Augmenting flow diagrams created by end-user programs

Abstract

Flow and causal loop diagrams can be used by content creators to illustrate how variables in a system impact one another. Such diagrams are used in educational settings to illustrate concepts like food cycles in an ecosystem and energy flows in climate models. We demonstrate how our tool, InfloGraphic, can produce interactive diagrams either by augmenting existing static diagrams produced using common tools users may already be familiar and have available such as the Gimp or Adobe Photoshop or by using a preexisting image or web page. Content consumers can use these interactive diagrams to visualize how changes to one part of a system can ripple through a system.