instaviz

When you were young, the grown-ups used to catch you doodling little circles and lines on your exercise books and paper napkins. They didn’t realize you need to sketch things out, how they relate to other things, to get them into your head and other people’s heads.

Much later, you learnt the grown-up names for these sketches — mindmap, concept map, semantic network, org chart, flowchart, social network, system diagram, workflow diagram, genomic hierarchy, E-R diagram...

Instaviz is a pocket whiteboard for your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Sketch some rough shapes and lines, and Instaviz magically turns them into beautifully laid-out diagrams.

Throw away the exercise books and paper napkins, Instaviz will figure it out for you. Brainstorm and conceptualize like you use pencil and paper, without a pesky interface getting in your way. Then with a couple of taps, share your diagrams with friends and colleagues through email and web.

First released in December 2008, Instaviz has become one of the most popular diagramming software on the iOS platform, with its simple sketch-to-create interface and deep feature set. We have sold over 19,500 copies in over 50 countries to date.

• Instaviz uses Recog, a new shape recognition engine. Trained on over 2,500 sketches drawn by real users, Recog uses advanced fuzzy logic and sophisticated geometric algorithms to recognize what you just sketched in a split second.
• Instaviz uses Graphviz as its automated graph layout engine. The industry standard for automated graph layout, Graphviz represents over 18 years of research work at AT&T and won two Apple Design Awards in 2004.

• Within seconds I had figured out the basics and was marveling at the depth of this app. It presents a marvelous level of complexity — if you want — or allows a quick draw and connect style of flowchart sketching. ★★★★★ Marbledbrain
• This program is probably in the uppermost tier of design tools that every on-the-go: programmer, IT, engineer, project developer, etc. should have. Who needs a computer anymore. Price? I would have paid double for this. ★★★★★ froguts
• I realized the way the application organizing the chart is actually more logical and forces me think my ideas through a little deeper. I think I finally can eliminate paper from my life. ★★★★★ superluminous
• I just used Instaviz to lay out a complex analysis task ... while waiting for my kids to finish their dinner. The application’s unobtrusive interface is amazingly effective; I was up and running in minutes, building complex model diagrams far faster than I can build them in ArcGIS. ★★★★★ eRicht
• I have to say, I actually find it easier to design flow charts for my development work with Instaviz then it’s desktop counterparts. Frankly, it is more fun too. ★★★★★ KryptonianSon
• I love being able to use the touch screen to draw shapes and connectors, and then delete what doesn’t work, with just a quick shake ... This app is still lots of fun to use, and gives you the ability to create beautiful diagrams. I know I’ll find myself wanting to diagram everything! ★★★★★ NorthCoast Anne
• This is what Jobs meant when he called the iPad magical. This app is a treat to use. It recognizes shapes and converts them to a flowchart, it is amazing, I’m honestly blown away by it. ★★★★★ Cain Hill

• Instaviz’s impressive strength is the way that it intelligently rearranges your flowchart for an optimal layout on the fly ... Watching boxes and lines reorganise when you’ve got your flowchart into a jumble, by not planning ahead sufficiently, is quite cathartic. ★★★★☆ Stephen Northcott Touch Reviews
• If you’ve ever made a flowchart ... you know how complicated they can be. It’s easy enough to create the nodes, but then you need to organize everything so that the chain of events is clear and evident. ... Instaviz’s goal is to take the hard work out of the process and make it more intuitive. To that end, it wholly succeeds. 3/4 Grant Holzhauer Padvance
• On the iPhone my mindmapping app of choice is Instaviz. It is a powerful, yet easy to use app that can’t help but impress. Daniel Cohen Gear Diary
• Turns out, the developers ... put their energy into making a powerful one. What is under the hood is pretty impressive. ★★★☆ Daniel Cohen What’s on iPhone
• We love Instaviz. Imagine a white board, and then imagine all that creative power, in your pocket. You don’t need to bring anything with you. Simply you, your ideas, your thought-process, and your finger. ★★★★ Aaron Hirst 148Apps
• Instaviz is one of the best mind-mapping apps that I’ve come across. It’s dead simple to use and works quite well. 8/10 Editor’s Pick Michael Alexander AppCraver
• Pixelglow Software has come out with a truly revolutionary app in Instaviz. I’m sure that anyone that works with flowcharts regularly will tell you that an app that is this powerful, and fits in the palm of your hand is worth far more than a couple of fast food meals. David H. AppShouter

Twitter

• Check out Instaviz — it is quite brilliant ... it is likely to be *awesome* on the iPad. Bill Bumgarner Apple Engineering Manager
• Instaviz is the first compelling reason I’ve had to desire an Apple tablet. Jason J. Gullickson
• Newton-style shape drawing and more for your iPhone. John Siracusa Ars Technica
• This could be a problem. I could spend hours just playing with this $9.95 app. Paul Franz

Videos and Podcasts

• Here’s what I like about it, I don’t have to worry about picking tools to draw the various shapes — I have a tool right here: it’s my finger! 5/5 Terry White Adobe Worldwide Creative Suite Design Evangelist, bestappsite.com
• If you’ve ever jotted on a napkin, you aren’t gonna have to do that anymore. Jerad Hill The App Podcast
• Instaviz uses Graphviz ... and some clever shape recognition to create an easy to use app with broad appeal. Dan Grigsby Mobile Orchard

Blogs

• This makes for a very simple and incredibly fast way to construct our graphs: it’s so practical and easy you just need to try it to get caught. Cdamion’s Weblog
• I often wish for a tool that would let me sketch charts on my iPhone. Instaviz, from Pixelglow Software, is exactly what the doctor ordered. Steven Sande TUAW The Unofficial Apple Blog
• I’m hypnotised by the correction of a fuzzy hand-drawn circle into a clean crisp algorithmic circle. Nat Torkington O’Reilly Radar

• Get the app from the App Store.
• Learn how to use Instaviz.
• Join the forum to discuss Instaviz.
• Track the progress of the Instaviz project.