Tango | 2024
Enable API customers to embed gift card credentials directly into their applications, creating a seamless redemption experience while preserving a critical business safeguard: preventing a portion of rewards from being unlocked immediately.
Defined the user experience strategy
Designed new interaction and visual design concepts
Conducted user research, including customer interviews and usability testing
Collaborated with engineering to ensure feasibility and quality
Alignined with stakeholders to address business concerns
Tango’s API customers build their own reward experiences, using our API to purchase gift cards for their recipients. However, once a gift card is purchased, the recipient must navigate to Tango’s hosted site to retrieve their reward credentials. This additional step introduces friction, as users must copy a security code from the customer’s app and paste it into Tango’s landing page to unlock their card.
Some customers attempt to work around this by embedding a URL in their application, allowing users to open the Tango-hosted page in a new tab. However, this still requires them to switch back and forth between apps to retrieve the security code, creating an inconvenient experience.
Tango’s API customers want a seamless way to display gift card credentials directly within their applications—eliminating the need for users to leave their platform. The challenge was to remove unnecessary friction while maintaining security and balancing the business need to retain revenue from unredeemed cards.
Our solution architects identified a way to embed gift card credentials securely within customer applications while eliminating the security code step. This drastically reduced user friction and improved the overall redemption experience.
However, removing friction entirely posed a business challenge: historically, about 6% of recipients never unlock their gift card, preserving unclaimed revenue. To maintain this revenue, Tango originally did not purchase the gift card until the recipient actively entered their security code. Without that step, we needed a new mechanism that discouraged noncommitted recipients from activating their reward while keeping the process smooth for engaged users.
I explored several interaction concepts to create a natural decision point for recipients:
Displayed a confirmation message before unlocking, explaining the benefits of keeping the reward locked.
Result: Felt like unnecessary friction and disrupted the flow, especially in embedded environments.
Allowed users to cancel the unlocking process after clicking unlock.
Result: Largely ignored by users; didn’t provide a clear reason to reconsider unlocking.
Introduced a secondary option allowing recipients to keep their reward locked intentionally.
Result: This approach resonated most with users, providing a clear, helpful choice rather than an obstacle.
Users access their reward credentials directly within the customer’s app, eliminating redirects or extra steps.
A success message reassures users that their reward is ready when they are.
The design suggests that their “task is complete,” subtly reducing urgency.
A flipping animation mimics holding a physical card, increasing perceived value.
By default, only the last four digits of the reward credentials are visible—reinforcing security.
Two clear options: ‘Spend Now’ (reveals full credentials) or ‘Keep Locked and Use Later’ (preserves the status quo).
Choosing ‘Keep Locked’ flips the card back to its branded state, reinforcing the idea of safekeeping.
The implementation of embedded gift card credentials played a key role in securing the renewal of a major customer contract worth $64 million in reward value. By eliminating friction in the redemption process while preserving the business-critical deferred redemption model, Tango strengthened customer trust and satisfaction. The enhanced experience positioned Tango as a more seamless, integrated solution, reinforcing our value proposition and long-term customer relationships.
