Visualizes Product Manager thoughts (Why, What, How, User Journey) into an editable Excalidraw diagram. Use when the user asks to "visualize specs", "create a PM diagram", or "map out product thoughts".
---
name: pm-visualizer
description: Visualizes Product Manager thoughts (Why, What, How, User Journey) into an editable Excalidraw diagram. Use when the user asks to "visualize specs", "create a PM diagram", or "map out product thoughts".
---
# PM Visualizer Skill
This skill converts unstructured Product Manager thoughts into a structured Excalidraw visualization.
## Features
- **Smart Layout**: Automatically columns "Why, What, How" and creates a horizontal flow for "User Journey".
- **Color Coding**: Visual distinction between problem (Why - Yellow), solution (What - Green), implementation (How - Blue), and flow (Journey - Red/Pink).
- **Grouped Elements**: Text is properly bound to containers so they move together.
## Workflow
1. **Analyze Request**: Extract the following sections from the user's prompt or context:
* **Title**: The feature or product name.
* **Why**: The problem statement, business goals, or "Why are we building this?".
* **What**: The solution requirements, features, or "What is it?".
* **How**: Technical implementation details, API strategy, or "How will we build it?".
* **Journey**: A sequential list of steps for the user journey or process flow.
2. **Prepare Data**: Create a JSON file (e.g., `temp_visual_data.json`) with this structure:
```json
{
"title": "Feature Name",
"why": ["Reason 1", "Reason 2"],
"what": ["Feature 1", "Feature 2"],
"how": ["Tech 1", "Tech 2"],
"journey": ["Step 1", "Step 2", "Step 3"]
}
```
3. **Generate Diagram**: Run the python script to generate the `.excalidraw` file.
```bash
python3 ~/clawd/skills/thought-to-excalidraw/scripts/layout_diagram.py /tmp/visual_data.json /tmp/diagram.excalidraw
```
4. **Render to PNG**: Convert to image for delivery.
```bash
node ~/clawd/skills/excalidraw/scripts/render.js /tmp/diagram.excalidraw /tmp/diagram.png
```
5. **Deliver Based on Context**:
- **If chatting**: Send PNG directly in chat via `message(action="send", filePath="/tmp/diagram.png")`
- **If creating a Google Doc**: Upload and embed PNG in the document
6. **Cleanup**: Delete temporary files.
**NEVER just create a .excalidraw file and tell the user to open it. Always render to PNG and send inline.**
## Example
**User:** "Visualize a new 'Login with Google' feature. Why? Reduce friction. What? Google button on login page. How? OAuth2. Journey: User clicks button -> Google Popup -> Redirect to Dashboard."
**Workflow:**
1. Create `/tmp/login_spec.json`:
```json
{
"title": "Login with Google",
"why": ["Reduce friction", "Increase conversion"],
"what": ["Google Sign-in Button", "Profile Sync"],
"how": ["OAuth 2.0 Flow", "Google Identity SDK"],
"journey": ["User clicks 'Sign in with Google'", "Google permissions popup appears", "User approves access", "System verifies token", "User redirected to Dashboard"]
}
```
2. Generate: `python3 ~/clawd/skills/thought-to-excalidraw/scripts/layout_diagram.py /tmp/login_spec.json /tmp/login.excalidraw`
3. Render: `node ~/clawd/skills/excalidraw/scripts/render.js /tmp/login.excalidraw /tmp/login.png`
4. Send: `message(action="send", filePath="/tmp/login.png", caption="Login with Google - PM Visualization")`
don't have the plugin yet? install it then click "run inline in claude" again.