Agent skill
diagramming-expert
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.
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/curiositech/some_claude_skills/tree/main/.claude/skills/diagramming-expert
Metadata
Additional technical details for this skill
- tags
-
diagrams ascii visualization architecture documentation
- category
- Content & Writing
- pairs with
-
[ { "skill": "technical-writer", "reason": "Visual documentation for technical content" }, { "skill": "api-architect", "reason": "Diagram API architectures" } ]
SKILL.md
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.mdfor 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.mdfor 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.mdfor 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.mdfor 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.
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