What is a concept map?
A technique for visualizing how knowledge or a system fits together by connecting concepts (nodes) with arrows, then labeling each arrow with a word that describes the relationship (a verb or connective).
Combining “cards + arrows” with “labels on the arrows” (ThinkTray’s mini-card feature) turns each arrow into a small proposition:
[Customer] --submits--> [Inquiry] --creates--> [Ticket]
Unlike a mind map, which radiates outward from a central theme, a concept map connects concepts in whatever direction makes sense and can express relationships that cross levels.
Where this works well
- When you want to learn a new field by capturing its terms along with how they relate
- When you want your team or new hires to share a common understanding of how a workflow or system fits together
- When several concepts don’t sit in a simple parent-child relationship, but influence each other back and forth, and you want to make sense of that
How to build it in ThinkTray
Step 1: Write the central concept on a card
Use the Card tool (R) to write the concept at the center of what you’re mapping out on a single card.
- Example: “Customer” or “Inquiry” — a word that’s the starting point of your topic
Step 2: Place related concepts as cards around it
Place cards for related terms around it as they come to mind.
- Don’t worry about position at this stage — you can move things around freely later
Step 3: Connect them with arrows and label the relationship
Use the Line tool (L) to connect cards, then double-click the line to create a mini-card and write the relationship on it.
- Example: label the arrow from “Agent” to “FAQ” with “checks”
- Keep it to a short word that makes the arrow’s meaning clear at a glance — a verb (“submits”) or a connective (“because of”)
Step 4: Freely connect relationships that cross levels (advanced)
Beyond top-to-bottom connections, freely connect cards that are far apart if there’s a real relationship between them.
- In the demo above, a dotted arrow runs from “Ticket” all the way to “Knowledge Base,” labeled “archived after resolution” — a connection that skips across levels
- Spotting these “shortcut arrows” is one of the real strengths of a concept map
Concept map vs. mind map vs. logic tree
| Technique | Structure | What the arrows mean |
|---|---|---|
| Mind map | Radiates from a center | Unlabeled (expresses branching ideas) |
| Logic tree | Top-down hierarchy | Unlabeled (expresses decomposition/membership) |
| Concept map | Free network | Labeled (expresses the relationship itself) |
If you just want to expand outward, use a mind map. If you want to break something down exhaustively, use a logic tree. If you want to spell out the relationship between terms themselves, use a concept map.
Tips
- Put a verb on the arrow — An unlabeled arrow just says “these are connected somehow.” Add a concrete word like “creates” or “becomes” to say what it does.
- Don’t force it into a clean tree — It’s fine if arrows cross, or several arrows converge on one card. That’s what the actual relationships between concepts look like.
- Color-code cards by kind of concept — Grouping by type (people, things, states) with color makes the whole map easier to read at a glance.
- Prioritize putting the relationship into words over a tidy layout — What matters isn’t how neat the diagram looks, but whether you found a label for the arrow that you’re satisfied with.
The concept map was devised by Joseph D. Novak at Cornell University in the 1970s, building on David Ausubel’s theory of learning. Wikipedia