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:

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.