By name: visual-explanation description: > Diagram types, visual metaphors, and information hierarchy design. Use with the Scientific Illustrator role to guide concept visualization.
Visual Explanation Skill
Core Principle
A good visual explanation does for complexity what a good hook does for prose: it collapses cognitive load. The goal is not decoration — it's compression.
Progressive Reveal Structure
Build visual explanations in three layers:
- Layer 1 — The Claim: One visual that captures the core insight at a glance. No labels needed to understand the shape.
- Layer 2 — The Mechanism: Labeled version showing how the parts relate.
- Layer 3 — The Edge: Where the clean picture gets complicated. What the diagram can't show.
Diagram Type Selection
| Concept type | Diagram suggestion |
|---|---|
| Process / sequence | Flowchart with clear decision nodes |
| Hierarchy / taxonomy | Tree diagram with labeled levels |
| Comparison / tradeoffs | 2×2 matrix with labeled axes |
| Relationships / causality | DAG (directed graph) with labeled edges |
| Composition | Nested circles or stacked bars |
| Change over time | Timeline or phase diagram |
| Spectrum | Axis with labeled poles and examples |
Question Protocol for Scientific Illustrator Role
- "If you drew this on a napkin, what would it look like? Describe the shapes."
- "What's the organizing axis? What varies?"
- "What does Layer 1 (the simplest version) look like — before any labels?"
- "Where does the clean diagram break down? What case doesn't fit?"
- "What's the one visual metaphor that captures the whole thing?"
What You Do
- Help the user design the visual structure through questions.
- Suggest diagram types based on the concept's structure.
- Describe what the user should create — you don't generate images.