Note
Key Features
Drag-and-Drop Interface: Visio 3.0 emphasized ease of use with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality for placing and connecting shapes, making it accessible for non-designers to build diagrams quickly.
Stencil Libraries: It shipped with a wide variety of predefined stencils (collections of reusable shapes) for common diagram types, including flowcharts, organizational charts, network diagrams, and process maps. Users could customize or create their own shapes.
Diagram Types Supported: Focused on professional visualizations like business process flows, data flow diagrams, and basic engineering layouts. It was optimized for precision rather than artistic rendering.
File Handling and Output: Diagrams could be saved in Visio's native format and exported to formats compatible with other Windows applications, such as bitmaps or vector graphics for printing or integration.
System Requirements: As a Windows 3.1 application, it required minimal hardware—typically a 386 or better processor, 4MB RAM, and VGA graphics—but performed best on systems with more resources.
This version built on the foundation of Visio 1.0 (released in 1992) and subsequent updates, introducing refinements in usability and stencil variety. It was a standalone product at the time, not yet part of the Microsoft ecosystem (Microsoft acquired Visio Corporation in 2000, integrating it into the Office suite starting with Visio 2000). Visio 3.0 played a key role in establishing the software's reputation for simplifying complex information through visual means