Tile Intern Proposal – Activating Multiple Tiles
The “Lost & Found” Friction: Awakening the Idle Tile
The Paradox of the Unused Tracker: Tile is the gold standard for finding the “un-findable.” Yet, Tile faced a silent crisis: users were stopping at one. Once the keys were tagged, the imagination stalled. Thousands of purchased Tiles sat in kitchen drawers, dormant and unactivated, simply because users couldn’t envision a world beyond tracking their Keys, Wallets, and Backpacks.
The Mission: Sparking the “Finding” Imagination I was tasked with re-engineering the activation flow to transform a one-and-done setup into a “What else can I find?” epiphany. The goal was twofold: educate the user on the Tile’s versatility and convert that “junk drawer” inventory into active devices.
The UX Surgery: From Static to Strategic
1. The “Gift” Awakening (The Splash Screen) Data revealed that 60% of Tiles are gifts. This meant a majority of new users were landing in the app with zero context. I introduced a high-impact Splash Screen at launch—a “Welcome to the World of Finding”—to immediately showcase that Tile isn’t just for keys; it’s for bikes, tools, remote controls, and even the family pet.
2. Contextual Inspiration (The Smart Category Picker) The old “Choose a Category” list was a missed opportunity. I broadened this section into an Intelligence Engine that suggests items based on the form factor of the specific Tile being activated:
-
The Slim: Suggestions pivot to laptops, passports, and tablets.
-
The Sticker: Prompts appear for remotes, skateboards, and headphones.
-
The Pro: Focuses on high-value gear like cameras and drones. By moving from “Common” to “Curious” categories, we spark the user’s imagination mid-flow.
3. The “Keep the Momentum” Finale: Instead of a cold “Activation Complete” screen, I designed a High-Conversion End-State. This final screen celebrates the win but immediately asks: “What’s next?” It prompts the user to activate their next device or browse the shop for their next “findable” need, keeping the momentum of the setup process alive.
The Verdict: A Boost in Total Activations
By weaving education directly into the friction points of the setup, we didn’t just help users find their keys—we helped them find value in the entire Tile ecosystem. The result is a more informed user, fewer dormant devices, and a significant lift in multi-Tile households.
