Without skillmulti-axis “progress chart” energy
Hermes graphics replay
Before / after the data-graphics skill
Three recreated old-ish graphics, shown twice: the kind of output I’d likely make without the new skill, and the Tufte/Bertin-flavored version the skill pushes me toward.
not pixel-perfect archaeology: these use recovered session data + summaries, rebuilt as a comparison playground so you can judge the direction.
case 1 · from the BodySpec progress chart
Body composition changed in opposite directions: fat down, lean up.
Source: Matthew’s BodySpec DEXA history, 2020–2026.
With data-graphicsseparate comparisons, direct labels, honest units
case 2 · from the Mermaid / skills inventory threads
The ecosystem is dominated by a few capability clusters.
Source: current skills inventory, used as a stand-in for the old “103 skills” ecosystem snapshot.
Without skilldonut + rainbow dashboard
With data-graphicssorted dot plot + long tail grouped
case 3 · from the Hermes ecosystem diagram
Cron work was frequent, but delivery targets were concentrated.
Source: May 2 session summary: six active jobs, mostly 10–30 minute pollers plus one daily and one weekly report.
Without skilltimeline-ish boxes, lots of glow
With data-graphicsfrequency on a log scale + delivery annotation
What the skill changes
- before: prettier than default, but often decorative: gradients, legends, mixed units, pies/donuts, overloaded panels.
- after: clearer claims, simpler encodings, direct labels, separated units, and fewer “look how designed I am” moves.
- still to improve: if you like this direction, next pass should add export buttons and a corpus of canonical chart templates.