Core Concept

This chapter covers the core ideas behind the Manyfast editor.

As the saying goes, "seeing is believing." The most effective way to communicate is to 'show, not just tell.' That's why in the traditional IT product development process, teams have used various formats and methods to directly show their ideas and understand each other. However, as these methods became too diverse, they grew complex and difficult, often becoming obstacles to communication rather than aids. The Manyfast editor has adopted a few specific methods to ensure that everyone involved in building a product can easily understand and share a common vision for it.

Understanding IT Products with Graphs

One of the most powerful tools in information visualization is the graph. Graphs are essential for representing and easily understanding the relationships between data points. For example, we use mind maps to give concrete form to vague and unclear ideas. A mind map is also a type of 'graph' made up of 'nodes' and 'edges'.

When designing an IT product, it's crucial to consider how the product's components are related and how they should interact with each other. We found that the graph was the best way to represent this. That's why we adopted the graph as the fundamental format for the Manyfast editor.

Assembling IT Products Like Blocks

In modern software development, Component-Driven Development (CDD) is a prominent trend. The same is true for UI design with the Atomic Design system. Both approaches share a common method: building the entire product by combining reusable, minimum-unit elements.

This method is excellent for maintenance. If you have pre-made elements, you can modify them slightly and reuse them, which is also effective for rapid development. However, one challenge is the lack of consensus on how to define the scope and size of these component units.

The Manyfast editor embraces this development philosophy, enabling you to quickly assemble and modify a product's components right from the planning stage. At the same time, to reduce the burden on planners, we have standardized and defined the units for IT product components based on commonly observed patterns. You only need to fill in the content for the elements your product requires, and Manyfast will automatically classify that content into the appropriate components to create a brilliant plan.