The mind mapping software Xmind announced on its official blog that the UI design of the software has been open-sourced.
Xmind said that as a pioneer in the field of mind mapping software, sharing knowledge, embracing innovation, and users first have always been our beliefs. Back in 2008, Xmind launched an open-source version, and our font "NeverMind" has also been open-sourced and free for commercial use. This is the first time our UI design has been made public and shared, reflecting our dedication to user design and our philosophy of continuous innovation and excellence.
The highly unified design language
According to reports, Xmind perfectly adapts to different platforms. As a cross-platform software, Xmind considers the characteristics of different operating systems, follows system specifications, and satisfies users' usage habits to a greater extent. For example, in the design of the toolbar, there is no top menu bar commonly used in macOS systems in Windows, so Xmind has been improved for the Windows version, adding a menu button on the far left.
Whenever a user interacts with the Xmind system to invoke an action, there is no sense of disconnect in the interaction. Xmind distinguishes the rounded corners and shadows of various controls, making them natural and harmonious on each platform.
Keep the interface light
Xmind makes full use of white space and simple elements to achieve a clear, flexible, and highly consistent complex interactive interface, making it easier for users to get familiar with software functions more quickly. The panel and toolbar adopt a minimalist design, the interface is not redundant, the number of controls is small, and the functions are logically partitioned.
The design of the format panel has always been one of the focuses of Xmind's annual review. Layouts are designed to be logically structured, with repeated consideration of contrast, text and element spacing to ensure a clear visual hierarchy of information. Every part has a clear functional purpose and every action button does exactly what it should.
Xmind is constantly maintaining user-friendliness by distilling information, refining it, making necessary additions and subtractions, and conceptually reorganizing the design. For example, in terms of color design, both the main toolbar and action buttons use a primary color scheme of black, white, or blue. Officially analyzes hue, brightness, and saturation to select accessible colors for users with visual impairments. Officials also follow WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) principles to ensure that users can navigate the interface without any color-related barriers.
At the same time, Xmind also has subtraction in its design. In the design of the bottom form bar, it is only visible when multiple canvases are required.
Attention to overlooked details
Printing mind maps is an essential scenario, especially when users print in black and white. Due to the uneven print quality, stickers and illustrations in mind maps can be difficult to identify, so an extra border has been added to enhance visual contrast and recognition.
As for the language setting, users can easily switch in one second in Xmind without restarting the application at all. Xmind also provides CJK font settings. This avoids the problem that some Western fonts do not support CJK fonts and cause character loss.
In the worksheet bar, Xmind has added a topic count function in the upper right corner, which allows users to keep track of "branches of ideas". System text is center-aligned, like the end credits at the end of a movie, making searching for certain text visually pleasing and easy to search. The display resolution in Xmind will also adapt to the user's system ratio, whether the user needs to set the display to default, smaller or larger space, Xmind will automatically change according to the user's system preference.
The Xmind UI Design Kit is now open source, including templates, fonts, stickers, illustrations, and other elements, users can go to
Xmind UI Kit for Desktop to get all the above resources.
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