Computer Tools for Crafting Clear and Attractive Diagrams in Social Science

Abstract

This article evaluates two categories of software with which diagrams can be created. Diagram- building programs are usable mainly for drawing simple figures such as flow charts, decision trees, and organization charts—essentially boxes containing labels connected to one another with lines. Inexpensive general-purpose drafting or computer-aided design (CAD) programs generate much more complex images with greater varieties of shapes. The evaluation criteria used are flexibility—variety of drawings that can be rendered; variety of built-in shapes; attractiveness of results; exportability; ease of operation; screen-printer agreement; ease of drawing a flow chart, simple graphics, and complex diagrams; and automatic line routing. All but one program are Windows-based, and most are relatively inexpensive.