Inspiration 7.5 - Aug/Sep '04

Inspiration 7.5

One of an attorney’s primary functions is to organize random pieces of information into a cogent argument. Inspiration 7.5 provides visual feedback in the thinking and organization stages of that process by implementing a “diagram view” of an outline to represent the workflow. The program’s visually oriented interface is simple, flexible and easy to use. You can switch quickly to a traditional outline view to refine your thought process or export the document to your word processor. Although geared toward educational uses, lawyers can modify several templates for use in a law office, or create their own.

The program installs approximately 35MB of related files, symbol libraries, dozens of templates, examples and an online help system. When you launch Inspiration, you are presented with a “diagram view.” Here, your main idea argument, subpoints and the information that flows from them are organized in an icon view. You can build on a blank or “basic” template, open any of the 60-plus provided templates or import a text outline, which is converted into a diagram.

Your “main idea” icon is centered in the diagram view. More than 1,300 “idea” symbols are used to visually identify and classify each point, subpoint and note you develop. No legal-specific icons are provided, but many can be adapted or imported to create a legal theme. You can use evidentiary photos as your icons, which can be resized and positioned. The stock symbols, which are drawn from various categories such as arts, geography, math, business and science, are used to provide quick visual feedback to subpoints and notes.

A tool palette located above the diagram view controls the placement and interaction of ideas. It contains buttons to switch between outline and diagram view, hyperlink ideas, add notes, spell check, draw associative lines between points and perform other tasks. The “rapid entry” tool is especially useful to quickly create subpoints associated with a main point. Just type the header text for each point, hit the “Return” key successively, and each subpoint is created and linked to the main point. You also can record voice annotations for points and notes, and copy and paste text from other applications into Inspiration.

Formatting is controlled by a separate toolbar located at the bottom of the program’s interface. Tools to select fonts, sizes and colors are included, as well as a drawing palette and various select and move tools.

Any of the stock templates can be modified to your specific needs and saved as custom templates for reuse. You also can download additional templates at the company’s Web site and upload your own for other users. Attorneys will find the “persuasive argument” template most useable. It can be customized to reflect a legal argument, appeals court presentation or trial argument. The “question formation” template is useful in preparing direct or cross examination.

Inspiration is best described as a visually assisted outlining tool. To that end, its diagram formatting tools are designed to provide visual feedback on how your argument progresses. For example, the attorney can augment each bullet point with additional notes and information, or rearrange or reprioritize essential points. Hyperlinks to documents, e-mails and Web sites are established to further assist in developing an idea or argument and bringing other resources to the argument’s development.

If you want to edit your outline in a traditional outline format, simply click on the outline view, or you can export the outline in Rich Text Format and refine it in your word processor. Inspiration can import RTF outlines developed independently and display them in a diagram view. I did notice that upon import, documents didn’t display visual links between main and sub-points. Outlines also can be exported to Mircosoft PowerPoint.

Inspiration supports a variety of common outline prefix styles, such as Roman numerals, bullets, numbers and alphanumerical lettering. You can combine different symbols as well. Working in the diagram view with various formatting tools is simple and intuitive. However, many of the stock icons used to display subpoints are a little amateurish for me. Inspiration should consider providing more sophisticated business and professional icons in a future release.

Performance was good on my dual processor G5, but I did notice a lag between entering a new subtopic and it appearing in the diagram view using the “rapid entry” tool.

A 68-page “template guide” details the purpose of each template and suggests its use. A companion “Getting Started” manual explains how the tools interact with the program. Both are well-illustrated, and Portable Document Format versions are included. The Web site provides a flash-based tutorial and, as stated earlier, a template repository.

Inspiration Software Inc.
(800) 877-4292

www.inspiration.com

Price: $69 for single copy. Contact company for other options.

Macintosh 7.1/8.0/9.0/OS X
Windows 95/98/ME/NT 4.0/2000/XP

Reviewed by David A. Saraceno, a practicing attorney and owner of Pixelcraft Studios, a presentation graphics consulting firm in Spokane, Wash.

Aug/Sep '04 Issue

PROS
Simple, intuitive and easy to use for organizing written and oral arguments.

CONS
Templates are not business or legal oriented. Icons are somewhat unsophisticated for law office use.

VERDICT
Nice tool for developing arguments and developing persuasive thinking, but its focus on educational uses requires law offices to adapt stock templates.