◆ MATLAB

Create xkcd style graphs

This is real work, not a feature someone invented — it comes from real job ads and real questions people asked. Below are four ready AI prompts: get it done, make it easy for the next person to say yes to, work out the right move when you are stuck, and stop it coming back.

4prompts

The same task, four prompts

today's deadline · the next reviewer · the stuck moment · the pattern
AExecute — do the immediate taskPlot the provided sensor data as a line graph, using the xkcd style for the lines and…+
Plot the provided sensor data as a line graph, using the xkcd style for the lines and labels.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
BImprove — make it easier to acceptI need to present the results of our stress test to the non-technical stakeholders on Friday.…+
I need to present the results of our stress test to the non-technical stakeholders on Friday. Make the graph of the material fatigue data look like an xkcd comic, but ensure the axis labels are still clear and the overall message about the material's failure point is easy to grasp, even with the hand-drawn aesthetic.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
CDecide — diagnose the stuck momentI just showed Dr. Lee the new simulation results for the plasma confinement, and he said the…+
I just showed Dr. Lee the new simulation results, and he said the graphs were 'too dry'.
I just showed Dr. Lee the new simulation results for the plasma confinement, and he said the graphs were 'too dry' and didn't convey the inherent uncertainty or the 'human element' of the experiment. He wants something more engaging for the department meeting next week. I'm afraid of making it look unprofessional by trying to be too artistic. I can't tell if he wants a truly informal style or just something that visually communicates the data's story better without losing scientific rigor. What's the likely diagnosis of what he's really looking for, and what's the best next move to create a graph that's both engaging and scientifically sound for Dr. Lee?
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
DBecome — change the patternI consistently lose impact in presentations because my graphs, while technically accurate,…+
My graphs often fail to engage non-technical audiences or convey the 'story' of the data.
I consistently lose impact in presentations because my graphs, while technically accurate, often fail to engage non-technical audiences or convey the 'story' behind the data. I struggle to balance scientific precision with visual appeal, leading to glazed-over eyes in important meetings. What habit should I change to consistently create graphs that are both rigorously correct and visually compelling, effectively communicating complex results to any audience?
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?

Questions people actually ask

honest answers, no sign-up

Every task here was seen in the real world. Someone doing the job named it, a real job ad asked for it, or a lot of people asked about it online.

If nothing real showed a task, it is not on the page. That is the whole rule.

They are the same job approached four ways, because what you need depends on where you are.

Get it done today. Make it easy for the next person to say yes to. Work out the right move when you are stuck. Learn the pattern so the job stops coming back.

For most of these jobs it can carry the heavy thinking - draft it, sort it, check it, rehearse it with you.

It cannot sit in your chair, take the blame when a number is wrong, or notice what nobody wrote down. Let it do the first 80%. Keep the last 20% that is truly yours.

No. Copy any prompt and paste it into the AI you already use. No account, no score, no wall in the way.

Any of them. The prompts describe the work rather than naming a product, so they are not tied to one assistant.

That is also why they keep working when you switch.

Change it freely. Every prompt is a starting line, not a rule.

Put in your real numbers, your real names and your real deadline. The more you make it yours, the better the answer comes back.

The tasks come from real job ads, published job data and the questions people ask in public forums.

The steps come from MATLAB's own documentation, with practitioner sources for the traps the manual does not mention.

Push once. Ask it to sharpen the weakest part and to say what it assumed.

Most wrong answers come from a missing detail rather than a bad prompt - tell it the thing it could not know.