hUMLa

Early stages of project development imply creating a visual representation of all steps. This adds more efficiency to the process, since you can configure a timeline of ideas, and how they need to evolve. The process is called mind mapping, and it can easily be done with the help of applications like hUMLa.

Advantages of a portable app

On the bright side, the application requires no installation in order to properly function, which means you’re able to take projects with you, as well as the application itself on a thumb drive. You don’t have to worry about affecting the stability of the target PC, because registries are not a dependency, thus not modified. However, you do need to make sure Java Runtime Environment is installed.
You’re put up against a blank canvas at first, which covers up most of the main window. All controls you get to work with are accessed from the upper toolbar, while object-specific parameters, and attributes show up in dedicated windows for quick edit.

Good, but far from being a pro

Pressing any mouse button anywhere on the canvas is how a new item is added. There’s no actual order, or importance of objects, so you need to make sure you arrange them in a proper order, so the map is easy to understand. Uniting two objects brings up a drop-down menu, which lets you select the type of relationship in between, which can be generalization, aggregation, association, composition, or direct association.
The application can create a general lineup of ideas, or a mind map. Switching is done at the press of a button, without affecting the status, or order of your project elements. The main difference is that in mindmap mode, relationships don’t have any visual differences, while objects lack methods and attributes.
If there’s a connected printer, you can directly export your project on a sheet of paper. On the other hand, the application can create a PNG picture file in the source directory, under a custom name.

To sum it up

All in all, hUMLa is a simple way of expressing your thoughts, ideas, and plans so you can get a better idea of what needs to be done, and how. Unfortunately, simplicity can create a bit of confusion along the way, with simple elements, little to no customization, and a somewhat difficult overall feel.