I’m going on a short camping 🏕️ trip in the mountains tomorrow, so I needed to check if the tent still works and if I still remember how to put it up. Thought it’d be cool to make another step-by-step guide on how to pitch a tent. I kinda like it. What do you think?
I love seeing the M12 Gallery in action and I’m learning a lot about how to make a good step-by-step guide. It’s super interesting to see little things like how the outside light and moving clouds change the stop trick effect. That’s it for now. I need to keep packing 😅 More to come!
Hi, I’m Ben — a TV cameraman and the creator of M12 Gallery, a WordPress plugin for visual, step-by-step guides.
Let me tell you how this all started — and why I believe visual instructions can completely transform how we document work processes.
It All Started on a Car Factory Floor 🚗📸
A few years ago, I worked on a project for a major German car manufacturer. My job? Help document how to build one of their brand-new vehicles. Big project. Lots of people involved.
What we had to work with? A mountain of printed documentation — page after page of dense technical text. Sometimes there were pictures. Sometimes not. Even the engineers — the people who built the thing — struggled to follow it.
I was stunned. As a cameraman, I think in images. I live and breathe visual storytelling. And all I could think was:
Why isn’t this easier to follow? Why can’t we just show people what to do?
That idea stuck with me. I couldn’t shake it.
Fast Forward to Today: The Flipbook Effect 🔄 📷
I started exploring how instructions could be more intuitive, more visual — more like a storyboard than a script. And that’s when I noticed something powerful:
When you show two or more images in sequence — before and after — something clicks in the brain. Like a flipbook:
Suddenly, the action becomes obvious. No need to interpret a sentence. No guessing. Just: Oh, that’s what I need to do.
That’s the heart of why I built M12 Gallery. I wanted to give anyone — whether you’re documenting how to build a car or bake a cake — an easy way to create clear, visual, step-by-step guides. Because sometimes, showing is simply better than telling.
Why It Works?💡
Let’s break it down. Here’s why visual step-by-step guides work better than long text or traditional video:
🧠 We Process Images Faster Than Text
Our brains are built to understand visuals. You can recognize what’s happening in a photo in milliseconds.
Compare that to reading a paragraph and imagining the action — way slower, and way more room for error.
✨ They Let Users Take Control
Unlike video, which moves at its own pace (and forces you to pause, rewind, and scrub constantly), visual guides let users go step by step at their own speed.
Want to go back? Just swipe or click. Want to skip ahead? Easy.
You’re in control. That’s good UX.
🛠️ They’re Designed for Doing, Not Just Reading
This is huge. Visual guides aren’t just educational — they’re actionable.
You can literally look at the step, match what you see in front of you, and do it. No need to hold instructions in your head. No translating words into actions. Just do what you see.
🔇 No Sound? No Problem
Videos rely on audio, which is a pain in noisy environments.
Visual guides? Silent by default. They work anywhere: a factory floor, a train, a quiet office. No headphones needed. That’s accessibility in action.
🌍 Visual = Universal
Words can confuse. They need to be translated.
Images? Not so much. A photo of a screw turning or a part being installed makes sense in any language. That’s why visual guides are perfect for international teams or products.
📦 Just What You Need — No Fluff
Watching a 10-minute video just to find a 5-second step? We’ve all been there.
Visual guides are like the opposite of a voice message that goes on forever — they’re short, clear, and to the point.
It’s the difference between hearing someone say “You need to remove the red cap from the left-side valve assembly under the intake panel…” and just seeing a photo of it being done.
This Isn’t Just About Learning — It’s About Doing
The best instructions don’t just teach — they let you act.
They reduce friction, boost confidence, and make you feel like: “Yeah, I’ve got this.”
And that’s what visual, step-by-step guides are all about. They’re not flashy. They’re not high-tech. They’re just ridiculously effective.
So Why Did I Build a Plugin for It?
Because I wanted to make this format easy for anyone to use — not just big companies with big budgets.
That’s where M12 Gallery comes in. It’s just a tool. The real magic is in the method.
Show the process. Break it down visually. Step by step. Clear. Actionable. Human.
If you’ve ever struggled to follow instructions — or had to create them — I hope this gave you something to think about.
Let’s stop overcomplicating how we explain things. Let’s make work easier to understand. 👣📸
