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Documents by Readdle
Finding the right place for AI in a file manager used by 12M people.
PROJECT
Projector × Readdle, course project
PRODUCT
Documents, file manager
MY ROLE
Product designer · team Bravo
TIMELINE
March–June 2026
PLATFORM
iOS
01
Overview
The brief
Propose a new AI-powered use case that solves a real task for solo professionals.
The segment
Solo professionals (creators, entrepreneurs, IT specialists), about 27% of the audience.
My role
Product designer in team Bravo: research, hypotheses, flows, prototypes and usability tests.
02
Research
The tools are already there. People just never find them.
80%
of features stay unopened by new users in the first month
92.7%
of users never sort files
into folders
100%
of respondents had never opened the Tools tab on purpose
How we learned
50+ screener answers
4 interviews · 30–45 min
Amplitude data
Key insight
People delete the app because it feels “too complex”, not because something is missing. AI should not add a new place to go; it should meet users where files already arrive.
03
Solution
AI Smart Rename
The moment a file is saved or imported, Documents reads its content and suggests a name, so the file says what’s inside before you open it.
“Half of my files are ‘final_v2’ or ‘export_3’. Before I open the right one, I go through five wrong ones.”
Vadym, content creator
final_v2
→
Client_presentation_final
untitled
→
Rental_contract_April
Why here
AI tools save files as IMG_4521 or final_v2, so finding one means opening them one by one.
Key decision
Suggest at import, the moment of highest intent, and let the user confirm. AI proposes, the user stays in control.
How we’d measure
≥50% of files get a meaningful name · ≥60% return to renamed files · <15 s to find a file
04
Testing
4/4
found it without a hint
11 s
from menu to confirmed name
Moderated usability test · 4 respondents · 2 entry points · Figma prototype
Worked
Suggestion right after import
The strongest entry point: everyone who came through import used it instantly.
Iterated
Several names instead of one
All 4 wanted to choose: “I want to control it.” The sheet now offers options.
Iterated
Batch rename
2 of 4 expected multi-select to rename all files at once, so we added it to the flow.
Open
The 9-rename paywall
A blocker for heavy users with 50+ files a day. Pro value has to show earlier.
RESULT