Since starting in 2008, Airbnb has changed how people travel, letting them book unique places to stay and fun local activities. Our idea is to add a Concierge Service feature to Airbnb. This service will help guests get personalized help with things like finding places to eat, booking tours, and getting around. This case study looks at how this new feature could work and how it might make trips even better, showing Airbnb's effort to offer more help and suggestions to travelers.

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Goal

The project goal is to enhance Airbnb's checkout page with a concierge service feature. This allows guests to add personalized services, including nanny help, grocery delivery, local transportation, airport shuttles, in house spa services, private chefs, and IV wellness boosts, to their stay. This aims to make travel more convenient, enjoyable, and tailored to each guest's needs, directly enhancing the booking process.

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Problem

Travelers often encounter difficulties organizing additional services, such as transportation, child care help, and grocery delivery, separately from their accommodation booking. This can lead to stress and detract from the overall travel experience. There's a clear opportunity to enhance guest satisfaction by seamlessly integrating concierge services into the booking process. How might we design a concierge service within Airbnb that will help travelers have a less stressful travel experience.

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Solution

This feature allows guests to add personalized services like nanny assistance, grocery delivery, transport, airport shuttles, in-house spa services, private chefs, and wellness boosts. It simplifies travel by integrating these services directly into the booking process, making trips more enjoyable and tailored to individual needs.

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Key Solutions:

Integrated Services: Combines essential travel services with accommodation booking for hassle-free planning.

Personalized Planning: Customizes travel experiences based on guest preferences.

Luxury At Your Fingertips: Offers premium in-house services for an enhanced stay.

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Methodologies  

Five participants were interviewed one-on-one and remotely through video/phone calls. Participants were chosen (ages 20-69) to evaluate how guests' pain points in planning additional travel services, their expectations from a concierge service, and how such a feature could enhance their overall travel experience with Airbnb.

A Competitor analysis was done, we looked at three competitor’s products and strategies, identifying gaps, opportunities, patterns, and trends

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User Interviews

After talking to five different people from the U.S., Costa Rica, and Finland, I was able to learn a lot of valuable insights about what they think would make their trips even better with Airbnb. They shared a lot about wanting things like easy rides, tips on cool places to visit, and groceries ready when they get there. But they're also a bit worried about how much all this extra help could cost and they really want the freedom to choose the help they get. These chats have given me a good idea on how to make trips with Airbnb  special for everyone.

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Key Findings:

• High Value on Transportation and Info Services: Transportation and access to local information were consistently important across interviews.
• Desire for Pre-Arranged Services: There is a clear desire for pre-arranged services with transportation, food, and local activity recommendations being top priorities.
• Grocery Services: Grocery delivery was a recurrent theme, indicating a specific need among travelers who would appreciate arriving to a stocked kitchen upon arrival.
• Impact on Experience: Users perceive that having these services arranged in advance would significantly reduce stress, improve the overall travel experience, and allow for a more enjoyable trip.

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Opportunities:

• Bundled Service Packages: Introduce bundled service options (e.g., transportation + local activities + grocery service) for simplicity and cost savings.
• Localized Experience Guides: Developing curated local experience guides or partnerships with local businesses to offer authentic activities.Cost-Effective
• Concierge Services: Offering a range of concierge services at different price points to cater to budget-conscious travelers, ensuring accessibility for all.
• Personalization Options: Utilizing user data to suggest personalized concierge service options based on past travels, preferences, and reviews.

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Affinity map

After analyzing survey and interview insights, I used Affinity Mapping to uncover key patterns in customization, engagement, and accessibility.

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Top topics that emerged across the board were:

• Transportation - A universal need for easy, reliable ways to get around.
• Local Recommendations - A desire for up-to-date, authentic advice on places to eat, see, and explore.
• Grocery and Food Services - Interest in having food and groceries easily accessible upon arrival.
• Cost and Budgeting - Concerns about the affordability of these added services.

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User Personas

Ethan and Jasmine's personas underline the necessity for a nice crafted, user-friendly Concierge Service, focusing on personalization and ease.

Their feedback leads to an emphasis on specific solutions:

• Effortless Booking: Streamline transportation and exclusive local experiences booking.
• Personalized Welcome: Ensure essentials and requested services are pre-arranged in the accommodation.
• Local Gems: Provide tailored suggestions for unique cultural spots, avoiding the tourist crowds.
• Integrated Work and Travel: Tools and services that facilitate the blend of work commitments with exploratory leisure.

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How Might We...

From these personas, we created three different HMW (how might we) statements that corresponded to real-life problems that a target user is struggling with that would prompt them to use the application:

• HMW design a feature within Airbnb that personalizes and prioritizes the safety of it’s users while delivering a rich culture experience?
• HMW design a concierge service within Airbnb that will help travelers have a less stressful travel experience.
• HMW provide reliable support to travelers that effortlessly connects them with up-to-date local insights and experiences.

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Feature Set

After evaluating user requirements and preferences, I organized the project's enhancements into three key features:

• Seamless Concierge Service: Enables precise and personalized searches for various concierge offerings.
• Instant Bookings & Secure Payments: For straightforward and secure transactions inside the Airbnb app.
• Real-Time Scheduling & Availability: Displays up-to-the-minute service schedules facilitating on-the-spot bookings.

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User flows

Three flows were created: Walk through for the new feature.+ Adding a concierge service to your booking.+ Filter properties that have concierge services available.

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Walk through for the new feature.

Users will be greeted with detailed information about the Concierge Service when they browse Airbnb, highlighting how it can elevate their travel experience.

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Adding a concierge service to your booking.

During the property booking process, guests have the option to add Concierge Services to their stay, selecting from offerings like local experiences and transportation.

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Filter properties that have concierge services available

Guests can easily filter their search to display only properties that come with Concierge Service options, ensuring an enriched travel experience from the start.

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Low fidelity wireframing

Low-fidelity wireframes  allowed us to focus on the core functionalities such as discovering services, adding them to bookings, and exploring available options, without getting lost in the finer design details. This strategy facilitated rapid iteration and validation of the user journey, ensuring the service's foundation is user-centric and aligns with guests' needs efficiently.

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High fidelity wireframes

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Usability testing results

This usability testing concentrated on the Airbnb Concierge Services feature, specifically evaluating three key task flows: discovering concierge services, adding these services to a booking, and browsing the range of available services. The objective was to assess the overall user experience of the feature, focusing on its navigability and the efficiency of user interactions.

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Observations and Next steps

Additional Observational Insights:

• Despite usability challenges, the new feature's value was consistently recognized, suggesting that refining task flows and enhancing UI clarity could significantly boost the user experience.
• The customization phase of the concierge service was particularly effective, setting a positive tone for user interaction.
• The ‘sometimes’ checkbox was used showing that we want to include the ‘yes’, ‘no’, and ‘sometimes’ checkbox.

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Next steps: Revise UI Elements

• Refine 'add', buttons, and imagery in the booking.
• Clarify concierge service descriptions
• Add a ‘remove’ button next to ‘add’ button.
• Revise interactive prototype for a more seamless experience.

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 Usability testing iterations

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Final designs

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Reflection and things learned

Reflecting on the development journey of Airbnb's Concierge Services, the process has been deeply insightful and reaffirms our initial vision: to enhance guest experiences by offering personalized, convenient, and comprehensive travel services. Focusing on key functionalities—discovering concierge services, adding them to bookings, and browsing services—highlighted the value of prioritizing user needs to elevate their travel experience. This approach ensured the services were not only accessible but also meaningful to our guests.

With the valuable feedback collected through usability testing, we have been able to refine and expand the Concierge Services feature. Each update brings us closer to redefining what it means to travel with Airbnb, making each stay more memorable and tailored to individual preferences. The positive feedback from our community of users has been incredibly affirming, validating our efforts and reinforcing our commitment to enhancing the Airbnb experience.

I am proud of what has been achieved with Airbnb Concierge Services and the enthusiastic response from our guests. Knowing that our efforts are making real differences in how people travel is deeply fulfilling. This journey has not only boosted my confidence in our vision for Airbnb but also emphasized that our focus on personalization and service is truly resonating with our users. I look forward to continuing to refine and expand Airbnb Concierge Services, striving to make every trip unforgettable.

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