Diagrams Mean Nothing
Most technical blog articles have diagrams, charts, flowcharts, etc. And again, in most cases, these all don’t make any sense. I mean sense for readers. Such schemes and graphics notes are very helpful for writers to arrange their thoughts while creating an article.
For example this illustration: if you haven't read the text, you’ll never understand what all this is about. Actually, this mess could be described just by one sentence: “The data of single stripe was damaged on several disks at the same time”.
Good Words Worth Thousand Rects
If you have enough talent and time to write a simple and clear text, you won’t need a single piece of diagram then. If you don’t, try at least to use it better.
No one can neither read nor understand block diagrams. Every time someone uses it, he spends tons of words to make it clear. And at the end, you don’t remember what was in the beginning. One can easily omit block diagrams by describing a few critical points of the flow.
Use complex and abstract schemes when you are 100% sure your readers know the base and conventions. If so, then diagrams and charts become meaningful and you can use their strength at full capacity. Here we dive a bit into some of the key points to improve your diagrams.
First is a Second Dimension
Maybe Feynman Diagrams are most extensive and dense in the sense of represented information and knowledge.
Actually these diagrams describe four dimensions. By the horizontal axis here’s time and all of our 3D world is represented in the vertical axis. And it remains true in reverse directions, so it can be read back in time too (and it does). Hence Feynman Diagrams reveal a huge amount of information in a very elegant and ascetic manner. Each symbol, element, and shape has its particular meaning.
And last but not least is using of text. Text appears as much as it needs to mark key points. No legend, no coordinates, no terms. This is the first sign your diagram is on its way to being perfect.
Flowcharts use both directions as well. But in contrast with Feynman Diagrams, Flowcharts use inconsistent way: in some part time is on the horizontal axis, in some not.
Much easier is to read the outline itself instead of the chart representing it. So, don’t hesitate to just write down a list. The advantage of a list is that it has one dimension hence it would be much clearer (if it’s not too long).
Second is a Third Dimension
A flat image has its own z-depth. It could be emulated by shadows, focus-depth, blur, color palette, or using gradients.
Here we have an impression of a 3D picture, but it does not have any additional value. It’s just decoration. And as it normally happens with decoration, the graph has lost a lot of its readability. Never place text on a gradient. Of course, if you want, it could be read easily.
Third dimension helps us to layer information. Color is the most significant tool for this purpose. We can filter parts of the diagram by their colors in a few moments:
Note how fast you can find the endings of each chain colored in yellow. This schema may be a bit overcolored and colors are too saturated. Anyway, color layering works well.
We’ll discuss coloring in more detail in the next articles. Here are just a few points so far:
- Use the ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software and its powerful Flowcharts solution to design a Flowchart of any type without effort.
- Use colors from the palette.
- Using 3-4 colors maximally is recommended.
- Take into attention that as more colors, as less their saturation.
TEN RELATED HOW TO's:
When trying to figure out the nature of the problems occurring within a project, there are many ways to develop such understanding. One of the most common ways to document processes for further improvement is to draw a process flowchart, which depicts the activities of the process arranged in sequential order — this is business process management. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM is business process mapping software with impressive range of productivity features for business process management and classic project management. This business process management software is helpful for many purposes from different payment processes, or manufacturing processes to chemical processes. Business process mapping flowcharts helps clarify the actual workflow of different people engaged in the same process. This samples were made with ConceptDraw DIAGRAM — business process mapping software for flowcharting and used as classic visio alternative because its briefly named "visio for mac" and for windows, this sort of software named the business process management tools.
This flowchart diagram shows a process flow of project management. The diagram that is presented here depicts the project life cycle that is basic for the most of project management methods. Breaking a project into phases allows to track it in the proper manner. Through separation on phases, the total workflow of a project is divided into some foreseeable components, thus making it easier to follow the project status. A project life cycle commonly includes: initiation, definition, design, development and implementation phases. Distinguished method to show parallel and interdependent processes, as well as project life cycle relationships. A flowchart diagram is often used as visual guide to project. For instance, it used by marketing project management software for visualizing stages of marketing activities or as project management workflow tools. Created with ConceptDraw DIAGRAM — business process mapping software which is flowcharting visio alternative or shortly its visio for mac, this sort of software platform often named the business process management tools.
Picture: Process Flowchart: A Step-by-Step Comprehensive Guide
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You want design the Cross Functional Diagram and need powerful software? Then ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and vector drawing software extended with Cross-Functional Flowcharts Solution is exactly what you need.
Picture: Cross Functional Diagram
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Local area network connects computers and other network appliances within an area, such as office building or a campus. It can be difficult to provide such network without a predesigned plan. For these purposes you can use network diagram software, which helps you to create LAN network diagrams and office network diagrams quickly and effortless. This will speed up your work and you can save the diagram for the future network improvements.
The following diagram illustrates a network topology of the small office. LAN configuration has a star topology. The local network joins 8 computers among which are several desktop PCs, laptop, two iMacs and iBook. The end-point devices are divided into three groups. Each group is connected to its hub. There is a network printer and a modem, which are interconnected with other devices through a network server. Each computer on the LAN can access the server through a corresponding hub.
Picture: Network Diagram Software. LAN Network Diagrams. Physical Office Network Diagrams
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Bubble diagrams solution extends ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software with templates, Using ConceptDraw Connectors, you can make a bubble chart in moments. Using ConceptDraw you will be able to make a bubble chart from the ready ConceptDraw library objects or make your own objects. The created diagram can represent ideas organization, in brainstorming processes, by teachers for explaining difficult ideas or for presentations.
Picture: How To Make a Bubble Chart
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There are many tools to manage a process or to illustrate an algorithm or a workflow. Flowcharting is one of those tools. However, it may be difficult to show complex processes that require multiple attributes or several people in a simple flowchart, so a cross-functional flowchart would be a solution for that situation. To create such flowchart, group processes and steps to labeled rows or columns, and divide those groups with horizontal or vertical parallel lines. It is worth mentioning that there are different types of cross-functional flowcharts, like opportunity or deployment flowchart.
This diagram shows a cross-functional flowchart that was made for a trading process. It contains 14 processes, distributed through 5 lines depicting the participants who interact with the process. Also there are connectors that show the data flow of information between processes. The cross-functional flowchart displays a detailed model of the trading process, as well as all participants in the process and how they interact with each other. The lines in the flowchart indicates the position, department and role of the trading process participants.
Picture: Cross-Functional Flowchart
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Total Quality Management (TQM) system is the management method where the confidence in quality of all organization processes is placed foremost. The given method is widely used in production, in educational system, in government organizations and so on.
Picture: Total Quality Management with ConceptDraw
To your mind, deliberation about the profits of creating organizational charts takes more time than actually creating itself. If lack of software is the only thing that stops you, you should know that organizational charts with ConceptDraw DIAGRAM are created within a few minutes. Owing to the great number of ready-to-use templates, you’ll get your chart easily.
Chart is a very handy format for visually depicting official relations of an organization. Usually, an Orgchart (organizational chart) consists from simple geometrical shapes, containing an information on a position, personal data, and the lines that means responsibilities and accountabilities associated with position. ConceptDraw solution designed for making organizational charts enables one to create various org charts effortlessly using special templates and vector libraries.
Picture: Organizational Charts with ConceptDraw DIAGRAM
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When we think of an hierarchy, we intuitively imagine a pyramid. Thus, a lot of management tools use pyramid charts as examples or illustrations of various documents or models. You can create any type of triangle diagram using ConceptDraw DIAGRAM.
A triangle (pyramid) diagram is often used in marketing to show the data hierarchy. This pyramid diagram represents the Top Brand Model. It illustrate the model of rebranding strategy. It can be used by marketing agency dealing with rebranding strategies development. It’s critical for marketing diagrams to be both clear and eye catching. ConceptDraw Pyramid diagrams solution meet all these requirements and can be successfully applied for creating and presenting various marketing pyramidal diagrams.
Picture: Pyramid Chart Examples
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The Time-Money-Quality Triangle illustrates an advertising truism, that you can't have all three.
Picture: Pyramid Diagram
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The Rapid UML solution from Software Development area of ConceptDraw Solution Park includes 13 vector stencils libraries for drawing the UML 2.4 diagrams using ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and vector drawing software.
Picture: Design Elements for UML Diagrams
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