C overall rating; a system dynamics software; comparable to Vensim; lacks many features it would need to do true systems thinking and mapping
To be fair, this software was designed to do system dynamics modeling and for that it does reasonably well. As true systems mapping software, it obviously lacks a lot of features but does well where system dynamics (the method) does well. In other words, Insight Maker is what it is. It's not trying to be version 4.0 Systems Thinking Software and so it falls far short of that. In this regard, its competition is the Vensims of the world. The user interface is clunky and feels like 1980s Microsoft.
| Systemic Features | Description | Orgpad.com |
| OVERALL RATING | C | |
| Di | The ability to identify objects (cards, shapes, etc) | Y |
| Dio | The ability to contrast identities with others (antonym networks, etc) | N |
| R | The ability to make relationships between identities | Y |
| Rar | The ability to create action reaction variables at terminal ends of relationships | N |
| Self R | The ability to relate identity to self | N |
| RD1 | The ability to label (distinguish) relationships | N |
| RD2 | The ability to create the same type of identity/object on a relationship as anywhere else | N |
| RDS | The ability to create a systematized set of part-whole identities on a relationship | N |
| R confusion | A condition where relational lines are confused with part-whole belonging/containment | N |
| Spw | The ability to create part-whole systems | N |
| Nesting (Spw) | The ability to nest part inside parts inside parts | N |
| Prefab Perspectives | A feature in which a map can be viewed from different pre-determined perspectives (e.g., assignee, scheme, etc) | N |
| Ppw | The ability to take point-view Perspectives | N |
| Perspective annotation | The ability to annotate perspectives | N |
| Full blown P taking | The ability to see how a map changes from any given identity in the map | N |
| Fractal D | The ability to create identities (cards, shapes etc) at any level anywhere in map as a universal simple rule/function | N |
| Fractal S | The ability to create hierarchical structures (part-whole nestedness) at any level anywhere in map as a universal simple rule/function | N |
| Fractal R | The ability to relate anything to anything else at any level anywhere in map as a universal simple rule/function | N |
| Fractal P | The ability to see the system from any identity/node in the system at any level anywhere in map as a universal simple rule/function | N |
| Fractal DSRP | The ability to operate at D,S,R, or P function on any D,S,R,P object | N |
| Other non-cognitive features | Other cool features like zoom, cut and paste, layout, templates, etc | Y |
| Other social features | Other cool features like synchronous mapping, sharing, commenting, etc. | N |
| Aesthetic | The aesthetic is elegant, simple, clean, etc. | N |
| Clean Code | The code isn't wonky or buggy | N |
| Modeling | The ability to do some form of modeling (e.g., "press run" modeling) | Y |