For years now, concept maps have been in use to understand and organize data better. Gowin and Novak introduced them in The Impact of Concept Mapping on the Process of Problem-based Learning.

They didn’t know then, but they revolutionized the learning process and data presentation for years to come. Nowadays, we still use concept maps with success. They often provide great value in effectively presenting and using the data in the decision-making process.

With that in mind, let’s review some more exciting ways of utilizing this concept. We will also provide some templates for you, but those are primary examples, as a concept map is pretty easy to create. Let’s dive in then, shall we?

And you’ll be surprised when it comes to the costs. You can find Microsoft Office for an affordable price! Thanks to the hard work of many resellers and harsh competition, you do not have to ruin your budget anymore to get some new Office subscriptions. Create your mind map with ease with this fantastic tool! And if you have a blank page, fill it out with some creativity using visual cues and many other utilities you can find within the Microsoft Office package.

And now, let’s go over some valuable templates to help you create the best concept map.

Concept Map Template #1

Let’s start with something basic but upgradeable. As you can see, it is one of the most apparent templates ever created, but there is a catch. You can quickly develop its structure however you want with some added lines.

The main idea behind this spider map is that you can focus on adding important information to the correct sections. If you want to find something essential that you can modify to your needs, this one can be perfect. You can download this template for free at WordTemplatesOnline.Net.

Concept Map Template #2

Here we have something completely different. Here we have a concept mind divided into three categories. It is all based on the human body, but it can be easily modified to your needs. The central concept is simple, if you have different aspects of a particular idea, you can divide them into three bubbles and easily compare them in a visually understandable way.

You can also add additional categories within each group so that it would be easier to see their differences and similarities. You can also create an infinite number of categories to suit your needs. It is not one of the standard categories, but this style can significantly benefit your project, especially if you are working on something that needs to be instantly understood.

You can download this template for free at TemplateLab.com.

Concept Map Template #3

Here we have something we like to call the hard mode. As you can see, this concept map is centered around bubbles that are later divided into smaller and smaller ones with many interrelated aspects of each of them.

This concept map works best if you have a significant project with many variables that should intertwine with each other. To get the best visualization of how those processes work with one another, this concept map will bring you much clarity.

Of course, it is not suited for all uses as there are many ways you would not want this concept map, especially if you are working on a small project. Nevertheless, this one is a powerful tool, and we recommend it for multiple projects and uses.

You can download this template for free at CreativeTemplate.Net.

A concept map is a mind map we all know and cherish from school or coaching. It helps to identify the connections between elements within the project. Additionally, it can increase your understanding of the idea behind the project more efficiently, as presenting it in a visually understandable way can help you understand the whole thing.

Concept minds are used throughout the world to explain complicated things quickly.

So, to completely understand what you are trying to accomplish, you can introduce concept maps to your team or everyday work to make things easier and more efficient.

As in all cases, using concept maps can be dependent on what kind of benefits they bring to the company. Because the corporate world is rather strict regarding introducing any tool, we have prepared some “ammunition” that you can present to the hire-ups to establish why bringing the concept map could benefit the company.

Here are some of the benefits that it can bring.

Presentation

To present complicated ideas faster and more efficiently, it’s so much easier to use a concept map. It would be so inefficient if you had to explain all the intricacies of a project step-by-step and use thousands of words to accomplish that.

But, if you take the same idea and show it to someone as a graph, they will instantly understand what you are trying to convey. A concept map collects and organizes data logically and straightforwardly, making it easier to grasp.

Hierarchy of Ideas

If you use a concept map, you will quickly see what ideas come before each other and why some of those should be promoted before others. It’s a great way of understanding the priority of tasks and why some are more important or urgent than others.

Goals

Using a concept map will allow you to understand better the processes within the project and some of the potential results you may find at some point in the future. It clearly states the possible goals of your concept and makes it more efficient to understand what you are trying to achieve.

Validity of the Project

Using a concept map will also help you understand if it is even worth getting it off the ground. If you put every variable together on a concept map and see how it plays out, you will quickly notice whether the project is worthwhile.

If, for example, you would need to completely restructure your entire graphics team to complete this order, this is not worth the trouble.

Brainstorming

Another significant aspect of concept maps is that they are wonderful for brainstorming. You can just create a blank map and add to it.

For example, if you want to kick off a new clothing line, you just need to put it in the middle of the map and start creating bubbles out of it. What do you need? Do you need designers? Here is your bubble. Do you need research? Probably not, so scratch that. Do you need funding – oh yes, of course. That way, you will quickly see what kind of elements are necessary for you to get the clothing line started.

A bubble concept map focuses on putting complex ideas into more understandable bubbles. It’s best used to show the relationship between concepts or ideas. You can also use it to present more “bubbly” ideas in design or PR, as it is a more relaxed and easy-going concept than the strict office one. All shapes and sizes are allowed, but this one is for a particular use.

Brand Concept Map

This concept map best suits all brand recognition and awareness among employees. It is used to better understand the company's concepts so that the employees can visualize all the relationships between different company values, etc.

In the fashion industry, it is also used for showing color patterns that will be used, some links between different pieces of clothing, and just overall themes and patterns for a particular collection.

Of course, like most concept map templates, it can be used in many different ways.

Nursing Concept Map

It may be surprising, but a nursing concept map template is one of the most popular among all concept map users.

Nurses and many other healthcare professionals often use it to create a plan for every possible medical scenario. Preparing for this kind of circumstance is crucial because it can be a life-or-death situation.

In that case, using a concept map may be the best way to combat all the potential issues that could arise during a patient's caretaking.

And if a concept map can be utilized to save people’s lives, it surely can benefit your company.

Learning Concept Map

And finally, learning concept map. You can, of course, customize those however you want, change icons and fonts, and just have fun with it, but the main thing stays the same – it’s an excellent tool for education.

A concept map is one of the essential tools to explain a big and complex problem in an easy and fun way to students and pupils. Teachers often use a concept map to convey the idea of something being part of a bigger picture, like in the case of biology when one organism eats another for the whole ecosystem to function.

Some things may be hard to swallow or understand for young minds, but a well-put-together concept map can change the outcome of the lesson altogether.

So, we hope that you enjoyed this one. Creating an excellent concept map template article required a concept map, so we put the idea itself to the test!

But in all seriousness, it’s a great tool for everyday use and will surely bring you a lot of use in everyday life. Not only when it comes to working as well. Concept maps are widely used in various aspects of life, and you can benefit significantly from introducing them to your life.

Concept maps are in high demand for multiple reasons, whether it’s a school, hospital, corporate world, or any other business. They can efficiently present complex concepts, benefit your workflow when it comes to efficiency, and change your perspective on the long-term goal and how to accomplish that in the best way possible.

They can also get you ahead of the competition as they are very reliable and helpful in creating a great image of the market and how it should be approached.

We also hope that this guide was to your liking. We have created many articles on different topics, and you will find something for yourself in our vast library. Of course, if you are interested in software/gaming/office-related issues. Thank you so much for checking out our website, and we look forward to the next one. See you!