Daeseon Yoo
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·UX retro·2 min

Idiot-proof visual install guide (and why a one-click .bat still isn't enough)

Shipping a one-click installer wasn't enough for a non-technical user: SmartScreen hides its Run button and email blocks .bat files. Rewrote the install page into a visual, dialog-by-dialog guide and added transfer guidance for the admin.

The gap a one-click installer doesn't close

We made the Windows agent install a single double-click (docvault-install.bat, secrets baked in). But "one click" assumes the file reaches the user and that Windows lets it run. For a non-technical user, neither is guaranteed:

Code-signing would remove SmartScreen, but that needs a paid cert — out of scope for now. So the fix is guidance, not signing.

What shipped

Honest status

The installer file itself is verified (correct URL + PSK, all steps). The .bat has still not been executed on real Windows hardware — the dialog mockups are drawn from the known Windows UX, not screenshots of this exact run. First real execution will be on the target PC; the guide is built to get a beginner through it, and remote-install remains the safest first-time path.