Building Document Automation Products: What I've Learned

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# Building Document Automation Products: What I've Learned

After 6+ years building digital signature and document automation products at SignDesk/Melento, I've developed strong opinions about what makes these products succeed. Here's what I've learned.

The Core Challenge: Trust and Compliance

Document automation isn't just about making workflows faster. It's about replacing legally binding processes with digital alternatives. That means trust is everything.

Users need to trust that:

Documents are legally valid

Signatures are authentic

Audit trails are tamper-proof

Compliance requirements are met Without trust, no amount of efficiency gains matter. Trust is the foundation.

What Makes Document Automation Hard

Several factors make this space uniquely challenging:

1. Regulatory Complexity

Every country has different rules about electronic signatures. Every industry has specific compliance requirements. The product needs to be flexible enough to handle this variety while remaining simple to use.

2. Integration Requirements

Documents don't exist in isolation. They flow through CRMs, ERPs, HR systems, and custom workflows. Integration capabilities are as important as core features.

3. Security Expectations

Enterprise customers have stringent security requirements. SOC 2 compliance, encryption standards, audit logging — these aren't features, they're table stakes.

4. Change Management

Replacing paper processes means changing human behavior. The product needs to be intuitive enough that change management becomes the customer's challenge, not a product limitation.

Product Principles That Worked

Over the years, we developed principles that guided successful product decisions:

Make the common case effortless

Most users just want to send a document for signature. Don't make them navigate complexity they don't need. Power users can dig deeper; casual users shouldn't have to.

Build for auditability

Every action should be traceable. This isn't just about compliance — it builds user confidence and helps with support cases.

Design for failure

What happens when a signer's email bounces? When a workflow times out? When a system integration fails? Graceful failure handling separates good products from great ones.

Invest in templates

Users don't want to create from scratch every time. Pre-built templates for common use cases dramatically accelerate adoption.

The Future of Document Automation

The space is evolving rapidly:

AI-powered extraction: Automatically pulling data from documents to populate systems

Intelligent workflows: Routing documents based on content, not just rules

Embedded experiences: Signatures happening inside other products, not separate apps

Building in this space means constantly adapting to new technologies while maintaining the trust foundation that makes it all work.

For PMs Considering This Space

If you're thinking about document automation or adjacent B2B spaces:

Understand the regulatory landscape deeply — it shapes everything

Talk to compliance teams, not just end users

Security and trust aren't features — they're prerequisites

Integration strategy is product strategy It's a complex space, but for those who enjoy regulated environments and enterprise challenges, it's deeply rewarding.

Growing as a Founding Team Member: Lessons from 6+ Years at SignDesk

Vinaya skipped presentations and built real AI products.

Vinaya Totagi was part of the January 2025 cohort at Curious PM, alongside 13 other talented participants.