In my last post I commented on some of the major problems with the latest version of the market-leading mind mapping program, MindManager, from Mindjet.

 To summarise, MindJet recently introduced MindManager 9 with a range of new features, many of which are worthwhile. However, key aspects of these changes appear to have been poorly implemented in the rush to market. In addition, some important features of the previous version which many users relied upon were dropped or reduced in functionality, potentially compromising the product’s fundamental role as a brainstorming tool.

When I put out a  request for responses from affected users on relevant forums I received strong feedback which I consolidated into a detailed MindManager map. I forwarded this to Mindjet with an open letter outlining the changes that users were demanding in upcoming service packs for the product – click here to see the map  (requires Flash), go to Biggerplate to download the map or click on this link to download the letter to Mindjet – as well as writing about it here.

I commented that it would be interesting to see if this modest exercise had any affect. I’m pleased to say that it has. On the Yahoo MindManager forum, Garrett Scott from Mindjet made the following response to my post:

Alex,

Thank you for taking the time to pull all these comments together and create
this letter. I have passed this to the highest levels of Mindjet and we are now
digesting your comments and feedback. A lot of the feedback you have included, I
have previously escalated and our Products and Engineering are already looking
at them.

I will tell you that the first service pack is due out the first week of October
so I can’t say that these fixes will be included. But our teams know how
important these issues are with you, our most dedicated power users, and are
formulating ways to address your comments.

We will only know how committed Mindjet really is to addressing these issues when the service packs start rolling out (and of course we’ll be using the map of MindManager issues which I compiled to keep tally of what they do in response to the problems we have identified). However this is a very positive beginning: potentially this exercise in “user power” can grow into a proper dialogue between Mindjet and its customers which can serve as a model for other companies that want to make major changes to their software (PC or web-based) which could potentially affect their existing user base.

At this stage I’d just like to say thanks to the Garrett and the people at Mindjet for listening.