Videobug → Unlogged: from rewinding a bug to replaying a fix.
As founding designer from before YC to after the pivot, I designed Videobug, a time-travel debugger for Java, and then Unlogged, which recorded and replayed Java code to mock calls and generate tests. Plugin, dashboard, brands, websites and the YC application.
- Accepted as Videobug
- YC S22Accepted as Videobug
- Unlogged · Product of the Day, 638 upvotes
- #4Unlogged · Product of the Day, 638 upvotes
- Videobug · Product of the Day, 104 upvotes
- #10Videobug · Product of the Day, 104 upvotes
- Two products, two design systems
- 2 brandsTwo products, two design systems
Role
Founding Designer
The brief
One team, two products, one developer loop.
Videobug recorded how Java code ran so developers could step back through an execution inside IntelliJ instead of guessing from logs. Developers found more value in what the recordings made possible next: mocking calls and generating tests. The product pivoted and was rebranded as Unlogged, an open-source IntelliJ plugin with a web dashboard for recording, replaying and testing Java code.
I joined in December 2021, before YC, as the founding designer and stayed through January 2024. I designed both products end to end: the IntelliJ plugin, the web dashboard, both brands and design systems, the websites, launch motion and marketing videos, and the product, pitch decks and marketing used in the YC application.
01 · Videobug
Give Java developers a rewind button.
Videobug's promise was simple: record a run, then travel back through it to find the moment the code broke.
The problem
Debugging a backend bug usually means adding logs, redeploying and guessing. Time-travel debugging is powerful, but it was a new idea for most Java developers, and it had to fit inside an IDE they already knew well.
My role
As the only designer, I designed the debugger experience in IntelliJ, the Videobug brand and website, and the product, pitch decks and marketing used end to end in our YC application.
Approach
Make the idea easy to grasp in one line and one picture: stop guessing, rewind your code, see what went wrong. The same message ran through the plugin, the launch artwork and the pitch.
Key decisions
- 1Frame the product around one promise, time travel through your code, rather than a list of debugger features.
- 2Keep recorded values inside the editor, next to the code, instead of in a separate tool.
- 3Use one visual language across the product, the YC application and the launch.
What shipped
The Videobug IntelliJ plugin, website and brand, the YC S22 application materials, and a Product Hunt launch that reached #10 Product of the Day.
02 · The pivot
Follow what developers actually valued.
Talking to developers and watching them use Videobug changed the product. The recordings mattered most for what came after debugging.
The problem
Developers liked rewinding a bug, but they kept coming back to two things the recordings made possible: mocking downstream calls and turning real runs into tests. This was before the LLM era, so generating tests from real behaviour was a real unlock.
My role
I took part in the research and testing behind the shift, and then redesigned the product and created a new brand for Unlogged.
Approach
Keep the core technology, recording how code runs, and change the job it does: from watching a bug to replaying, mocking and testing a fix.
What changed
- 1Rename and rebrand as Unlogged, so the product no longer read as only a debugger.
- 2Reorganise the plugin around record, replay, mock and test.
- 3Release Unlogged as open source.
What shipped
Unlogged: a new brand, product structure and design system, launched on Product Hunt as an open-source project, reaching #4 Product of the Day.
03 · Plugin UX
Bring record, replay and testing into the editor without getting in the way.
Developer tools live where every pixel competes with code. The plugin had to make complex backend workflows readable inside IntelliJ.
The problem
Capturing method inputs, replaying them, injecting mocks and generating tests are powerful, but the IDE gives them little room and no patience for clutter.
My role
I designed the plugin flows end to end: record and replay, runtime mocking, JUnit test generation and method performance tracking.
Approach
Map each capability to a step in the developer's loop, observe, isolate, verify, so a developer can go from a failing request to a passing test without leaving the editor.
What the plugin does
- 1Record and replay captures method inputs and return values, so code can be replayed locally without calling HTTP endpoints.
- 2Runtime mocking injects recorded data for APIs, database calls and downstream services.
- 3JUnit generation turns a recorded scenario into a unit test, with framework and serializer choices.
- 4Performance tracking shows method-level execution times and bottlenecks while you code.
What shipped
The Unlogged IntelliJ plugin with record and replay, runtime mocking, JUnit generation and performance tracking. The founders reported it reduced debugging time by up to 2 hours per day.
04 · Dashboard & web
Explain bytecode instrumentation to skeptical engineers.
Outside the IDE, the web dashboard, the website, launch motion and videos had to earn trust from backend engineers without dumbing the story down.
The problem
Record and replay, runtime mocking and test generation are technical ideas. Teams evaluating the plugin needed to understand them quickly, and engineers needed to see the depth.
My role
I designed the web dashboard, designed the website in Figma and built it in Webflow, made UI animations in Jitter, and produced marketing videos.
Approach
Lead with the developer outcome, mock, monitor, replay and test, then open into features, guides and the open-source story. Motion shows the product working instead of describing it.
Key decisions
- 1Lead with the four things developers already ask for.
- 2Keep technical depth visible instead of hiding it behind marketing language.
- 3Use the open-source and YC story to build credibility with early adopters.
What shipped
The Unlogged web dashboard, the Webflow website, Jitter UI animations and marketing videos. Both the Videobug and Unlogged websites shipped; neither is online today.
“We are the early adopters of Unlogged to automatically generate the unit test cases for our Java code. We were pleasantly surprised to see the results of what this plugin provided us that normally used to take manual efforts of ~2-3 hours by our developers.”
Research
Built with developers, not just for them.
Research ran through both products. It shaped the details of the plugin, and it was a big part of why Videobug became Unlogged.
- 01Developer interviewsConversations with Java developers about how they debug and test.
- 02Usability testsWatching developers use the plugin and prototypes, then fixing what slowed them down.
- 03Early-customer feedbackRegular feedback from early adopters and design partners.
- 04AnalyticsPlugin and dashboard usage data to see which features people relied on.
Design systems
Two brands, two systems, one small team.
Each product had its own brand and its own design system. A small token set and component base kept the plugin, dashboard and website consistent, so a small team could ship across product and marketing without drift.
Videobug
Debugger, website and YC materials
- Brand, logo and launch artwork
- Used across the debugger and the website
- Carried into the YC application materials
Unlogged
Plugin, web dashboard and website
- New brand after the pivot
- Built on a modified Chakra UI
- Used across the plugin, dashboard and website
People I worked with
Shardul Lavekar and Parth Mudgal co-founded the company, and Amogh CR was a developer on the team. The same team carried the product from Videobug to Unlogged.
- Shardul LavekarCo-founder
- Parth MudgalCo-founder
- Amogh CRDeveloper
In retrospect
What shipped, and what stayed with me.
Work and releases
- Videobug: IntelliJ debugger plugin, brand, website, and the YC S22 application materials. #10 Product of the Day.
- Unlogged: IntelliJ plugin for record and replay, runtime mocking, JUnit generation and performance tracking. #4 Product of the Day, open source.
- The Unlogged web dashboard, Webflow website, Jitter UI animations and marketing videos.
- Two brands and two design systems, one built on a modified Chakra UI.
Lessons learned
- 1Listen to what users do with a product, not only what it was built for. That is how Videobug became Unlogged.
- 2Developer tools earn trust through clarity, not simplification.
- 3Designing inside an IDE means respecting a surface that already has no room to spare.
The reduction in debugging time is the founders' figure, not a measurement of my own. The Videobug and Unlogged websites and the JetBrains plugin listing are no longer online.