Why I Built NooSpan
As a university professor, my job is to think—exploring research questions, connecting ideas, and diving deep into complex topics. When AI chat models arrived, I embraced them whole-heartedly.
It was a brilliant thinking partner, until the thinking got serious.
One day, I was exploring empirical finance topics with ChatGPT. The initial list of ideas was great. But as I dove into the second and third ideas—drilling down into methodologies, data, and alternative paths—the conversation collapsed into a single, endless scroll.
My thinking was branching, but my tool wasn't.
I was trying to hold multiple hierarchies of thought in my head while navigating a flat, linear interface. To revisit an earlier idea, I had to scroll endlessly. To compare two sub-points, I had to mentally stitch together conversations buried dozens of messages apart. And I failed numerous times.
The result was mental chaos. The tool that was supposed to create clarity was creating cognitive load.
Linear Chat Is for Answers, Not for Thinking
That's when I realized the fundamental problem. The issue isn't the AI's intelligence; it's the interface.
Linear chat flattens thinking. It forces the beautiful, messy, multi-dimensional process of exploration into a single, rigid line.
Real thinking needs structure. It needs to:
- Branch: Explore ideas in parallel.
- Diverge: Ask side questions without derailing the main thread.
- Zoom: Move between high-level concepts and granular details.
- Connect: See the relationships between different lines of thought.
Linear chat makes this impossible. It turns exploration into a tangled mess.
The Aha Moment: Building a Workspace for the Mind
I needed a tool that matched how the mind actually works. A workspace that could handle the structure of real inquiry.
Since it didn't exist, I decided to build it myself.
My goal was not to build a "better chat." It was to build an AI thinking system. I envisioned a space where you could:
- Explore in parallel without losing your place.
- Trust that the AI always knew the full context of every branch.
- Zoom in and out of ideas effortlessly.
- See your thinking as a connected network, not just scroll through it.
This vision became NooSpan. It was a difficult technical journey, especially as a backend (Python) AI developer tackling a complex frontend. I took me many sleeply nights and weekends, but I persisted.
A Different Way to Think with AI
NooSpan isn't about replacing AI models; it's about changing how we interact with them. It's for anyone who has felt the frustration of trying to do deep, structured work in a tool originally designed for Q&A.
It's a space for researchers, analysts, writers, students, and consultants—anyone who needs to build, connect, and navigate complex ideas.
It's for a different kind of work.
If you're the kind of person who thinks in multiple layers and perspectives, not straight lines, if you need to explore, connect, and structure your thoughts, not just get one straight answer, then I built NooSpan for you.
Come find your clarity.
Richard Wang, PhD, CFA, Founder of NooSpan
About the Author
Richard is the founder of NooSpan, an AI thinking workspace designed for structured exploration. He experienced the limitations of linear chat for deep research and was inspired to build a tool that matches how the human mind actually works. You can connect with him on LinkedIn.