Step Capture: Simpler Digital Workflow Documentation

The idea for Step Capture grew out of early exploration into how users create and share digital workflows - particularly in fast-paced, communication-heavy environments like training, education, and support. While video was gaining market traction as a communication method, user feedback repeatedly revealed hesitation: recording video was often seen as too involved, stressful, or time-consuming for everyday tasks.

The Challenge

Although Snagit already offered both image and video capture tools, many users still relied heavily on screenshots for process documentation. We needed to understand:

• Why users defaulted to screenshots, even when a video might be more effective.
• What made video feel like “too much work” for common workflows.
• How to lower friction and fear in even starting a new video recording.

Design Process

I led a cross-functional design studio involving UX, engineering, product, and marketing to explore the space of quick, lightweight communication. We grounded the session in customer interview clips where users shared why they often avoid video, even when it might seem like the ideal tool. Key insights included:

• Users feared making mistakes during live recordings.
• Videos often required re-recording or editing, which added time and complexity.
• Screenshots felt safer, faster, and more controlled.

While the immediate product outcome of the design studio process focused on improving awareness of existing video messaging capabilities, one idea from the design studio - an automated, step-by-step image capture mode - gained traction with the development team.

Design and Development

Early engineering prototypes started with a video recording process. As I worked with the team on the concept, we shifted to an image capture workflow that eliminated the need for tedious region selection, audio/video setup, and removed the pressure to perform a flawless screen recording. Our prototype focused on: 

• Minimizing cognitive load: A lightweight toolbar allowed users to simply start and stop the capture process without setup.
• Automating where possible: Smart cropping, metadata capture, and cursor tracking created structured, readable output.
• Supporting quick edits: We utilized Snagit’s existing template system to display the steps, while updating controls for easier customization and reordering.

As development shifted from an experimental project to feature development, we focused heavily on capture quality and efficiency by testing common workflows and benchmarking time-to-completion and editing effort.

Outcome

Step Capture introduced an entirely new workflow to Snagit, turning user interactions and screen metadata into clear, step-by-step documentation. Each action is automatically captured as a focused step, complete with suggested text, smart-cropped screenshots, a highlighted and adjustable cursor, and sequential numbering, all presented in an easy-to-edit template. Users can export the final output to PDF, Word, PowerPoint, or Markdown, with more exciting options on the way soon.

The result is a streamlined experience that fits seamlessly into existing workflows, especially for users creating process guides, internal documentation, or quick how-tos.

Since launch, Step Capture has received strong positive feedback. Internal teams have cited it as a key factor in customer retention, and users consistently praise its simplicity and time-saving value in product feedback channels. It has also generated a steady stream of feature requests, directly influencing the post-launch roadmap.