Unito · 2024

Maximizing Unito’s Activation Rate Through Growth Design

  • Product-led growth
  • Activation
  • UX audit
  • Experimentation

At a Glance

Recap

About 25% of users who created a flow never activated. No data synced, so they never reached Unito’s aha moment. This project was about finding the hidden setting behind that gap, and fixing it one experiment at a time.

My Role

Product designer. With Graham (PM), I analyzed the data, audited the “Sync only new” experience end to end and designed an incremental fix.

Timeline

Feb 2024 · 1 month

Outcome

Turning “Sync only new” off by default raised link creation-to-activation by 7.4%, and it became the default for all users.

  • +7.4%creation-to-activation within 1 day, for new users.
  • 6 → 16 different names for the same setting became one: “Only new”.
  • 3experiments, shipped one at a time to measure each one.

01Context

The Aha Moment Is Seeing Data Move

Unito connects people’s favorite work tools with two-way sync. It grows through product-led growth, so the first sync has to happen without help.

Activation happens when a user creates a flow, a connection between two tools, and data actually syncs. Creating the flow isn’t enough.

From flow created to flow activated Left: a flow is created, Tool A and Tool B are connected but their items stay apart. Right: the flow is activated, items sync back and forth between Tool A and Tool B. Tool A Tool B Tool A Tool B

02Problem

Some Flows Never Synced Anything

~25% never activated

Our data showed that about one in four users who created a flow never saw data sync. They stopped right before the moment that makes Unito worth it.

Which became our problem statement

How might we make sure our users see their data sync on the first try?

03Process

Gathering Data

Findings

Findings
CriticalityFinding
High“Sync only new” was on by default. Nothing synced until users created new items.
HighField mapping, where users match item details like title, description or assignee on both sides, didn’t fit newer integrations like Google Sheets. (Tackled in the sync conditions project ↗ (opens in a new tab))
Research sources
  • Analytics
  • Past research
  • Session recordings
  • Support and sales feedback

Audit: One Setting, Many Faces

I mapped every place “Sync only new” appeared while creating, editing and monitoring a flow. It showed up in 5 places across three journeys, under 6 different labels, and through 4 UI patterns.

Creating

  • Guide
  • Tool selection
  • Field mapping

Editing and Troubleshooting

  • Tool selection
  • Field mapping

Monitoring

Page where “Sync only new” shows up

Root Causes: Unclear, Unpredictable, Invisible

Inconsistent copy and a concept that didn’t match users’ mental model made the setting unclear. Missing acknowledgment, an overloaded rules page and inconsistent visuals made it unpredictable. Together, they made it nearly invisible: flows sat waiting, and users didn’t know why.

Problem map Lack of copy consistency and Unito’s concept not matching users’ mental model lead to an unclear model for users. Lack of acknowledgment, an overloaded rules page and lack of visual consistency lead to a lack of predictability. The two feed each other, and both lead to low discoverability. Lack of copyconsistencyUnito concept≠ users’mentalmodelLack ofacknowledg-mentOverload ofinformationin the rulespageLack of visualconsistencyUnclearmodel forusersLack ofpredictabilityLowdiscoverabi-lity

04Solution

Four Changes, Shipped One at a Time

From the start, the team agreed to ship incrementally, so we could measure each change’s impact on activation.

After

The setting lives on the launch step, with one name and one tag. It’s off by default, so existing items sync right away. Try the checkbox.

Illustrative recreation of the launch step. Helper copy simplified.
  1. Step 1

    Off by Default

    New flows sync existing items unless users choose otherwise.

  2. Step 2

    One Name

    Six labels became one: “Only new”.

    creation date is on or aftercreate datesync only newly created itemsonly sync new cardsonly new cardsinclude older cardsOnly new
  3. Step 3

    One Visual

    The same tag everywhere the setting applies.

  4. Step 4

    Visible Where It Matters

    An actionable element on the launch and flow overview pages.

05Outcome

One Default, a Measurable Lift

+7.4%

link creation-to-activation after turning “Sync only new” off by default, measured within one day on new users.

What We Learned

  • The default was the biggest lever: one change, a clear lift on day one.
  • Shipping one change at a time let us tie each result to its cause.

Want to Chat?

I’d love to hear about what you’re building, especially if it’s in Montréal.

morgane.davy@gmail.com Consult my LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)
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