Troubleshooting and Quality Checklist

AI Generation Issues

Problem: Overlapping text or elements

• Solution: AI generation automatically handles spacing
• Solution: Increase iterations: --iterations 2 for better refinement

Problem: Elements not connecting properly

• Solution: Make your prompt more specific about connections and layout
• Solution: Increase iterations for better refinement

Image Quality Issues

Problem: Export quality poor

• Solution: AI generation produces high-quality images automatically
• Solution: Increase iterations for better results: --iterations 2

Problem: Elements overlap after generation

• Solution: AI generation automatically handles spacing
• Solution: Increase iterations: --iterations 2 for better refinement
• Solution: Make your prompt more specific about layout and spacing requirements

Quality Check Issues

Problem: False positive overlap detection

• Solution: Adjust threshold: detect_overlaps(image_path, threshold=0.98)
• Solution: Manually review flagged regions in visual report

Problem: Generated image quality is low

• Solution: AI generation produces high-quality images by default
• Solution: Increase iterations for better results: --iterations 2

Problem: Colorblind simulation shows poor contrast

• Solution: Switch to Okabe-Ito palette explicitly in code
• Solution: Add redundant encoding (shapes, patterns, line styles)
• Solution: Increase color saturation and lightness differences

Problem: High-severity overlaps detected

• Solution: Review overlap_report.json for exact positions
• Solution: Increase spacing in those specific regions
• Solution: Re-run with adjusted parameters and verify again

Problem: Visual report generation fails

• Solution: Check Pillow and matplotlib installations
• Solution: Ensure image file is readable: Image.open(path).verify()
• Solution: Check sufficient disk space for report generation

Accessibility Problems

Problem: Colors indistinguishable in grayscale

• Solution: Run accessibility checker: verify_accessibility(image_path)
• Solution: Add patterns, shapes, or line styles for redundancy
• Solution: Increase contrast between adjacent elements

Problem: Text too small when printed

• Solution: Run resolution validator: validate_resolution(image_path)
• Solution: Design at final size, use minimum 7-8 pt fonts
• Solution: Check physical dimensions in resolution report

Problem: Accessibility checks consistently fail

• Solution: Review accessibility_report.json for specific failures
• Solution: Increase color contrast by at least 20%
• Solution: Test with actual grayscale conversion before finalizing

Before submitting diagrams, verify:

Visual Quality

• High-quality image format (PNG from AI generation)
• No overlapping elements (AI handles automatically)
• Adequate spacing between all components (AI optimizes)
• Clean, professional alignment
• All arrows connect properly to intended targets

Accessibility

• Colorblind-safe palette (Okabe-Ito) used
• Works in grayscale (tested with accessibility checker)
• Sufficient contrast between elements (verified)
• Redundant encoding where appropriate (shapes + colors)
• Colorblind simulation passes all checks

Typography and Readability

• Text minimum 7-8 pt at final size
• All elements labeled clearly and completely
• Consistent font family and sizing
• No text overlaps or cutoffs
• Units included where applicable

Publication Standards

• Consistent styling with other figures in manuscript
• Comprehensive caption written with all abbreviations defined
• Referenced appropriately in manuscript text
• Meets journal-specific dimension requirements
• Exported in required format for journal (PDF/EPS/TIFF)

Quality Verification (Required)

• Ran run_quality_checks() and achieved PASS status
• Reviewed overlap detection report (zero high-severity overlaps)
• Passed accessibility verification (grayscale and colorblind)
• Resolution validated at target DPI (300+ for print)
• Visual quality report generated and reviewed
• All quality reports saved with figure files

Documentation and Version Control

• Source files (.tex, .py) saved for future revision
• Quality reports archived in quality_reports/ directory
• Configuration parameters documented (colors, spacing, sizes)
• Git commit includes source, output, and quality reports
• README or comments explain how to regenerate figure

Final Integration Check

• Figure displays correctly in compiled manuscript
• Cross-references work (\ref{} points to correct figure)
• Figure number matches text citations
• Caption appears on correct page relative to figure
• No compilation warnings or errors related to figure