Frequently Asked Questions

Why bCisive Online?

  1. Why visual thinking?
    Visual thinking -- especially boxes and arrows -- allows people to organize and communicate their ideas more effectively than almost any other means. Compared to linear text, visual thinking helps by easily revealing structure and relationship. More...
  2. Why not just use a whiteboard or a piece of paper?
    A whiteboard (or a piece of paper) is great for jotting down ideas, but not so good for shuffling them around. More...
  3. Can't I just use Visio or SmartDraw or ... instead?
    Those programs are great for visual communication, but not so good for visual thinking, which involves rearranging and restructuring your ideas. More...
  4. Isn't this just mind-mapping?
    Mind-mapping is great for creative thinking and individual work, but have ever tried to make sense of someone else's mind-map? It's like gazing into their brain. With its more hierarchical presentation, and standardized images and box types, we have designed bCisive Online to be better for both creative and critical thinking, and working collaboratively with others.

What is bCisive Online good for?

  1. How can bCisive Online help save me time and money?
    • Better thought-out decisions are better decisions
    • Shorter and more effective meetings through visual facilitation
    • Intelligible and intelligible record keeping saves time and money later on
    • Improved team problem-solving leads to better solutions which leads to savings
  2. What are some examples of personal decisions that can bCisive Online could help me with?
    • Choosing which car to buy, or job offer to accept
    • Preparing for a difficult task, such as:
      • asking for a raise, or
      • selling your idea or initiative to a skeptical audience
  3. What are some examples of business activities that bCisive Online is good for?
    • Facilitating a meeting
    • Brainstorming
    • Strategy and planning sessions
    • Analyzing what went wrong
    • Selecting a course of action
    • Recording and justifying design decisions
    • Structuring a presentation
    • Project post-mortem analysis

Questions about the software itself

  1. Does bCisive Online run on Macs?
    Yes. bCisive Online runs on Macs and PCs in most popular browsers.
  2. Does bCisive Online work on the iPhone, Android-enabled mobiles, etc?
    Because it requires Flash support, and really demands a full-sized screen, bCisive Online is not supported on mobile platforms.
  3. What about the iPad?
    Not yet. See above, about the Flash plugin.
  4. Does bCisive Online work offline?
    Not at this time. But it is planned.
  5. What export formats are supported?
    Currently PowerPoint slide export only. Other formats are planned.
  6. Does bCisive Online exchange files with Austhink Software's bCisive 2 desktop software?
    Not at this time.
  7. Do I have to use Skype for audio/video link?
    No. Use whatever you like: E.g. phone or other VOIP service. Basic skype integration is provided, but is not compulsory.

Methodological questions

  1. Is bCisive Online mainly for creative thinking (idea generation) or critical thinking (idea selection)?
    Both, but leaning ever so slightly towards critical thinking.
  2. Top down or bottom up?
    bCisive Online supports bottom-up and top-down approaches to visual thinking. More...
  3. Will bCisive Online make my decision for me?
    No. bCisive Online will help you explore the issues, list the pros and cons, and discover which criteria are important to you, but it will not "calculate" an answer.
  4. Will bCisive Online help me quantify or rate my decisions?
    At present bCisive Online does not include a quantitative rating system. If you wish, you can use different-sized text, text color, or numbers in the boxes to indicate scores.
  5. Are there strict methodological rules that I must follow?
    While there are common patterns that are suggestive, any box can attach to any other box. If you can't find exactly the right kind of box, just take a standard one and relabel its heading.
  6. I want to learn more about visual thinking. What are some leading approaches?
    • Pure critical thinking: Argument Mapping tutorials featuring Austhink Software's Rationale 2 software
    • Collaboration and facilitation: bCisive Online works well for Dialogue Mapping and Issue Mapping, descendants of the older IBIS methodology
    • Clear thinking and writing: Barbara Minto's Pyramid Principle is the leading approach used to teach these skills to management consultants
    • Creative thinking and note-taking: An introduction to mind-mapping
  7. My organization has its own specialized methodology. Can bCisive Online be customized to implement it?
    Very likely. Please drop us an email at

Anything else?

  1. My organization would like to purchase a specially customized (or integrated) version of bCisive Online. Can you help us?
    Certainly. Please contact us at .
  2. Where do I suggest a new feature or file a bug report?
    On our UserVoice forum (also accessible via the feedback tab on the left of the screen).
  3. This FAQ is missing my question. Who should I ask?
    Email your question to . If your question gets asked often we will add it to this FAQ.