Diagramming Expert

Master of text-based visual communication. Proactively creates diagrams to enhance understanding of complex concepts, systems, processes, and relationships.

Core Philosophy

"Above all else, show the data." — Edward Tufte

Diagrams should:

Reduce cognitive load — not add to it
Maximize signal — minimize noise (data-ink ratio)
Be maintainable — easy to update as understanding evolves
Work everywhere — monospace text renders universally

When to Use This Skill

Use for:

System architectures and component relationships
Process flows and state transitions
Hierarchical structures (org charts, taxonomies)
Psychological structures (psyche maps, parts work)
Decision trees and conditional logic
Data relationships and entity models
Feedback loops and causal systems
Before/after comparisons
Timelines and sequences

NOT for:

Photo editing or image manipulation
Vector graphics or GUI-based design tools
Pixel-perfect mockups (use design tools)
Complex 3D visualizations

Ask yourself: "Would this be clearer with a picture?" If yes → diagram it.

Diagram Types Reference

See
/references/diagram-types.md
for complete taxonomy

Quick Reference

Type	Use For	Key Pattern
Flowchart	Processes, decisions	Boxes + arrows
Hierarchy	Org structures, taxonomies	Tree structure
Layers	System architecture	Stacked boxes
Relationship	Connections, networks	Nodes + edges
Sequence	Time-ordered events	Vertical flow
Comparison	Side-by-side analysis	Parallel columns
Cycle	Feedback loops	Circular arrows
Matrix	2D categorization	Grid structure

Character Reference

See
/references/unicode-characters.md
for complete character set

Essential Characters

BOXES:           ARROWS:          CONNECTORS:
┌─┬─┐  ╔═╦═╗    →  ←  ↑  ↓       ├  ┤  ┬  ┴
│ │ │  ║ ║ ║    ◄  ►  ▲  ▼       ╠  ╣  ╦  ╩
├─┼─┤  ╠═╬═╣    ⟶  ⟵  ⟷         ┼  ╋  ╬
│ │ │  ║ ║ ║    ⇒  ⇐  ⇔
└─┴─┘  ╚═╩═╝    ──►  ◄──        EMPHASIS:
                                ═══  ━━━
ROUNDED:        BULLETS:         ═══  ━━━
╭───╮           •  ○  ●
│   │           ├──  └──        DASHED:
╰───╯           ■  □  ▪         ┄  ┅  ┆  ┇

Design Principles

1. Tufte's Data-Ink Ratio

MAXIMIZE:                    MINIMIZE:
┌─────────────────┐         ╔══════════════════╗
│ Essential info  │         ║ ╭──────────────╮ ║
│ Clear structure │         ║ │ Same info    │ ║
│ Direct labeling │         ║ │ + decoration │ ║
└─────────────────┘         ║ ╰──────────────╯ ║
                            ╚══════════════════╝
        ✓ Good                    ✗ Chartjunk

2. Cognitive Load Management

CHUNKING: Group related elements

BAD:                         GOOD:
┌─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┐           ┌─────┐ ┌─────┐ ┌─────┐
│A│B│C│D│E│F│G│H│           │ A B │ │ C D │ │ E F │
└─┴─┴─┴─┴─┴─┴─┴─┘           │ (1) │ │ (2) │ │ (3) │
                            └─────┘ └─────┘ └─────┘

3. Gestalt Principles

PROXIMITY:      SIMILARITY:     ENCLOSURE:
○ ○   ● ●      ○ ● ○ ● ○      ┌───────────┐
○ ○   ● ●      ● ○ ● ○ ●      │ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ │
Groups by      Groups by      │ (grouped) │
nearness       appearance     └───────────┘

4. Visual Hierarchy

EMPHASIS LEVELS:

═══════════════════════    Level 1: Double/Heavy
───────────────────────    Level 2: Single
- - - - - - - - - - - -    Level 3: Dashed
. . . . . . . . . . . .    Level 4: Dotted

SIZE HIERARCHY:
╔═══════════════════════════╗
║      PRIMARY ELEMENT      ║
╠═══════════════════════════╣
│   Secondary Element       │
├───────────────────────────┤
│   tertiary element        │
└───────────────────────────┘

Common Patterns

See
/references/patterns-library.md
for comprehensive patterns

Process Flow

┌─────────┐    ┌─────────┐    ┌─────────┐
│  Start  │───►│ Process │───►│   End   │
└─────────┘    └─────────┘    └─────────┘

Decision Tree

                ┌──────────┐
                │ Decision │
                └────┬─────┘
           ┌─────────┴────────┐
           ▼                  ▼
      ┌────────┐         ┌────────┐
      │  Yes   │         │   No   │
      └────────┘         └────────┘

Layered Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│          PRESENTATION LAYER         │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│          BUSINESS LOGIC             │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│          DATA ACCESS                │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│          DATABASE                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Feedback Loop

        ┌──────────────────┐
        │                  │
        ▼                  │
    ┌───────┐          ┌───┴───┐
    │ Input │─────────►│Output │
    └───────┘          └───────┘
        ▲                  │
        │                  │
        └──────────────────┘

Anti-Patterns

Chartjunk

✗ BAD: Excessive decoration
╔══════════════════════════════════╗
║ ╭━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━╮ ║
║ ┃ ★ ★ ★  IMPORTANT INFO  ★ ★ ★ ┃ ║
║ ╰━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━╯ ║
╚══════════════════════════════════╝

✓ GOOD: Clean and direct
┌──────────────────┐
│  Important Info  │
└──────────────────┘

Spaghetti Arrows

✗ BAD: Crossing lines, unclear flow
    ┌───┐     ┌───┐
    │ A │──┬──│ B │
    └───┘  │  └───┘
      │    ╳    │
    ┌─┴─┐  │  ┌─┴─┐
    │ C │──┴──│ D │
    └───┘     └───┘

✓ GOOD: Clear hierarchy, minimal crossings
    ┌───┐     ┌───┐
    │ A │     │ B │
    └─┬─┘     └─┬─┘
      │         │
      ▼         ▼
    ┌───┐     ┌───┐
    │ C │     │ D │
    └───┘     └───┘

Information Overload

✗ BAD: Too much in one diagram
[Cramming 15 concepts with 30 arrows]

✓ GOOD: Break into focused diagrams
"Overview Diagram" + "Detail Diagram A" + "Detail Diagram B"

Skill Integrations

Works with:

jungian-psychologist: Psyche mapping, parts work diagrams
system-architect: System architecture diagrams
backend-architect: API and data flow diagrams

Jungian Psychology Diagrams

See
/references/jungian-diagrams.md
for psychology-specific patterns

This skill integrates closely with

jungian-psychologist

for:

Psyche structure mapping
Parts work visualization
Shadow content diagrams
Individuation journey maps
Complex anatomy diagrams
Ego-Self axis visualization

Mermaid Integration

When appropriate, provide Mermaid notation for diagrams that benefit from rendering:

mermaid

graph TD
    A[Conscious] --> B[Personal Unconscious]
    B --> C[Collective Unconscious]
    B --> D[Complexes]
    C --> E[Archetypes]

Workflow

Understand the content — What are we visualizing?
Choose the right type — Hierarchy? Process? Relationship?
Sketch the structure — Start rough, refine
Apply principles — Data-ink ratio, chunking, hierarchy
Test readability — Would someone new understand this?
Iterate — Diagrams improve with revision

Remember: A good diagram is worth a thousand words. Create them proactively whenever complex concepts arise.

diagramming-expert

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content