by category. Common categories are people, process, equipment and environment. It is the cause-focused relative of the Multi-Flow Map in Hyerle’s set.

Example: a school asks why homework completion dropped in Term 2. The bones cover timetable, task design, access to devices and communication with families, and each bone collects specific causes the staff suggest.

Best use: root-cause analysis, incident reviews and any “why did this happen?” discussion where the team should not jump to the first answer.

In HuddleIQ: start from the Fishbone Diagram or Cause & Effect template in the problem-solving library. Our guide on what a fishbone diagram is and why to use it covers the method in depth.

8. Brace map

A brace map shows how a whole breaks into its parts, using curly braces that open from left to right. Hyerle’s set uses it for whole and part relationships.

Example: “Bicycle” braces into frame, wheels, drivetrain and brakes. “Drivetrain” then braces into chain, cassette, crank and derailleur. A software team might brace “Checkout” into cart, payment, delivery options and confirmation.

Best use: anatomy and biology, product structure, and system components. A brace map differs from a tree map: a tree sorts things into kinds, while a brace map breaks one thing into its pieces.

In HuddleIQ: build it from shapes on the online whiteboard and join them with linked lines. The stepped line type gives the bracket-style layout.

9. Lotus diagram

A lotus diagram is a grid-based expansion format. A central theme is surrounded by eight sub-themes, and each sub-theme becomes the centre of its own block of eight ideas.

Example: a start-up puts “Grow sign-ups” in the centre with eight sub-themes, such as referrals, content, partnerships and onboarding. Each sub-theme then gets eight concrete ideas of its own.

Best use: idea generation that has to go deep and even, rather than three ideas on one branch and none on another. The fixed grid makes gaps easy to spot.

In HuddleIQ: the Lotus Diagram template in the brainstorming library is described as an alternative to mind mapping. When the ideas pile up, the Affinity Diagram template groups large sets of ideas by how they relate.

What is the difference between a mind map and a concept map?

A mind map branches outward from one central topic, and its links are unlabelled associations. A concept map connects many concepts, and every link carries a verb phrase that explains the relationship. Use a mind map to generate ideas and a concept map to show how they relate.

D’Antoni et al. describe mind maps as “truly non-linear” and concept maps as hierarchical. Novak and Cañas add that a good concept map answers a focus question, one that “clearly specifies the problem or issue the concept map should help to resolve”. In practice, the label on the line is the test. If you can say what the line means in a short phrase and that matters, draw a concept map. If the line only means “related to”, a radial mind map is faster and clearer.

Does building the map yourself help you learn?

Yes. Two meta-analyses of research on concept and knowledge maps found that building a map produces stronger learning gains than studying a finished one. That makes the build itself the most valuable part, whichever format you choose.

Nesbit and Adesope’s 2006 meta-analysis in the Review of Educational Research pooled 67 effect sizes from 55 studies involving 5,818 participants, from Grade 4 to postsecondary. Subjects included science, psychology, statistics and nursing. It found that “the use of concept maps was associated with increased knowledge retention.”

The Australian Catholic University’s evidence summary on concept maps reports the later Schroeder et al. (2018) review. That review found that using concept maps “improves learning outcomes moderately overall”. Constructing maps had a larger effect (g = 0.72) than reviewing completed ones (g = 0.43). Maps outperformed outlines and lists, the effects held in both STEM and non-STEM subjects, and students with lower prior knowledge gained more. The same ACU page reports Nesbit and Adesope’s figures of g = 0.82 for constructing maps and g = 0.37 for studying them. It concludes there is “strong and consistent evidence about the impact and use of concept mapping in higher education.”

In practice, give learners a template, not a finished map. On a shared board, every student or team member can add their own branches at the same time. HuddleIQ shows collaborators’ cursors and changes live, so a teacher can watch the map take shape and spot a missing branch before the lesson ends. Our post on mind mapping with online whiteboards in education covers the classroom side.

How do you build any mind map format in HuddleIQ?

Create a board, choose a template or start blank, and add ideas as sticky notes or shapes joined by linked lines. You can restyle the lines, rearrange the layout and present the result from the same board.

1. Open a template. HuddleIQ shows templates “each time you create a board”, and you can also open them from the Resources section of an open board, according to the template overview. The template categories include Brainstorming, Education and Problem Solving.
2. Add ideas. Use sticky notes for brainstorm-style formats (radial, bubble, lotus) and shapes for structured ones (tree, flow, brace, concept).
3. Connect them. Drag from the blue dots around an object to create a linked line. Then set the arrowheads, the line style (solid, dashed or dotted) and the line type (straight, curved or stepped) in lines and arrows.
4. Collaborate. Invite your class or team to edit live, use chat and comments with @mentions, and run polls to vote on which branch to pursue. These features are listed on the HuddleIQ features page.
5. Present and share. Walk the group through the map in presentation mode. The HuddleIQ diagramming board lists export to PDF, PNG and SVG.

These formats are not tied to one tool. They work on any whiteboard, including Miro, MURAL, FigJam and Lucidspark. HuddleIQ puts the format templates, linked lines, video and education plans in one board. If you are comparing options, see our HuddleIQ vs Miro comparison and the HuddleIQ education plan.

Mind map examples by audience

The same nine formats appear in very different settings. These mind map examples show which format usually fits which job. Each starts from a template in the table above.

Audience	Task	Format that fits	Why it fits
Primary teacher	Describing a story character	Bubble map	Every link is a describing word
Secondary student	Revising a history topic	Radial mind map	Recall from memory, branch by branch
University student	Linking pathophysiology concepts	Concept map	Each link needs an explained relationship
Science teacher	Teaching a life cycle or process	Flow map	The content is a sequence
Project manager	Breaking down a launch	Tree map	Deliverables nest into tasks
Operations lead	Investigating a recurring fault	Fishbone diagram	The question is “why?”
Product team	Choosing between two vendors	Double bubble / Venn	The task is comparison
Innovation workshop	Generating many ideas evenly	Lotus diagram	The grid makes empty areas visible

Frequently asked questions about mind map formats

What are the main types of mind map? The main mind map formats are radial, tree (hierarchy), flow, concept map, bubble, double bubble or Venn, fishbone, brace and lotus. Each one makes a different relationship visible: association, rank, sequence, explained links, description, comparison, cause, parts or expansion.

What is a good example of a mind map? A classic example is a revision map with a topic such as “Photosynthesis” in the centre and branches for inputs, outputs, location and conditions. Each branch carries short keywords and colours. For more topics, see our mind map ideas and examples.

Is a flowchart a type of mind map? A flowchart is a flow-format map. It shows ideas in sequence instead of radiating from a centre. Many people group it with mind maps because both are diagrams of connected ideas. In HuddleIQ, the Flow Chart templates sit in the same brainstorming library as the Mind Map templates.

Which mind map format is best for studying? Choose the format that matches the material, then build it yourself instead of copying a finished one. The Schroeder et al. (2018) review summarised by Australian Catholic University found that constructing concept maps produced a larger effect (g = 0.72) than studying completed ones (g = 0.43).

Can a class work on one mind map at the same time? Yes. On the HuddleIQ online whiteboard, everyone invited to a board can add sticky notes and branches in real time and see each other’s cursors. The teacher can then present the finished map to the class from the same board.

Pick one topic you are working on this week, run the relationship test on it, and open the matching template in HuddleIQ’s brainstorming template library.