Friends, how are we making our fun flow charts these days? Preferably for free, since this is a one-off in response to a reviewer who didn't like our fancy table.
Thanks!
Thanks to all the replies!
Here's a run-down of your suggestions for preferably free tools for making flow charts:
#inkscape
Affinity Designer
Excalidraw.com
apps.diagram.net
mermaid.live
DiagrammeR (https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/DiagrammeR/index.html)
and good old powerpoint
In the end, I remembered we have visio in our office subscription, so I just used that. It was boring, but got the job done.
I look forward to digging into some of the tools y'all suggested on another project. Thanks for the tips, #FediFriends!
hat tips to @serial , @Tanster1402 , @thomrstrom , @average_ebiker , @tybstar , and @schluff for weighing in!
@DrTCombs That really depends on the data and how you want to display it.
I once made a data dashboard, exported it as an image into an A3 powerpoint canvas (with image and gradient background). Then I exported each single chart onto new canvases. Next I inserted invisible slide zoom boxes on top of each component in the first slide the zoom into respective chart slides and back. “OneSkill” on YouTube has many Ppt tutorials including slidezooms.
/1
@DrTCombs … On another occasion I made a whole slide deck of animated and illustrated data representations. Mainly Ppt but also other media. They wanted “fun”, too.
If you want to display data in an academic poster format, Ppt is okay but Inkscape (free) or Affinity Designer, are more precise and have more options. And they’re both great with flow charts and actual data illustrations too, but you can’t animate in those.
@DrTCombs
I guess what I’m trying to say is:
1) I wouldn’t dismiss Ppt outright, unless it’s the can as size that limits you. Ppt can do a lot more than I initially thought it could.
2) if canvas size is a concern then Inkscape, Affinity designer etc can be great tools to display anything you want in any canvas size. And you will be able to give it any design finish you want.
3) if you aren’t worried about design, someone already mentioned Miro and excalidraw.
Good luck!
@DrTCombs I always have to Google for the name when I need it, but I otherwise swear by https://excalidraw.com/ - free & easy.
@DrTCombs I like to use https://app.diagrams.net/
Free and open source!
I've tried it in powerpoint, but it's not workable because we have way too many possibilities in our data, if that makes sense