From camera access to AI processing, the C3 photo intake process had to juggle shifting requirements, complex validations, and asynchronous workflows—all under a rapid development timeline. Our solution? A tailored take on the State Pattern that kept each step’s logic self-contained, treated errors as first-class citizens, and made it easy to adapt to constant changes. In this article, we reveal how this approach turned a challenging multi-step workflow into a maintainable, flexible system—ideal for developers building complex, user-driven experiences.