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TIPTIP ORGANIZER · CASE STUDY

Offline Check-In Mode

Keeping event check-in running when thousands arrive at once and the venue’s network gives up.

ROLEProduct Designer
TEAMPM, Engineering
TIMELINELate 2024 – 2025
PLATFORMMobile app
TipTip Organizer offline check-in screens
0%data loss across every event that used Offline Mode
20,000+Green Day attendees checked in on a congested network
11–23smedian check-in time, held even without signal
01THE PROBLEM

Thousands arrive at once, and the network gives up.

TipTip Organizer worked well online. But live concerts exposed a critical weak spot: heavily congested networks. Crowds overwhelm cellular data, and many venues don’t have enough Wi-Fi.

With thousands of attendees arriving at the same time, relying only on an online connection was a risk we couldn’t take.

02THE GOAL

Offline-first, without losing speed or accuracy.

  • Resilience: the app keeps working normally with no internet at all
  • Automatic sync: check-ins upload on their own once the connection is back
  • No conflicts: no duplicate check-ins and no lost data between offline and online
03APPROACH

Split the work between roles, then design four steps.

Working from the PM’s PRD, Owners and Admins decide whether a check-in can run offline. Operators download the data to their device, sync it, and fix any download or sync failure.

1 · Create onlineThe owner or admin creates the check-in, stored online.
2 · DownloadEach device downloads the check-in list to local storage.
3 · Check in as usualStaff scan tickets the same way, signal or not.
4 · Sync backCheck-ins upload to the server once the device is online.
04CHALLENGES

Three risks to design around.

Unreliable internetHigh crowd density overwhelms cellular networks, and venue Wi-Fi is often not enough.
Data integrityNo duplicate check-ins or lost records when a device switches between offline and online.
Staff experienceOffline had to feel normal, with no special actions from staff at the gate.
05KEY DECISIONS

What I designed, and why.

DECISION 01

One switch per check-in, explained in place

Owners and admins turn Check-in offline on when creating or editing a check-in, with no restriction on when. A tap on the info opens a short explainer of what offline mode does and what to keep in mind.

Check-in settings with offline toggle, offline mode explainer and create check-in form
Check-in settings, the offline explainer, and the toggle when creating a check-in.
DECISION 02

Download before the doors open, automatically

When an operator opens the app, a page explains offline check-in and starts downloading the data on its own. New ticket purchases trigger a background download, so the list stays up to date.

Downloading check-in data, ready to start and check-in list screens
Downloading, ready to start, then the check-in list.
DECISION 03

Fail gracefully: retry, or carry on online

If a download fails, the app says why, no internet or a system error, and offers two ways out: try again, or continue in online mode. Online mode keeps a banner reminding staff to download the data.

Download failed screen and online mode reminder banner
A failed download, and online mode with a reminder banner.
DECISION 04

Invisible sync, visible enough to trust

Offline, every check-in is saved on the device; once online, it syncs in the background. A banner shows the last sync time, and each check-in shows downloading or downloaded, so staff know their data is safe.

Syncing new data and all synced states
Syncing new data, then all synced.
06IMPACT

Tested by the biggest crowds TipTip has seen.

  • Green Day (20,000+) and The Corrs (3,000+): severe congestion and almost no cellular data. Offline Mode kicked in automatically and synced everything after the event without errors.
  • Video Game Concert (2,000+) and Reality Club (800+): unstable connection with random outages. Staff worked confidently, knowing every check-in was saved.
  • 0% data loss across all events, with check-in times inside the 11–23 second median range
  • 100% user satisfaction reported, and Offline Mode was planned for LaLaLa Festival 2025
07REFLECTION

The best offline mode is one staff never think about.

This taught me to design for real venues, where ideal conditions are rare, and to make technology invisible: staff shouldn’t need to understand syncing to trust it.

Next, I’d explore syncing check-ins between devices in real time without any external internet, as events keep getting bigger.

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