The Following Figure Shows An Example Of

The Following Figure Shows an Example of: Why Figures Matter More Than You Think

Have you ever stared at a dense paragraph in a research paper, a technical report, or a whitepaper, and thought, "I would understand this instantly if there were just a picture"? Which means you're not alone. But here's the thing — most of the time, the figure that follows doesn't do nearly enough heavy lifting. It's decorative at best, confusing at worst. The phrase "the following figure shows an example of" appears in countless academic papers, engineering reports, and business documents every single day. And the gap between a figure that clarifies and one that clutters is wider than most people realize.

This is a topic that matters whether you're a student writing a thesis, a professional crafting a client report, or a researcher trying to get your work noticed. In real terms, figures aren't just pretty pictures. They're communication tools, and like any tool, they work better when you know how to use them.

What Is "The Following Figure Shows an Example Of" — and Why Does the Phrase Exist?

The Anatomy of a Figure Caption

When someone writes "the following figure shows an example of," they're doing something specific. They're creating a bridge between text and visual. The sentence acts as a handoff — it tells the reader, "Pay attention now. What comes next will make the last few paragraphs easier to understand.

A well-constructed figure caption does three things at once. Because of that, it describes what's in the image. And it connects the image back to the argument or data in the surrounding text. It explains why the image matters. The phrase "the following figure shows an example of" is really just the entry ramp to that bridge.

Where You See This Pattern

This construction is everywhere. It's a convention that developed because readers need a predictable way to move between prose and visuals. You stop reading linearly and start scanning spatially. Practically speaking, in scientific journals, engineering papers, business presentations, and even legal briefs. When you see that phrase, your brain shifts gears. That's a real cognitive shift, and good writers use it deliberately.

Figures vs. Tables vs. Charts

Not all visuals are the same, even though people lump them together. A figure can be a photograph, a diagram, a flowchart, a graph, or an illustration. In practice, a table organizes data in rows and columns. Here's the thing — a chart — like a bar chart or a line graph — emphasizes trends and comparisons. Still, when someone says "the following figure shows an example of," the reader should expect something more visual and less tabular than a spreadsheet. Understanding that distinction helps you decide whether a figure is actually the right choice for the job.

Why It Matters — When Figures Work and When They Don't

The Cost of a Bad Figure

Here's a scenario that plays out more often than it should. Someone writes a careful, nuanced paragraph explaining a process. Then they insert a figure with the caption "the following figure shows an example of the process.Also, " But the figure is cluttered, poorly labeled, or — worst of all — doesn't actually match what the paragraph described. Because of that, the reader has to go back and re-read the text, cross-reference with the image, and try to reconcile the two. That's not just annoying. It breaks the reader's trust in the entire document.

A bad figure doesn't just fail to help. On top of that, it actively makes the surrounding text harder to understand. It creates cognitive friction. And in a research paper or a technical report, that friction can mean the difference between someone grasping your point and someone abandoning your work altogether.

The Opportunity Cost of Skipping Figures Entirely

On the flip side, there's a real cost to not using figures when they'd be useful. Some writers avoid visuals because they think figures are optional — "nice to have" extras rather than essential components. Here's the thing — in practice, a well-chosen figure can replace three or four paragraphs of explanation. It lets the reader see a pattern, a relationship, or a structure at a glance. Also, that's not a luxury. It's efficiency.

Why Readers Process Visuals Differently

Human beings are wired to process visual information faster than text. In real terms, this isn't a vague claim — it's a well-documented aspect of how our brains work. A complex diagram can communicate spatial relationships in seconds that would take minutes to describe in words. But this only works when the figure is clear, well-labeled, and directly relevant. Which means a confusing figure doesn't take advantage of that advantage. It fights against it.

Want to learn more? We recommend greatest common factor 15 and 45 and sugar dissolve in water physical or chemical for further reading.

How to Make Figures Actually Work in Your Writing

Start With the Purpose, Not the Picture

Before you create or insert any figure, ask yourself what job it needs to do. Day to day, illustrating a process or workflow? Is it showing a trend over time? Comparing two or more things? Revealing a pattern in data? If you can't answer that question clearly, the figure probably isn't ready yet.

Too many people start with the visual first — they open a drawing tool or a chart generator and start building, then try to figure out where it fits in the text. Worth adding: that's backwards. Plus, the purpose comes first. The figure is the solution to a specific communication problem.

Captioning Best Practices

The caption is where most figures fail. On top of that, a caption like "Figure 3" tells the reader nothing. In practice, a caption like "the following figure shows an example of a typical workflow" is better but still vague. The best captions do three things: they number the figure, they describe what's in it, and they state what the reader should take away from it.

As an example, instead of "the following figure shows an example of a customer journey," a stronger caption would be something like "Figure 4 maps the typical customer journey from initial awareness to repeat purchase, highlighting the three most common drop-off points.Plus, " That's specific. That's useful. That's what a caption should do.

Labeling, Legibility, and Scale

A figure can be beautiful and still be useless if the labels are too small, the axes are unlabeled, or the colors mean nothing. Every axis on a graph should have a label and a unit. Every shape or line in a diagram should be distinguishable — not just by color, but by pattern, thickness, or position, in case someone prints the document in black and white.

Legibility isn't a design nicety. It's a communication requirement. If someone has to squint at your figure or zoom in on a PDF to read it, you've already lost them.

Placement and Proximity

Where you put a figure matters almost as much as what's in it. Which means if your paragraph discusses Figure 2, don't make the reader scroll three pages to find it. The best practice is to place a figure as close as possible to the text that references it. That forces them to hold information in working memory longer than necessary, and it frustrates the reading experience.

Some style

The style of a figure should reinforce, not distract from, the message. Here's the thing — choose a clean visual hierarchy: use a limited color palette, consistent font sizes for axis labels, and uniform line weights across all elements. So when presenting categorical data, order the categories logically—alphabetically, chronologically, or by magnitude—so the viewer can scan the chart without re‑orienting their attention. For multi‑panel figures, align the panels vertically or horizontally and provide a single, concise overall caption that references each sub‑figure; this prevents the reader from having to hunt for connections across separate images.

Accessibility is another pillar of effective figure design. Worth adding: incorporate patterns or textures in addition to color to differentiate series, and include an alt‑text description when the figure appears in digital formats. Test the image by printing a grayscale copy; if the information is lost, revise the design to rely on shape or label cues rather than hue alone.

Finally, treat figures as integral components of the narrative, not as afterthoughts. A well‑placed, well‑crafted figure transforms abstract numbers into insight, streamlines comprehension, and strengthens the overall argument. Plus, reference them deliberately in the prose, using language that points the reader directly to the visual evidence. By adhering to purpose‑driven creation, precise captioning, clear labeling, thoughtful placement, and disciplined styling, writers can make sure their figures truly work for the audience and elevate the quality of the written work.