visual-storytelling-design skill

---
name: visual-storytelling-design
description: Use when creating data journalism, presentations, infographics, or visual stories that need to communicate data insights through narrative structure. Invoke when user mentions data storytelling, scrollytelling, presentation design, infographic, annotated chart, data journalism, narrative visualization, or needs to transform data into compelling visual narratives.
---

# Visual Storytelling Design

## Table of Contents

- [Read This First](#read-this-first)
- [Story Design Workflow](#story-design-workflow)
- [Path Selection Menu](#path-selection-menu)
  - [Path 1: Build Narrative Structure](#path-1-build-narrative-structure)
  - [Path 2: Master Annotation](#path-2-master-annotation)
  - [Path 3: Design Scrollytelling](#path-3-design-scrollytelling)
  - [Path 4: Apply Framing & Metaphors](#path-4-apply-framing--metaphors)
- [Quick Reference](#quick-reference)
- [Guardrails](#guardrails)

---

## Read This First

### What This Skill Does

This skill helps you **transform data into compelling visual narratives** — data journalism, presentations, infographics, and interactive stories that communicate insights through narrative structure.

**Core principle:** People naturally seek stories with cause-effect and chronology. Structuring data as narrative aids comprehension and retention.

### Why It Matters

**Challenges of data storytelling:**
- Raw data is a heap of facts — hard to process
- Visualizations can be misinterpreted without guidance
- Readers skim, don't read thoroughly
- Need emotional engagement AND factual accuracy

**How cognitive principles help:**
- **Narrative structure** chunks information meaningfully (Context → Problem → Evidence → Insight)
- **Annotations** guide attention to key insights (prevent misinterpretation)
- **Progressive disclosure** reveals complexity gradually (scrollytelling)
- **Framing** provides context for accurate interpretation

### When to Use This Skill

**Use this skill when:**
- ✓ Creating data-driven articles, reports, or presentations
- ✓ Designing infographics or data visualizations with narrative
- ✓ Building scrollytelling or interactive data experiences
- ✓ Annotating charts to guide interpretation
- ✓ Framing data with honest context and comparisons

**Do NOT use for:**
- ✗ Learning cognitive principles (use `cognitive-design`)
- ✗ Implementing D3.js visualizations (use `d3-visualization`)
- ✗ Evaluating designs (use `design-evaluation-audit`)
- ✗ Checking for misleading patterns (use `cognitive-fallacies-guard`)

---

## Story Design Workflow

**Time:** 1-2 hours

**Copy this checklist and track your progress:**

```
Story Design Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Define Narrative
- [ ] Step 2: Choose Structure
- [ ] Step 3: Apply Cognitive Techniques
- [ ] Step 4: Review for Clarity & Integrity
```

### Step 1: Define Narrative

Determine the story arc: What's the context? What's the question/problem? What data answers it? What's the insight? Choose an opening strategy: lead with human impact, surprising finding, or visual.

**Resource:** [Narrative Techniques](resources/narrative-techniques.md) — Narrative Structure section

### Step 2: Choose Structure

Select a template and pattern that fits your story type, audience, and medium. Options include step-by-step article, magazine style, annotated chart, interactive exploration, or presentation deck.

**Resource:** [Storytelling Patterns](resources/storytelling-patterns.md) — Templates and Decision Matrix

### Step 3: Apply Cognitive Techniques

Add annotations (callouts, arrows, shaded regions, direct labels). Apply framing with baselines, comparisons, and denominator clarity. Use scrollytelling for progressive revelation if web-based. Consider visual metaphors.

**Resource:** [Narrative Techniques](resources/narrative-techniques.md) — Annotations, Scrollytelling, Framing sections

### Step 4: Review for Clarity & Integrity

Verify the story is honest (no cherry-picking, balanced framing), clear (insight obvious in 5 seconds), and complete (sources cited, limitations noted). Use `design-evaluation-audit` for systematic evaluation and `cognitive-fallacies-guard` for integrity verification.

---

## Path Selection Menu

### Path 1: Build Narrative Structure

**Choose this when:** Starting a data story and need to define the narrative arc and opening strategy.

**→ [Go to Narrative Techniques](resources/narrative-techniques.md) — Sections 1-2**

---

### Path 2: Master Annotation

**Choose this when:** Adding annotations to guide interpretation of existing charts and visualizations.

**→ [Go to Narrative Techniques](resources/narrative-techniques.md) — Section 3**

---

### Path 3: Design Scrollytelling

**Choose this when:** Building web-based progressive revelation experiences.

**→ [Go to Narrative Techniques](resources/narrative-techniques.md) — Section 4**

---

### Path 4: Apply Framing & Metaphors

**Choose this when:** Providing context, baselines, comparisons, and visual metaphors.

**→ [Go to Narrative Techniques](resources/narrative-techniques.md) — Sections 5-6**

---

## Quick Reference

### 5 Storytelling Principles

1. **Lead with insight, not topic** — Title: "Remote workers report 23% higher satisfaction" not "Remote work survey results"
2. **Annotate the insight** — Don't make readers discover it; point it out with callouts
3. **Provide context** — Baselines, historical comparisons, denominators for every percentage
4. **One change at a time** — Scrollytelling: highlight OR annotate, not both simultaneously
5. **Be honest** — Show full data, acknowledge limitations, avoid cherry-picking

---

## Guardrails

**This skill does NOT:** Implement code, evaluate general usability, teach cognitive theory, or check for misleading patterns.

**This skill DOES:** Provide narrative structure, annotation techniques, scrollytelling patterns, framing guidance, story templates, and quality checklists for data storytelling.