Airbnb – Gregory Padilla

What's the problem I tried to solve?

Problem

Group travelers expressed the need for a group payment function to avoid financial losses and strained relationships from individually covering reservation costs.

goal

Provide cost allocation actions and transparent payment procedures, facilitating equitable distribution of reservation expenses within groups.

Solution: Group Payment

pay

The cost is divided equally among guests, and the reservation is confirmed only when all payments are received. This implies that other users might secure the reservation before your group does. Users are responsible for securing the reservation. More information on this payment method can be found under "More info."

Send a payment link via text or email to a group, initiating a process where recipients are prompted to establish an Airbnb account (if not already registered) to complete the payment within the app.

overview

The Trips page offers an overview of ongoing group payments and status among guests. Users can pay for others to confirm reservations, with full listing details accessible upon completion.

Group Payment is a powerful tool that streamlines the cost sharing process among users and enhances the efficiency and convenience of group travel arrangements

II. Research

Recognizing the challenges in travel groups' plans

Secondary research

During the initial research phase, it was discovered that Airbnb had previously attempted to address this issue before. While their solution was well-received by travelers, it presented challenges for hosts, particularly due to the 72-hour reservation hold it imposed. As a result, Airbnb discontinued this feature in September 2018.

competitor analysis

In my research, I examined competitors to understand their approaches. Direct competitors like VRBO, Booking.com, and Expedia don't offer split payments, while indirect competitors like Uber and payment apps do, providing inspiration for splitting fees among users.

user interview

The aim was to understand the problem space and user base. I conducted interviews with eight participants to identify key contexts and issues. This helped confirm user experiences, gain insights, and identify common themes.

wrap up insights

I went through all interview transcripts, created an affinity diagram, a user persona and journey map to generate key themes.

Why was the original feature retired?

background

Upon discovering Airbnb's previous attempt to address this issue, I was eager to understand its retirement reasons. In February 2017, Airbnb introduced split payments following user requests from CEO Brian Chesky's tweet. A survey in collaboration with Pollfish and DKC Analytics revealed significant financial losses for 43% of respondents (over $1,000), conflicts for 29%, and dissatisfaction among hosts due to the 72-hour payment window, which tied up listings and led to lost revenue. This context is vital for shaping any future solution.

If @Airbnb could launch anything in 2017, what would it be?
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) December 26, 2016

The travel groups' experience with Aribnb

User persona

Through an analysis of commonalities in my research data, I constructed a user persona named Rachael. Rachael serves as a representative embodiment of the user's attributes and guides my design choices throughout the process.

journey map

I created a thorough journey map to better understand and empathize with users during group travel. My main objective was to identify potential pain points and user frustrations to inform future solutions.

Travel groups' needs and design principles

Need: Fair and equitable payments.

I want to have the capability to contribute my share of the total cost rather than covering the entire expense myself.
I want to enable the division of reservation expenses and display each individual cost to group members.

Principle: Design should provide a platform for groups to make individual yet equitable payments.

Need: "Who is going to make it on the trip?"

I want group members to communicate their trip availability clearly.
I want to efficiently manage group attendance and keep accurate records.

Principle: Design should involve transparency regarding group attendance.

Need: "Who has payed their share of the reservation expenses?"

I want to ascertain payment statuses, distinguishing between those who have contributed and those who haven't.
I want to gain insights into the reservation progress, determining how much has been paid and the remaining balance.
I want to remind group members about their payments to expedite the reservation process.

Principle: Design should incorporate dynamic tracking of in-progress group payment specifics.

Need: "Okay, I need to pay for those who can't pay at the moment"

I want to secure the listing; however, some group members are currently unable to cover their share.
I want to facilitate the reservation by covering a group member's portion of the total cost.

Principle: Design should accommodate payments on behalf of fellow group members.

III. Design

Addressing the needs of travel groups

Feature set

In this stage, I evaluated features and prioritized essential functions and capabilities. While exploring various group-based features was tempting, I focused on addressing the core issues related to payment and payment collection for reservations.

task flow

Following an analysis of user needs and the feature set developed, a task flow was constructed. This task flow served as a strategic framework for assessing the number of screens to successfully execute the intended task of splitting reservation payments in Airbnb.

crazy 8s

Leveraging the preceding deliverables, I sketched screens to convey my initial conceptualizations visually. The objective was to contemplate the layout and viability of envisioned solutions, ensuring they effectively catered to user needs.

Crafting the Group Payment feature

design exploration and integration challenges

Drawing inspiration from indirect competitors such as Uber, Venmo, and Splitwise, I undertook the exploration of screen variations for my proposed solution. The challenge lay in effectively integrating my concepts into Airbnb's pre-existing user interface.

IV. Evaluate

Testing with travel groups who use Airbnb

methodology

I conducted task-based usability testing, including two major tasks using the think-aloud method. All users efficiently selected Group Payment, shared a payment link with group members, tracked payment progress, and made additional payments when prompted. Subsequently, they filled out a quantitative questionnaire based on the four established design principles. Here are the average ratings from eight participants (1-7).

results

Usability testing revealed a need for transparency regarding payment contributors, allowing users to easily track group member payments.

6.5

Equitable payments

How helpful is the feature in helping split payments equally?

6.5

Group attendance

How helpful is the feature in displaying group attendance?

6.67

Ongoing group Payment

How helpful is the feature in tracking ongoing group payments?

4

Group member payments

Does the feature effectively track group member payments?

Iterations

enhanced transparency with group member payment

In response to user feedback and insights from mentors and designers, I refined the payment process to enhance transparency. Initially, users could pay for a certain number of guests anonymously. However, based on user comments and recommendations, I iterated the functionality to allow users to select specific guests for payment, displaying their names and avatars. This redesign significantly improves transparency, clearly indicating which group members have paid and who hasn't.

V. Final designs

Facilitating Equitable Payments

1. The initial screen, labeled "Confirm and Pay," contains the Group Payment option. To enhance coherence, I reordered the sections, highlighting the price details first, then the payment method selection. Users can access further information by selecting "More info." Additionally, a reminder prompts users to complete the payment to confirm the reservation.

Transparent Group Attendance

2. These screens emphasize trip sharing and attendance management, with the first screen facilitating link sharing and guest payments under the Group Payment option. The second screen illustrates iOS users' sharing options, while the last screen showcases the invitees' experience upon accepting an invitation, displaying their avatar among fellow travelers.

MONITORING ONGOING GROUP PAYMENTS

3. Upon accepting the payment invitation, the Trips page provides access to screens for overseeing the payment progress and contributor statuses, alongside relevant listing details. Users can also make payments for other guests to secure the reservation.

progress and confirmation

4. Users' ongoing payments are reflected in real-time on the Trips page, offering a convenient overview of payment progress. Upon complete payment, users receive a confirmation notification, ensuring their reservation is confirmed.

Conclusions and takeaways

what i learned

Through extensive research and user empathy, I recognized the scope of the problem – the frustration faced by trip organizers when fronting group trip costs on Airbnb. Interestingly, this was a challenge Airbnb had previously addressed. My investigation into the retired feature revealed traveler satisfaction but host dissatisfaction due to the 72-hour hold on listings. Keeping this in mind, my solution aims to expedite payments for reservation confirmation, prioritizing traveler convenience while ensuring hosts receive timely payments. This comprehensive approach guarantees a smoother and more efficient group travel experience on Airbnb by addressing the needs of both users and the platform. Individuals who participated in testing consistently noted that the Group Payment feature would be valuable in alleviating their existing frustrations with group travel.

Split payments for reservations for travel groups

I. Project overview