Drawing a flowchart isn’t as complicated as it sounds. While the thought of it brings up bubbling waves of panic and fear in some, it’s actually a simple process that doesn’t require specialized software. With just a few steps, you can have your flowchart mapped out within a couple of hours.
Step 1: Plan
Before you sit down to draw up your flowchart, the most important step is to plan. This is the bit where you let your creative juices flow and your ideas come to life on paper. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, but clarifying in your head the overall structure and connections between elements. By taking the time to properly plan and organise yourself, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and energy in the long run.
Step 2: Sketch
When doodling down your flowchart, you want to think about the relationships between the elements. Before you start connecting it all up, you want to know what you’re working with; flows, inputs, variables and stoppages. Figure out the different stages that each element goes through, and what should happen at each point.
Step 3: Connect
The next step deals with actually drawing the lines and connections between elements. This is the pretty part and allows you to take your masterpiece to another level. When you draw the lines and boxes, you’re basically linking symbols that represent the processes and tasks that are undertaken.
Step 4: Details
Once you have your basic structure mapped out, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty details. This means including information regarding inputs and outputs. Are you expecting a response from this step? Are you talking to someone else in the flow to receive data? This is the part where you add the small details that enhance the overall flow and understanding of the flowchart.
Step 5: Presentation
Now you want to start thinking about how you’re presenting this flowchart. You want to make sure the flowchart looks professional and can be understood clearly. You can play around with colours, fonts and different images, to take it to the next level.
Step 6: HTML
Transforming your flowchart from paper to a more digital format is the final step. To do this, you need to know HTML. HTML codes can be used to design your flowchart. There are several HTML editors online, with helpful tutorials and instructions. With these tools, you can produce a cohesive and professional flowchart with ease.
Step 7: Considerations
When designing your flowchart, you want to make sure you’re taking the user journey into account. Will the user be able to follow this flowchart from start to finish, without needing to refer back to a different page or process? How can you make the user journey smoother? Are the symbols and arrows clear enough? These are the types of questions you should ask yourself when designing your flowchart.
Step 8: Testing
Once your flowchart is built, you’ll want to test it. This means testing every element and process it had laid out, to make sure it works. You can even enlist a few people to use the flowchart your created, and give you feedback. This way, you��ll be able to spot any glitches or errors upfront, meaning you can make the corrections and have your flowchart running smoothly in no time.
Step 9: Documentation
Last but not least, we have the documentation step. After you’ve created and spun that endless web, you’ll want to make sure all your processes are being tracked and recorded. This means documenting your flowchart for future use and reference. Documenting your flowchart ensures that anyone can understand and digest what it does, without having to resort to manual testing.
Step 10: Revise
Revision isn’t a step everyone likes to take but it’s an essential one. After working your way through the 9 or so steps, you’re going to want to review your work and make any necessary changes. This means going through your flowchart, your HTML codes and any other elements and making adjustments as needed.
Step 1: Plan
Before you sit down to draw up your flowchart, the most important step is to plan. This is the bit where you let your creative juices flow and your ideas come to life on paper. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, but clarifying in your head the overall structure and connections between elements. By taking the time to properly plan and organise yourself, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and energy in the long run.
Step 2: Sketch
When doodling down your flowchart, you want to think about the relationships between the elements. Before you start connecting it all up, you want to know what you’re working with; flows, inputs, variables and stoppages. Figure out the different stages that each element goes through, and what should happen at each point.
Step 3: Connect
The next step deals with actually drawing the lines and connections between elements. This is the pretty part and allows you to take your masterpiece to another level. When you draw the lines and boxes, you’re basically linking symbols that represent the processes and tasks that are undertaken.
Step 4: Details
Once you have your basic structure mapped out, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty details. This means including information regarding inputs and outputs. Are you expecting a response from this step? Are you talking to someone else in the flow to receive data? This is the part where you add the small details that enhance the overall flow and understanding of the flowchart.
Step 5: Presentation
Now you want to start thinking about how you’re presenting this flowchart. You want to make sure the flowchart looks professional and can be understood clearly. You can play around with colours, fonts and different images, to take it to the next level.
Step 6: HTML
Transforming your flowchart from paper to a more digital format is the final step. To do this, you need to know HTML. HTML codes can be used to design your flowchart. There are several HTML editors online, with helpful tutorials and instructions. With these tools, you can produce a cohesive and professional flowchart with ease.
Step 7: Considerations
When designing your flowchart, you want to make sure you’re taking the user journey into account. Will the user be able to follow this flowchart from start to finish, without needing to refer back to a different page or process? How can you make the user journey smoother? Are the symbols and arrows clear enough? These are the types of questions you should ask yourself when designing your flowchart.
Step 8: Testing
Once your flowchart is built, you’ll want to test it. This means testing every element and process it had laid out, to make sure it works. You can even enlist a few people to use the flowchart your created, and give you feedback. This way, you��ll be able to spot any glitches or errors upfront, meaning you can make the corrections and have your flowchart running smoothly in no time.
Step 9: Documentation
Last but not least, we have the documentation step. After you’ve created and spun that endless web, you’ll want to make sure all your processes are being tracked and recorded. This means documenting your flowchart for future use and reference. Documenting your flowchart ensures that anyone can understand and digest what it does, without having to resort to manual testing.
Step 10: Revise
Revision isn’t a step everyone likes to take but it’s an essential one. After working your way through the 9 or so steps, you’re going to want to review your work and make any necessary changes. This means going through your flowchart, your HTML codes and any other elements and making adjustments as needed.
