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