Formatting Your Flow

This function can be performed by users with Contributor role or higher.

Use space wisely

Don’t put too much space between shapes — 2 or 3 “grid” lines is plenty!

Resize shapes so you only have one line of text whenever possible. For example, don’t split long field names up over two lines. Keep the text together (and don’t forget to BOLD it)!

Present multiple options in a grid

When you are setting up a home page or landing page, or there are multiple options to a question, present the options in a grid pattern to keep the flow easy to read. Don’t try to put arrows in – it will end up looking like a spider web!

When a process contains many decisions in a row, create a "decision series":

Use tables

Tables are an easy way to present lots of information. 

  1. Drag a purple backstory shape onto the editing canvas. 
  2. Click Formatting help? and scroll down to the Tables section. 
  3. Select and copy the example table (this will copy the Markdown formatting required to create the table). 
  4. Return to ProcedureFlow and paste the table into the Add Backstory Shape dialogue box.  
  5. Change the headings and values in the table as needed.
  6. Click Add and adjust the backstory shape to the desired size. 

Tip You can also create, lists, links and quotes using Markdown formatting. Check out our formatting guide for examples and previews.

Avoid screenshots

We recommend against using screenshots because they take up a lot of space and are hard to maintain. Instead of showing a screenshot of each step navigating through screens, present it like this:

This takes up much less space, is easier to read and is much easier to maintain! If you think users might need a little more help, you can add the screen location underneath in brackets, like (top center) or (bottom left).

However…

Sometimes an image or screenshot can be helpful to assist users if the system is complex or the interface is difficult to work with. If you do include a screenshot, be sure to connect the screenshot to the action box that it refers to with a dashed arrow. This lets the user know exactly which screenshot goes with which action box.

Note  Images must be saved on your hard drive in order to add them to your flows. You cannot copy and paste them in from a different location. Create a folder on your desktop called “Flow Images” and save all your screenshots to that folder. Then you can use the “Add image …” feature to upload the image to ProcedureFlow. If you need to resize your image to fit within the flow, hold down the Shift key as you do so to maintain the aspect ratios of the image.

Present system data consistently

There are several types of “system” data that you may need to present. Using the following conventions consistently will help your users to know what they need to do.

  • Bold screen text. Bold any text the user will be looking for on the screen. Eyes are drawn to bold text and the user will be guided to the right button, field, or tab immediately.

  • Change the font for keyboard inputs. Wrap keyboard inputs in backticks - the ` button typically below Esc on your keyboard. This changes the font into one that is monospaced and “computer-y” (our word!) and sets it apart from the rest of the text.

  • Differentiate between hard and variable data. Variable data is data that will change every time the procedure is executed (e.g. today’s date, customer’s address, account number, etc.). Conversely, hard data always remains the same. We differentiate between these two types of data when designing flows as follows: 

    • Variable data gets wrapped in SQUARE BRACKETS: 

    • Hard data has NO BRACKETS:


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