Diagram guide

How to make a flowchart with AI from a plain description

A flowchart is a list of steps, decisions, and outcomes with arrows between them. Write those down in plain text, say which way the chart should read, and Vizify draws it as a Mermaid diagram you can check and revise.

Capabilities reviewed 2026-09-26

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Method

Step by step

Fix the start and the end
Name the trigger that starts the process (a customer submits a refund request) and every way it can finish (refund issued, request rejected, escalated to finance). A flowchart without clear end states tends to loop or trail off.
List the steps as short verb phrases
Write each step as an action: check order date, review photos, issue refund. Keep one action per step. Long sentences become cramped boxes that are hard to read.
Write every decision as a yes/no question
Turn branching points into questions with named outcomes: "Within 30 days? Yes: review photos. No: reject." Decisions with explicit branches are what separate a flowchart from a bulleted list.
Group steps by owner if it helps
When several teams are involved, say which steps belong to which team and ask for them to be grouped. Mermaid flowcharts can draw labeled groups, which gives a swimlane-like view.
Say which way it should read
Ask for top-to-bottom for long processes and left-to-right for short ones that need to fit a slide. Mention anything that should stand out, such as the failure path in a different style.
Check the logic, then revise once
Walk every path from start to each end state. Look for missing branches, dead ends, and steps in the wrong order, then ask for all the fixes in a single revision.

Copy and adapt

Prompt examples

Refund process with decisions

Create a top-to-bottom flowchart of our refund process. Start: customer submits a refund request. Decision: order within 30 days? No → reject and email the policy. Yes → decision: item damaged? Yes → ask for photos → decision: photos clear? Yes → issue refund. No → escalate to support lead. Item not damaged → issue store credit. End states: refund issued, store credit issued, rejected, escalated.

Why it works: Every decision has named branches and every path ends in one of the listed end states, so the diagram cannot trail off.

Onboarding flow grouped by team

Left-to-right flowchart of new-hire onboarding, with steps grouped by team. HR: send offer, collect documents, schedule day one. IT: create accounts, ship laptop, verify login. Manager: assign buddy, set 30-day goals. IT's steps start only after HR collects documents.

Why it works: Grouping by owner and stating the one cross-team dependency gives a swimlane-style chart without over-describing the layout.

Mind map of a topic

Make a mind map for planning a product launch. Central topic: Launch. Branches: Audience (existing customers, new segments), Channels (email, social, partners), Assets (landing page, demo video, press kit), Risks (timing, pricing, support load). Keep each label to three words or fewer.

Why it works: A mind map is hierarchical rather than sequential, so the prompt gives the center, the branches, and the leaves, plus a label length limit.

Signup flow for a product spec

Flowchart of the sign-up flow for a mobile app: open app → choose sign in with email or Google. Email path: enter email → verify code → decision: code valid? No → resend code (max 3 tries, then show help screen). Yes → create profile → home. Google path: consent screen → create profile → home. Highlight the failure path.

Why it works: It covers both entry paths, a retry limit, and an explicit failure end state, which are the parts reviewers usually ask about.

Turn rough notes into a diagram

Here are my notes on how incident alerts are handled. Turn them into a top-to-bottom flowchart and list any step whose order you had to assume.

[paste notes here]

Why it works: Asking for assumptions to be listed surfaces the gaps in rough notes instead of hiding them inside the diagram.

Before you start

Current limitations

Describe the process in text. Documents such as PDF or Word files cannot be uploaded; paste the relevant section instead.
Without Pro or a credit pack, an account gets two diagram or chart generations in total, and each revision counts toward the same allowance.
Vizify draws the logic you describe; it does not validate that the process is correct or complete. Walk every path before you share the chart.
Very large processes become hard to read in one diagram. Split them into a high-level flow and separate detail flows.

A flowchart is a structured list first

Most of the work in a good flowchart happens before anything is drawn. If you can write the process as steps, yes/no decisions with named branches, and a small set of end states, Vizify can draw it cleanly. If you cannot, the diagram will expose the gaps, which is useful in itself: the prompt that asks Vizify to list any step whose order it had to assume is a quick way to find them.

Mermaid, and when Vizify uses something else

Vizify draws flowcharts and mind maps with Mermaid, writing the diagram source from your description and checking that it renders before returning it. Mermaid also covers closely related diagrams, including sequence diagrams for messages between systems, state diagrams, timelines, user journeys, and Gantt charts, so the same method works for them.

Some process visuals have dedicated formats in Vizify Chart, including decision trees, organizational charts, sitemaps, SIPOC diagrams, and PERT charts. When you ask for one of those by name, Vizify uses the dedicated format rather than flattening it into a generic flowchart.

Reading direction and size

Top-to-bottom suits long processes on a page or in documentation; left-to-right suits short flows that need to fit a slide. Past roughly twenty steps, a single diagram becomes hard to follow. Draw a high-level flow with five to eight stages first, then create a separate diagram for any stage that needs detail. Keep in mind that every diagram and every revision counts toward the chart allowance on an account without Pro or a credit pack.

FAQ

Questions people ask

What does Vizify use to draw flowcharts?

Mermaid. Vizify writes Mermaid flowchart or mind map source from your description, creates the diagram, and checks that it renders before returning it.

Can I make a mind map as well as a flowchart?

Yes. Mermaid has a native mind map type. Give the central topic, the main branches, and the items under each branch.

Can I make a swimlane diagram?

You can group steps by team or owner, and Mermaid draws each group as a labeled box, which reads like swimlanes. Say which steps belong to which group.

What about decision trees and org charts?

Those have dedicated formats in Vizify Chart, which Vizify uses instead of approximating them with a generic flowchart. Ask for a decision tree or organizational chart by name.

Can I change the flowchart after it is created?

Yes. Ask for changes to the same diagram, such as adding a branch, renaming steps, or changing direction. Collect several fixes into one request, because every revision counts toward the chart allowance on accounts without Pro or a credit pack.

Can I upload a photo of a whiteboard sketch?

You can upload an image and ask Vizify to read the steps from it, but check that transcription before generating the diagram. Handwriting and arrows are easy to misread, and a typed list of steps is more reliable.

Why is this guide linked to AI chat rather than a chart tool?

The chart tools on the Site are built for numeric charts. Flowcharts and mind maps are created by describing the process to Vizify in chat, which draws them with Mermaid.

How many flowcharts can I make without a paid plan?

Two diagram or chart generations in total, including revisions. After that, diagrams need Vizify Pro or a credit pack.

Draw your process

Describe the steps and decisions in Vizify chat and ask for a flowchart.

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How to make a flowchart with AI from a plain description

Step by step

Fix the start and the end

List the steps as short verb phrases

Write every decision as a yes/no question

Group steps by owner if it helps

Say which way it should read

Check the logic, then revise once