Airbnb
Company:
Airbnb operates an online marketplace for short-term homestays and experiences.
My project was limited by several constraints:
Due to budget ($0), time (80 hours) and resource (limited access to Airbnb hosts) constraints, my research primarily focused on secondary sources.
Timeline:
2 weeks
Role:
UX researcher
UI designer
Work Product:
Research
Prototyping
Usability testing
1. Project Overview
2. Research
Secondary Research
I scoured the internet to learn about the Airbnb host's needs, wants, and pain points.
To do so, I delved into various sources, such as the Apple app store, the Airbnb host community, other online forums, and the websites of competing and third-party companies that cater to Airbnb hosts.
The co-host feature's inflexibility and lack of customization options was the most significant concern.
This insight informed my decisions in wireframing, content creation, and UI design.
Competitive Analysis
Image: Competitive Analysis Primary persona
Based on my secondary research, I investigated the co-hosting features of Airbnb and its main competitor, VRBO.
After creating a VRBO account and speaking with its customer service team, I discovered that VRBO's approach to co-hosting is even more rigid and convoluted than Airbnb's.
Improving the flexibility of Airbnb's co-host feature would be a significant advantage over VRBO, which could help differentiate Airbnb in the market.
I used these insights to inform the wireframe features and UI design decisions.
Top Insights
Persona Development
Hosting varies from occasional gigs to small business ventures. Yet, all hosts seek the ability to customize co-hosting arrangements to fit their specific needs.
Using the research gathered, I created a persona named Angela, a weekend side-hustle Airbnb host. Angela requires the ability to appoint co-hosts when traveling and facilitate quick and simple payments through the Airbnb platform.
Image: Primary persona
3. Ideation
How Might We?
How might we . . . redesign the co-host feature so that it is more useful to the host?
Adding more flexibility and customization options.
Enable the designation of temporary co-hosts for specific reservations or date ranges.
Offer hosts the option to select which fees are eligible for co-host payment splitting and determine the method of payment splitting.
Allow the Airbnb platform to make direct payments to co-hosts, streamlining the payment process.
Information Architecture
After research, I brainstormed potential features and restructured the flow and information architecture.
The updated system allows hosts to appoint temporary co-hosts within a particular date range and choose from various payment splitting options.
Image: Task Flow to Add a Co-host
Image: Rough Sketches and Wireflow
Visual Design
To ensure consistency with Airbnb's existing app, I followed their visual style, which targets young and trendy travelers with a minimalistic design that uses plenty of white space, fun colors, and a friendly tone.
Since Airbnb does not make their style guide and pattern library public, I used screenshots of their app to match their UI, selecting fonts and colors that were the closest match to Airbnb's branding. My wireframes were built to align with the existing look and feel of the Airbnb app.
4. Solution
Wireframes
Drawing from my own experience as an Airbnb host and secondary research, I incorporated my ideas from the ideation phase into my wireframes.
I prioritized visual hierarchy, simplicity, clarity, and organization to ensure an intuitive user experience.
After receiving feedback from my mentor, I developed mid/high-fidelity wireframes to further refine the design.
Image: Select Hi-Fi Wireframes
Features
Temporary co-host option.
I introduced a temporary co-hosting option that enables hosts to appoint co-hosts for a specific, limited period in addition to the existing perpetual co-hosting option.
Various payout split options with co-host.
I expanded the payout options with co-hosts, offering hosts the ability to split either the total or partial payout. Hosts can now choose from a range of splitting methods, including percentage-based, exact amount-based, or share-based.
More guidance and disclosures.
I incorporated information icons and explanations throughout the platform to guide hosts in making informed decisions about their co-host set-up and the financial implications of their choices.
5. Refinement
User Testing
Based on user testing, users appreciated the flexibility of the new feature but requested clearer language, more split payment options, and reduced redundancy to improve the user experience.
Additionally, users needed more guidance to fully understand and utilize the feature. I conducted remote, recorded user testing of two flows and created an affinity map to organize and analyze the feedback.
Key feedback from user testing:
Participants found the designs clear and easy to use, but desired more guidance on co-hosting and payout splitting.
The "select by reservation" flow was more confusing for users compared to the "select by calendar" flow.
Hosts wanted more than one option for split payout.
Using this feedback, I made improvements to the design and iterated on the wireframes.
Image: Before and After Usability Testing of One Wireframe
6. Final Design
Select payout by exact amounts
Select payout by share split
Select payout by percentage split
7. Reflection
The constraint of a limited pool of hosts pushed me to design in a way that was likely more representative of real-life UX design, where research resources may be limited.
Despite the constraints of a limited pool of Airbnb hosts for research, I was able to find inspiration from host forums to generate ideas for improving the host experience.
I conducted usability testing with the available hosts and received valuable feedback, allowing me to identify previously unknown issues and improve the feature.
Given more time, I would prioritize the following:
gather more feedback and confirm which payment option should be prioritized;
implement the ability to add more than one co-host at a time, which would save hosts time and streamline the process;
implement the ability for hosts to limit the level of privacy and access each co-host receives, which would add a layer of security and control for hosts.