Getting Started
Create your first genogram in 5 minutes
This guide will walk you through creating your first genogram with GenogramAI. Whether you're a therapist, social worker, genealogist, or researcher, you'll be mapping families in no time.
Watch: Getting Started with GenogramAI (3 min)
Step-by-Step Guide
Create Your First Person
Click the 'Add Person' button in the toolbar or press the + icon. Choose the gender (Male, Female, or Other) to create your first family member.
Tips:
- The first person you add is typically the 'index person' - the main subject of the genogram
- You can mark someone as the index person in the Inspector panel
- Double-click any person to open the Inspector and edit their details
Add Family Members
Select a person to reveal the Quick-Add buttons. Click the directional buttons to add partners (left/right), parents (up), or children (down).
Tips:
- UP arrow: Adds both parents with a marriage connection
- DOWN arrow: Adds a child connected to the selected person
- LEFT/RIGHT arrows: Add a partner with a marriage line
- The AI can also generate entire family structures from text descriptions
Create Relationships
Use the Connection tool (C) to draw relationship lines between people. Drag from one person's connection handle to another to create a link.
Tips:
- Marriage lines are horizontal between partners
- Parent-child lines are vertical
- The system auto-detects relationship types based on generation level
- Use the Emotional tool (E) to add emotional overlays
Add Details
Select any person and use the Inspector panel to add names, dates, medical conditions, heritage, religion, location, and other attributes.
Tips:
- Birth and death years help establish timelines
- Medical conditions are color-coded for easy identification
- Heritage patterns can represent cultural backgrounds
- Notes and attributes allow custom text
Save & Export
Your genogram auto-saves to the cloud when logged in. You can also export as PNG for sharing or JSON for backup.
Tips:
- All data is encrypted with AES-GCM before storage
- PNG exports are high-resolution for printing
- JSON exports can be re-imported later
- Use 'Save to Computer' for local backups
Quick Reference
Essential Shortcuts
Click and drag to select people
Hold to pan around the canvas
Create structural relationships
Add emotional overlays
Remove selected person or relationship
Undo last action
Gender Symbols
Quick-Add Buttons
Prefer AI? Use the Family Architect
Instead of manually creating each person, you can describe your family in plain English and let AI generate the entire genogram for you.