Glossary
What is a product walkthrough?
Definition
A product walkthrough is a sequential demonstration of how to accomplish a task in a software product, showing each click and screen in order from start to finish.
Walkthroughs come in several formats: narrated videos, GIF sequences, annotated screenshots, and interactive click-throughs. The interactive format has largely won for web products because viewers retain more by doing than watching, and the asset stays editable when the UI changes.
A walkthrough differs from a full demo in scope: it answers one question ('how do I export a report?') rather than telling the whole product story. Teams typically maintain a library of them; one per key task; embedded in help docs and onboarding emails.
Why it matters
Walkthroughs are the workhorse content of onboarding and support. Every well-made one permanently deflects a category of support ticket and shortens time-to-value for new users.
Example
Instead of a 400-word help article with six screenshots, a support team embeds a 5-step interactive walkthrough of the export flow. Users click through the real UI and arrive knowing the path.
Common questions
What's the fastest way to create a product walkthrough?
Capture the flow with a DOM-recording browser extension (click through the task once), then add a tooltip per step in a no-code editor. In Mirage this takes minutes, and re-capturing after a UI change takes the same.
Video walkthrough or interactive walkthrough?
Interactive wins for tasks (viewer-paced, skimmable, no audio needed, always current); video wins for concepts and emotion. For 'how do I do X' content, interactive is the default choice in 2026.