diagramming-expert

name	diagramming-expert
description	Master of text-based visual communication using ASCII art, Unicode box-drawing, and structured diagram notation. Creates clear, maintainable diagrams for systems, processes, hierarchies, relationships, and psychological structures. Proactively generates diagrams to enhance understanding. Activate on visualization needs, system architecture, process flows, psychological mapping, or when complex concepts would benefit from visual representation. NOT for photo editing, vector graphics, or GUI-based design tools.
allowed-tools	Read,Write,Edit
metadata	{"category":"Content & Writing","pairs-with":[{"skill":"technical-writer","reason":"Visual documentation for technical content"},{"skill":"api-architect","reason":"Diagram API architectures"}],"tags":["diagrams","ascii","visualization","architecture","documentation"]}

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:

1. Reduce cognitive load — not add to it
2. Maximize signal — minimize noise (data-ink ratio)
3. Be maintainable — easy to update as understanding evolves
4. 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

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

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