I Fixed Airbnb's UX/UI Mistakes

Summary

In this insightful video, the creator, Misgo, critiques Airbnb's user experience post-IPO, sharing personal confusion and suggesting design improvements. Misgo highlights issues like the overwhelming 'I'm flexible' button and irrelevant getaway suggestions, then proposes solutions like clearer microcopy, iconography, and social proof to enhance user decision-making. The video also touches on growth design principles, offering resources for aspiring growth designers.

Takeaways

• 💡 Airbnb's value has surged to over 90 billion dollars since its IPO in December 2020, reflecting its market success.
• 🤔 The speaker experienced confusion navigating Airbnb's platform, despite being a frequent user, indicating potential UX issues.
• 🛫 The 'I'm flexible' feature was not user-friendly, causing the speaker to feel misled and frustrated with the search results.
• 🌐 The speaker suggests that Airbnb's design could be more effective by reducing the banner size and bringing more content 'above the fold'.
• 📍 The use of icons and ratings in the 'I'm flexible' results could improve user decision-making by providing quick insights.
• 🔍 Microcopy can guide users more effectively, as demonstrated by the proposed changes to the homepage's main search bar.
• 📈 The importance of social proof is highlighted by the addition of ratings and reviews to the flexible search results.
• 🎨 The use of animations and visual cues can effectively communicate urgency and draw attention to important messages.
• 📚 The speaker recommends resources for growth design, emphasizing the need for continuous learning in the field.
• 🚀 Growth design is about implementing strategies that motivate users to take action, which is crucial for business growth.
• 🔗 The speaker encourages subscribing to their newsletter for monthly insights and tips on growth-driven design.

Q & A

What is the current estimated worth of Airbnb since their IPO in December 2020?

Airbnb is worth over 90 billion dollars as of the speaker's knowledge cutoff in 2023.

How many stays has the speaker booked on Airbnb's platform?

The speaker has booked over 12 stays on Airbnb's platform.

What was the speaker's initial reaction to the updates made on Airbnb's platform?

The speaker felt confused and unhappy with some of the updates made on Airbnb's platform.

Why did the speaker feel confused when they landed on Airbnb's website?

The speaker felt confused because the website's interface was focusing on a button that suggested they were unsure where to go, which was not the case for the speaker.

What was the issue the speaker encountered with the 'I'm flexible' dropdown on Airbnb?

The issue was that the dropdown took over the entire interface unexpectedly when the speaker clicked on the location tab, causing confusion.

What was the speaker's reaction to the travel suggestions provided by Airbnb after the lockdowns?

The speaker found the travel suggestions to be too far away, with distances like 96, 650, and 117 kilometers, which were impractical for a getaway.

What changes did the speaker make to Airbnb's homepage design in their suggestions?

The speaker reduced the height of the banner, added effective microcopy, and introduced icons and ratings to the 'I'm flexible' dropdown to improve the user experience.

Why did the speaker suggest adding microcopy to the homepage of Airbnb?

The speaker suggested adding microcopy to frame the page's purpose and guide users effectively towards the desired actions.

What is the concept of 'Growth Design' mentioned by the speaker?

Growth Design is a concept that involves implementing design decisions and strategies to stimulate and grow a product or organization.

What resources does the speaker recommend for learning more about growth design and marketing strategies?

The speaker recommends 'Hooked' by Nir Eyal, okdork.com, neilpatel.com, growth.design, and their own newsletter as resources for learning more about growth design and marketing strategies.

What was the speaker's suggestion to improve the search results page on Airbnb?

The speaker suggested adding animations and visual cues to communicate urgency, such as a fading message about booking availability and a toasting notification about other users browsing the same location.

What is the speaker's profession based on the script?

The speaker is a user experience (UX) designer, as indicated by their discussion of design improvements and their role in motivating user actions.

What was the main issue the speaker had with the original Airbnb search results?

The main issue was that the search results did not change significantly and the message indicating urgency was not immediately noticeable.

How did the speaker address the problem of Airbnb's search bar being too text-heavy?

The speaker addressed this by introducing iconography, social proof in the form of ratings and reviews, and abbreviating 'kilometers' to 'km' for quicker content digestion.

What is the significance of the speaker mentioning Airbnb laying off a quarter of their workforce?

The significance is to highlight that even large, reputable organizations can make design decisions influenced by internal politics and feedback, rather than solely based on user experience.

What is the speaker's view on the importance of social proof in the context of the Airbnb platform?

The speaker believes that social proof, such as ratings and reviews, helps users make better decisions more quickly and effectively.

What is the speaker's approach to designing for user motivation?

The speaker's approach involves using motivational cues and triggers, such as highlighting highly rated places and showing urgency through visual animations and messages.