another thing you may find inspiration from are algorithm visualizations referenced or created by Edward Tufte [1]

"Excellent sparkline-like graphics from Robert Sedgewick, Algorithms in C (1998)

Sparklines and sparkline-like graphs can also move within complex multivariate spaces, as in these 9-step sequential results (reading down the columns) in merge-sorting 5 different types of input files. Four variables and 18,000 numbers are depicted in these small multiples.

https://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/images/00027o-2539.jpg

Here are the results of 7 sequential passes to sort a 200 element file in bottom-up merge sort:

https://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/images/00027o-2540.jpg

These merge-sort images above are a bit large in order to accommodate the resolution of a computer screen. But this material can achieve sparkline-resolutions when printed out on paper.

-- Edward Tufte"

[1] https://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=...

[edit: formatting]