Step Flow Layout
A headline above three numbered steps, no device. The "how it works" layout for apps where onboarding clarity sells.
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What is the step flow layout?
The step flow layout drops the device and lists three short numbered steps under a headline, the "how it works" frame. Its narrative job is educate: it removes the "is this complicated?" worry by showing the whole path in one glance. Because it is text-dense and carries no UI, it belongs later in a set, after the hook; the builder keeps it out of the first three frames. Use step flow when ease of getting started is part of the pitch (onboarding-light tools, habit and routine apps, anything where users fear setup friction). Three steps is the sweet spot: enough to feel complete, few enough to read instantly. Keep each step to a short action phrase ("Pick a habit", "Set a reminder"), and make sure the sequence reads as genuinely simple, because the entire point of the layout is to make the app feel effortless to start.
Layout spec
- Narrative job
- Educate
- Device mockup
- No
- Works in frames (of 5)
- 12345
- Renders
- Numbered steps
Read from the builder engine: the narrative job, device, valid frame positions, and trust signals this layout actually renders.
When to use this layout
Use step flow when getting started easily is a selling point and you can express it in three short steps. If your value is the output rather than the process, a device or stats layout fits better. Keep it to three or four steps; more makes the app look harder to start, which defeats the purpose.
Best for
- Frame 4 or later, the "how it works" explanation
- Apps where low setup friction is part of the pitch
- Onboarding-light tools, habit, and routine apps
- Removing the "is this complicated?" objection before install
Common pitfalls
- Using it in the first three frames, where dense text has no hook
- Listing more than four steps, which makes setup look harder
- Steps written as features instead of plain actions
Generate a step flow screenshot
Describe your app, and the builder generates a frame in this layout. No design decisions, just finished output.
Get screenshotsRelated layouts
educate
Feature Grid
A 2x2 or 2x3 grid of icon-and-label tiles, no device. The depth layout for showing four to six features in one frame.
educate
Text-Top Device-Bottom
Headline at the top, flat device anchored at the bottom. The default educate layout for frames 2 and 3 where feature explanation has to land before the scroll-off point.
educate
Annotated Feature
A tilted device with a side callout chip linked by a connector line. The educate layout for pointing at one specific feature.
hook
Device Hero
Centered flat device with a strong headline above. The product-forward hook layout: frame 1 is the one screenshot almost every App Store visitor sees before deciding.
See it in a full set, or get the strategy: