A detective board is a visual investigation tool that displays people, places, events, and evidence as cards connected by strings or lines. You've seen them in crime dramas: a wall covered with photos and documents, red strings tracing the relationships between suspects and clues.

But detective boards aren't just for TV detectives. Today, investigators, consultants, analysts, and researchers use digital detective board software to organize complex cases, map relationships, and discover patterns that spreadsheets and documents hide.

What Makes a Detective Board Effective?

Detective boards work because they leverage how our brains naturally process information:

  • Spatial memory. We remember where things are on a board better than items in a list. Placing information spatially creates a mental map you can navigate.
  • Visual connections. Seeing a string between two cards makes the relationship tangible. Your brain processes "connected" differently than reading "A relates to B."
  • Pattern recognition. When you step back and look at a populated board, clusters and gaps become visible. Who's connected to everyone? Who's isolated?
  • External memory. Complex investigations exceed working memory limits. A detective board offloads information so you can focus on analysis, not recall.

Physical vs. Digital Detective Boards

Traditional corkboard detective boards have serious limitations:

  • Space constraints. A wall only holds so much. Large investigations outgrow physical boards.
  • Hard to reorganize. Moving pushpins and re-running strings is tedious.
  • No search. Finding a specific person means scanning the whole board.
  • Not portable. You can't take the wall with you.
  • Security risk. Anyone who walks past can see your investigation.

Digital detective board software solves these problems:

  • Infinite canvas. Zoom out to see everything, zoom in for details. No space limits.
  • Drag and drop. Reorganize instantly. Group related items, separate clusters.
  • Search everything. Find any person, place, or document by name or description.
  • Multiple boards. Organize complex investigations into separate views.
  • Local privacy. Your data stays on your machine, not visible to passersby or uploaded to clouds.

Who Uses Detective Boards?

Private Investigators

The traditional use case. Track subjects, associates, locations visited, and events witnessed. Build a visual case file that reveals connections a report would bury.

Corporate Investigators

Fraud investigations, compliance cases, and internal reviews often involve mapping relationships between employees, vendors, transactions, and documents. Detective boards make these webs visible.

Management Consultants

Understanding a client organization means mapping stakeholders, influence relationships, and decision-making patterns. Consultants use detective boards to see the real org chart—not the official one.

Business Analysts

Stakeholder analysis, dependency mapping, and organizational research all benefit from visual relationship mapping. See who influences whom and where the bottlenecks are.

Journalists

Investigative journalism requires tracking sources, documents, events, and subjects over months or years. A detective board becomes the story's backbone.

Researchers

Academic and market researchers use detective boards to map sources, track citations, and visualize relationships between concepts, authors, and findings.

Key Features of Detective Board Software

Node Types

Good detective board software lets you categorize entities. At minimum:

  • Person - Individuals, suspects, witnesses, contacts
  • Organization/Team - Companies, departments, groups
  • Place - Locations, addresses, venues
  • Event - Incidents, meetings, occurrences
  • Artifact/Evidence - Documents, objects, files
  • Note - Observations, theories, reminders

Labeled Connections

The strings between nodes need meaning. Label them:

  • "works for" / "reports to"
  • "knows" / "met with"
  • "owns" / "controls"
  • "witnessed" / "was present at"
  • "mentioned in" / "referenced by"

Confidence Levels

Not all information is equally reliable. Mark connections as:

  • Confirmed - Directly observed or documented
  • Suspected - Multiple indicators suggest this
  • Uncertain - Single source or inference

Source Attribution

Track where each piece of information came from. "Per interview with J. Smith, 12/15" or "Bank records, Exhibit 4." This matters when building a case or report.

Search and Filter

As boards grow, finding specific nodes matters. Search by name, type, or content. Filter to show only certain node types.

Privacy

Investigation data is sensitive. Look for local-first software that keeps data on your machine rather than cloud servers.

How to Create a Detective Board

Step 1: Start with Your Central Focus

What's the core of your investigation? A person, an incident, a company? Place that in the center of your board.

Step 2: Add Direct Connections

Who or what is directly related to your central focus? Add those nodes and draw connections. Label each connection with the relationship type.

Step 3: Expand Outward

For each new node, ask: what else is this connected to? Let the board grow organically as you gather information.

Step 4: Note Your Sources

For each connection or piece of information, record where it came from. This builds credibility and helps you trace back later.

Step 5: Look for Patterns

Once you have 20-30 nodes, step back. What clusters do you see? Who appears in multiple contexts? Where are the gaps in your knowledge?

Step 6: Reorganize for Clarity

Move related items closer together. Use spatial arrangement to communicate meaning. The board should tell a visual story.

Best Detective Board Software

When choosing detective board software, consider:

  • Purpose-built vs. general. Tools designed for investigations have features like confidence levels and source tracking. General diagramming tools don't.
  • Local vs. cloud. For sensitive investigations, local-first software keeps your data private.
  • Desktop vs. web. Desktop apps typically perform better with large boards and don't require internet.
  • Pricing model. Subscription vs. one-time purchase. Some tools are free with paid upgrades.

Why Redstrings?

Redstrings is detective board software built specifically for investigations and relationship mapping:

  • 7 built-in node types - Person, Team, Artifact, Process, Place, Event, Note
  • Labeled connections - Document relationship types precisely
  • Confidence levels - Mark connections as confirmed, suspected, or uncertain
  • Source tracking - Record where information came from
  • 100% local-first - Your investigation data never leaves your machine
  • Native performance - Built with Rust, handles large investigations smoothly
  • Free to use - Core features free forever, Pro unlocks customization

Whether you're investigating a case, mapping an organization, or researching a complex topic, Redstrings helps you see how everything connects.

Download Redstrings free and start building your detective board.