Free templateStep-by-step guide poster
Renewing your passport online
A citizen service guide on A4: six numbered steps down one line, and the photo drawn to scale with its dimensions.
Free. It opens in the Motionix editor as your own copy.
Download the pictureWebP, 848 × 1200, free to use. To change the words or colours, open it in the editor.
- Size
- 1240 × 1754 px
- Pages
- 1
- Motion
- Yes, plays live and in GIF or video
- Category
- Processes
What it shows
- Numbered route
- Dimensioned drawing
- A4 print
Good for
How to use it
- Open the template. It becomes a project in your account.
- Change the words, colours and pictures. Every part is an ordinary shape, line or text box.
- Press Play to watch it build, then present it or export it.
What is a step-by-step guide poster?
A step-by-step guide poster explains a task as a short, numbered sequence of actions that a reader can follow without help, often printed and pinned where people need it. Public services use them for tasks like renewing a passport, where one missed step or a rejected photo causes weeks of delay, so each step says what to do, how long it takes and what to have ready.
When it helps
- A council or library helping residents renew a passport online without booking an appointment.
- A front desk answering the same question twenty times a day with one printed sheet.
- A community centre supporting older people with forms that are now online only.
- Explaining photo rules, where a drawing with measurements works better than a paragraph.
Tips
- Use short, common words and sentences under twenty words. People reading a public service guide are often anxious, in a hurry or reading in a second language.
- Put warnings at the step they apply to, not in a box at the bottom. A note that the old passport cannot be used once posted belongs beside the posting step.
- Test the poster by watching someone follow it with no help. Where they stop or ask a question, that step needs rewriting.
How to make a step-by-step guide poster
Define the finish line
Decide exactly what the reader will have achieved at the end, such as a new passport delivered, and who the guide is for, such as adults renewing their own.
Write one action per step
Start each step with a verb and keep it to one action. If a step needs the word and, ask whether it is really two steps.
Number the steps in order
Use large numbers down a single line so the order is never in doubt. Six to eight steps is about the most a poster can carry before it needs splitting.
Add time and preparation
Beside each step, say how long it takes and what to have ready. Put a short list of everything needed before starting at the top or the side.
Draw the hard part
Where the rules are visual, such as photo size, head position or background, draw them to scale with the measurements marked. One drawing saves several sentences.
Point to the official source
Rules and fees change. Say where to check the current requirements, and state plainly that the guide shows the usual process, not every exception.
FAQQuestions
Common questions.
What size is a passport photo?
Many countries, including the UK and those in the European Union, ask for photos 35 mm wide by 45 mm high, with the head filling most of the height. Others differ: the United States uses 2 by 2 inches. Always check your own passport office's rules before taking the photo.
What makes a good step-by-step guide?
Clear numbered steps in the order they are done, one action per step, a short list of what you need before starting, realistic timings, and visuals where words fall short. The best guides are tested on real users and updated whenever the process changes.
How many steps should a how-to poster have?
As few as the task allows, and ideally no more than seven or eight. Beyond that, readers lose their place and the type becomes too small to read from a distance. Longer processes work better split into stages, each with its own short run of steps.
More processes templates
Flowcharts, procedures and step-by-step journeys.
