MindMeister updates: map out your ideas even faster

Nima Shokouhfar

Hi Guys,

I just found out that the Ctrl+F bug is already fixed. Thank you so much for fixing this—I was about to go crazy!
Thank you, thank you!

Tatsuhito Koya

Yes, Ctrl+F works now.

I also noticed that the floating toolbar can now be hidden by going into the focus mode (Ctrl+.).

It's much better.

I have a request however. I wish there is a keyboard shortcut to bring a picture to full-screen. It now takes several steps to achieve. (Disengage the focus mode, click the node to bring up the floating toolbar, click the Image tool icon. Click Full Screen.)

Such keyboard shortcut helps my presentation.

Mark Mosher

https://community.meister.co/discussion/comment/11526#Comment_11526

https://community.meister.co/discussion/comment/11221#Comment_11221

This doesn't seem to work anymore. Just ends up as a link when I paste it.

Tatsuhito Koya

https://community.meister.co/discussion/comment/11577#Comment_11577

It still works for me. I tested using Firefox 132.0, Edge 130.0.2849.56, and Chrome 130.0.6723.69.

Michael K

There are a couple of changes in the new version that I'm not a fan of as a fairly basic user:

1. Basic shortcuts like Tab, Enter, Copy/Pasting nodes stop working regularly. I haven't nailed down exactly what makes them stop working but I think it has to do with the new floating toolbar. The shortcuts breaking all the time is very aggravating and is the kind of thing that will eventually make me search out alternative services.
2. Icons for MeisterTask tasks and Notes open up a needlessly feature-reduced view. The MeisterTask output no longer has a link to actually open up the task in MeisterTask, you have to use the floating toolbar. The Note view no longer lets you edit the note, you have to use the floating toolbar.

EDIT: Within a minute after posting this, just found a new major bug. The floating toolbar seems to be "stuck" in a certain distant location relative to the node that I've clicked on. So every time I click on a node it's moving my location in the map to a different spot. This whole floating toolbar thing seems like a net loss in my opinion. Causing too many issues.

Tatsuhito Koya

There seems to be a bug in the latest version.

The focus of the keyboard shortcuts (tab, enter, etc) gets locked to the floating toolbar.

Here are the steps to reproduce.

1. Instead of pressing the tab key to create a child topic, use the New child topic menu item from the floating toolbar.
2. While the new child topic is selected, press the tab key to create another child topic. Pressing the tab key does not create a new child topic. Instead, it selects the next menu icon on the floating toolbar. (The focus of the keyboard shortcuts is locked to the floating toobar.)

I was able to restore the original behavior of the keyboard shortcut by temporarily detaching the child topic and re-attaching it.

I was able to reproduce this issue on Firefox, Edge, and Chrome.

I'm wondering if other users are having this issue?

Greg Rawls

It sounds like I am not the only one upset with MM and these new changes. Someone commented that it is like a whole new development team was hired with no MM development history on what made MM great.

Posts are looking to other platforms. Can you share what platform you are considering? I'm looking at Ayoa. But I prefer not to leave

Tatsuhito Koya

Here is another issue (bug?) I found.

To reproduce this issue, a node with a picture is needed.

1. Click the node to show the floating toolbar.
2. Click the Add Media button and then click Full Screen to bring the picture to full screen.
3. Close the full screen.

Now, Alt+1, Alt+2, Alt+9, Alt+0 keyboard shortcuts don't work anymore. It appears the web browser captures the events before MindMeister does.

I need to refresh (F5) the page to restore the keyboard shortcuts.

Cornelia Patscheider_is_Out-of-office

Hi @Tatsuhito Koya ,

I am sorry, that you are facing these keyboard issues. I would recommend, please reach out to our support team with details so they can investigate further!

When you contact support, it'd be great to include as much information as possible:

• include which account (your email address) and which mind maps are affected
• Please enable access to your account. You can find a guide how to do this here: How to- Enable Access 
• Please send a screenshot or video with the developer console open. To open the developer console in Google Chrome, open the Chrome Menu in the upper-right-hand corner of the browser window and select More Tools > Developer Tools. You can also use Option + ⌘ + J (on macOS), or Shift + CTRL + J (on Windows/Linux).

Arturo Ayala

In my experience (several years), the support team responds on average within 15 days. 😕

Tatsuhito Koya

https://community.meister.co/discussion/comment/11633#Comment_11633

Hi, Cornelia,

I followed your link. That led me to a chatbot. I don't think a chatbot is an effective means to report bugs/issues. Am I doing something wrong? Your contact support link took me to a MeisterTask request form. (The message below also says to visit Help Center. I feel like going in circles.)

Cornelia Patscheider_is_Out-of-office

Hi @Tatsuhito Koya,

no worries, you did everything correct.

We recently introduced the chat bot, so that users have a chance to find answers quickly and efficiently. If the chat bot does not have any answers (like in your case) you will be redirected during the conversation and have the chance to contact our support team.

(Alternatively, you can also use the request form.)

I would recommend, please, engage with the bot, until you can submit your issue. It will look something like this:

Tatsuhito Koya

https://community.meister.co/discussion/comment/11637#Comment_11637

Cornelia,

I submitted two bug reports and one feature request using the request form.

Thank you.

Nima Shokouhfar

The new feature for linking YouTube videos is very cool. In my view, it is very convenient.

Michael K

So are there any updates when the bugs with the floating toolbar are going to be fixed? For instance, every time you hit the "Create Task" button, it permanently messes up focus as far as keyboard shortcuts go. Even the most fundamental of functionality, such as Tab and Enter to create new nodes, stop working. It kind of ruins the experience of using your tool. For me, one of the key aspects that made MindMeister appealing was the ease of creating structured notes without having to use the mouse much. Now it's frustrating because not only do they not work as expected, it tends to highlight some random note or task assigned and moving my screen far away from where I'm currently working. It's a mess.

The easiest thing to do would be to have an option to disable the floating toolbar and go back to the dedicated buttons that actually worked properly on the sidebar.

Tatsuhito Koya

https://community.meister.co/discussion/comment/11818#Comment_11818

I submitted a bug report regarding this issue on November 7. I haven't received any updates from the support team yet.

Cornelia Patscheider_is_Out-of-office

Hi @Tatsuhito Koya ,

thanks for reaching out to the Support team! I can confirm that the Support team has received your bug report. Apologies for the delayed response. We are currently experiencing an unusually high volume of requests, which causes some delays in the response times. A member of the Support team will get back to you via email.

Cornelia Patscheider_is_Out-of-office

Hi @Michael K ,

I am sorry that you are still experiencing these bugs. I know how frustrating this can be. Have you reached out to Meister's Support team yet?

It is important for Meister to receive these bug reports from customers, so we can see how many people are affected, and what the behavior of the bug looks like. Otherwise, we can not effectively tackle them.

If you would like for Meister to look into the bug, please reach out to the Support team, so that they receive all the necessary information and can look into it. In order to do that, please send:

• include which account (=email address) and mind maps (=name of mind maps) are affected
• Please enable access to your account. You can find a guide how to do this here: How to- Enable Access 
• Please send a screenshot or video with the developer console open to record this behavior. To open the developer console in Google Chrome, open the Chrome Menu in the upper-right-hand corner of the browser window and select More Tools > Developer Tools. You can also use Option + ⌘ + J (on macOS), or Shift + CTRL + J (on Windows/Linux).

Nima Shokouhfar

BUG REPORT:

I keep encountering a new error:

This occurs every time I right-click on my dashboard to create a new folder or mindmap:

Previously, the pop-up menu was triggered as expected.

Tatsuhito Koya

https://community.meister.co/discussion/comment/11919#Comment_11919

This error seems to occur when anywhere in the table header is right-clicked. I tested using Firefox and Chrome. Both browsers showed the same issue. The new folder button on the right still works as expected. Thank you, @Nima Shokouhfar . I suggest you submit a bug report.

Nima Shokouhfar

@Tatsuhito Koya, You are welcome, and sure.

I use MindMeister extensively and would be more than happy to contribute to making your software even better. The better your software becomes, the more customers you will attract, leading to greater profits and revenue, which can further enhance the platform. As a result, I’ll receive better service in return—a win-win for everyone!

Please let me know if you need any feedback or assistance from a customer’s perspective. I’d be more than happy to help.

Nima Shokouhfar

Btw, I found this new change weird, and confusing:

The search is below the icons. Usually, the Search is above. This messes up my muscle memory from a UX designer's perspective. Besides in previous versions, this was always above too. This is why I don't like this.

Nima Shokouhfar

After working with it more. I found out that I absolutely hate the new design. Indeed, all the arrangements are messed up. As a result, I spend so much brain power to figure things out.
I think even the location selection button's order has changed. previously, Up was the first.

I was wondering, is this a bug, or you guys intentionally did it?
I just don't get it why someone should change the layout of an existing UI.
As a UX designer, that is horrible thing to do. That breaks existing users musles memory.
I am not sure whether you guys know this or not.

Cornelia Patscheider_is_Out-of-office

Hi @Nima Shokouhfar ,

thanks for testing out the updated user interface and sharing your honest feedback with us!

The MindMeister team has worked on some usability improvements on the styling options. Our goal with the update is to make the toolbar more compact and easier to navigate. By reducing nested menus and making some features more accessible (e.g. positioning), we hope to create a more efficient experience for everyone.

That said, we know that no change is ever perfect right away. The MindMeister team is actively gathering feedback and will continue to fine-tune the design. Usability testing has already highlighted a few areas, and we’re committed to making those adjustments.

Thanks for your patience and for being part of this journey with us. We’re committed to making MindMeister better for you and all our users.

Nima Shokouhfar

Hi @Cornelia Patscheider,

Thank you so much for the speedy reply! I absolutely love MindMeister, and I’m a heavy user. It’s very important to me that you guys flourish, and you can always count on me for feedback. We can even have a video call if you’re interested.

Getting back to the topic, nested designs are quite problematic in terms of UX design. They make systems more complicated and less accessible. Just imagine: when things are nested, if you move one item from one branch to another, it becomes like a maze to figure out where it went.

This is precisely why we normalize databases—because even computers find nested designs less accessible. This is also the reason I love your new UI, even though others might disagree.

I completely understand why you’d want things to be more compact. As others have mentioned, the current approach has its drawbacks. However, in my opinion, going nested and making things smaller is not the right solution to this problem.

In my view, sidebars are the best solution for your issue. First of all, they can hold significantly more functionality than your current setup, meaning you can add more features without being constrained by size. Secondly, sidebars are familiar to most users, so new users don’t need to relearn the tool. Thirdly, they are easier to implement. You can use common UI components like buttons and labels, instead of relying on complex graphic calculations to figure out where to draw a dialog box on the screen.

Another key point: sidebars don’t block the user’s view. In the modern world, you also have the option to hide or show them as needed, which makes them both flexible and user-friendly.

After all, there are strong reasons why sidebars have become so popular. Why reinvent the wheel when so many other tools faced the same problem and solved it this way? As they say, clichés are clichés for a reason.

We can discuss this further on a video call if you’d like. I’d even be happy to put together a proposal and post it in the community to gather feedback before any implementation. We could ask everyone for their opinions, and if people like the idea, you might consider it more seriously.

Cornelia Patscheider_is_Out-of-office

Hi @Nima Shokouhfar ,

thanks for your detailed feedback! I love how enthusiastic you are about this topic!

Our respective department has set up a Research Panel for everyone who want to share thoughts on MindMeister or MeisterTask. If you like, you can sign up for it. Volunteers might be invited to share their experiences in a short interview, surveys or different tests, eventually discussing how they use MindMeister, testing out new features or ideas.

ℹ You can find more information here in the Community.
👉 You can sign up for the Research Panel here in this form.

Nima Shokouhfar

Hi @Cornelia Patscheider

Done.
I am highly dependent on your product. I’ve created so many mind maps using your tool that if you were to go bankrupt or my account was deleted, it would feel like the end of the world for me. Even small changes impact me significantly, which is why you’re welcome to reach out to me anytime. I’ll happily provide feedback for free, without expecting anything in return.

Tatsuhito Koya

I notice there's a new feature just added.

When this icon is clicked, the image control options appear.

The new icon is helpful for quicker access to these controls, which I appreciate. I actually submitted a request last month for a faster way to access these controls, so this might be a result of that feedback. However, the current icon is too large and visually distracting. Since it resembles the placeholder used when a browser fails to load an image, it feels out of place and detracts from the overall design. I’d even go so far as to say it makes the topic look unappealing.

I have a presentation tomorrow and am disappointed to see this icon applied to every image—it’s not ideal for such a context.

I’ve already submitted a request to reconsider this design, but I’d also like to suggest a broader improvement. While I understand the MindMeister developers are working hard to create effective user-interface designs, I wonder if these changes need to be pushed directly to production immediately. A preview period where users could test and provide feedback on new designs before their release would be highly beneficial.

It can be frustrating to wake up and discover unexpected changes, especially on days when I have important presentations. A more gradual rollout with user input could help avoid these situations.

MindMeister already meets most of my needs, but the rapid rollout of new features without giving users time to evaluate them is concerning.

Nima Shokouhfar

I agree with @Tatsuhito Koya's point. I wish we could review proposed features before implementation, or even vote for them, like on Reddit. A leaderboard for ideas would make it even better.

Right now, we get software updates every now and then that are not really ideal. This is why I am so active here—I decided to take action rather than just sit and watch things I don't like.

Quentin du Roy

Hi There,

The last version of Mindmeister is simply a shame. It's by far less flexible and powerful. Why did you proceed to those changes? For instance it is now impossible in presentation mode to sort the topics. You are stuck with the automated sorting proposed by the platform. Please, revert to previous version!!!