Process infographicsExplain the method
Explain the method
without the paragraph.
Describe how the thing works and get numbered steps in the order they happen — each one an action, each one the same weight, each one legible from across a room.
Make a process sheet1 2 Cells release electrons
3 Inverter makes AC
4 Power runs the house
Illustrative — “How solar energy works”, four steps, portrait sheet
When anyone could follow it tomorrow
Steps that repeat, in a fixed order, with actions in them. Onboarding a new starter, submitting an expense, how photosynthesis works, how a mortgage application moves through a bank.
When it happened once, on dates
Events that will not repeat. A company history, a project’s milestones, the sequence of a news story. Make one of those instead.
Writing the steps
Four rules, with the wrong version beside the right one
Start every step with a verb
- Yes
- Upload the file
- No
- File upload stage
A step is something somebody does. A noun phrase describes a stage of a system, which is a different document.
One action per step
- Yes
- Submit the form
- No
- Fill in and submit the form, then wait for approval
If a step contains an “and”, it is usually two steps — or one step and a consequence that belongs underneath.
Keep the steps the same size
- Yes
- Four steps of comparable weight
- No
- Three small steps and one that takes a fortnight
Uneven steps make the reader distrust the numbering. Split the big one or group the small ones.
Say who does it when it changes hands
- Yes
- Finance approves the invoice
- No
- The invoice is approved
The passive voice hides the handover, and handovers are where processes actually break.
How many steps the sheet can carry
- 3 steps
- A pitch or a landing page. Three is the number people remember without effort.
- 4–6 steps
- The sweet spot for an explainer, an onboarding flow or a method.
- 7–9 steps
- A real operational procedure. Use the long-page shape and group the steps into two or three phases.
- 10+ steps
- Split it. Either one sheet per phase, or a sheet of phases with the detail in a document behind it.
Common questions
What is the difference between a process and a timeline infographic?
A process shows steps that repeat: anyone following it does step one, then step two. A timeline shows events that happened once, on dates. If your entries have dates, you want a timeline; if they have actions, you want a process.
Can it make a flow chart with branches?
It draws linear processes well — a sequence of numbered steps. Decision trees with branching paths are a different kind of diagram, and a dedicated diagramming tool is the better answer for those.
What should I paste in?
The procedure as you would explain it out loud, or the document that already describes it. Bullet points work; so does a paragraph. It will split it into steps and write the labels.
Can I number the steps differently?
Yes — ask for lettered steps, phase groupings or no numbering at all, and the sheet is redrawn.
Is it good for onboarding and training material?
Yes, and it is one of the most common uses. A process sheet pinned above a desk gets consulted; a six-page procedure document does not.
Can I print it?
Yes. Export a vector PDF or SVG and it prints sharp at any size, including A3 for a wall.