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Designing for Decision:
Improving Booking Efficiency on Airbnb

This project applies UI/UX design to streamline Airbnb’s trip planning flow to reduce decision fatigue.   

Project type

UIUX Design

Team

Atisha Kudesia, Fiona Szeto

Tools

Figma, Figjam

Timeline

2 months (March 2025 - May 2025)

At a glance

Problem

Users often face decision fatigue and abandon the booking process due to an overwhelming number of options and unclear spatial context.

Solution

A redesigned UI/UX featuring an in-depth comparison tool paired with an immersive map view to support easier, more confident decision-making.

Impact

Positive feedback on reduced cognitive load, with an interface that better aligned with user expectations and decision-making flow.

Trip planning involves several key decisions: destination, travel companions, duration, and accommodation preferences.

For this project, the planning phase begins when a user accesses Airbnb.com or opens the Airbnb app and ends when they decide on a place to stay.

Design challenge

Reduce decision fatigue by organizing complex information in a more digestible and interactive format.
Simplify the booking journey by streamlining filters, reducing clutter, and highlighting what matters most to each user.

Goal

Reduce decision fatigue by organizing complex information in a more digestible and interactive format.

Simplify the booking journey by streamlining filters, reducing clutter, and highlighting what matters most to each user.

User Persona

User persona

We focused on honeymooners, couples planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip with high expectations. They’re meticulous, criteria-heavy planners who compare listings carefully and make joint decisions.

On the persona spectrum, they represent those with the most detailed needs, making them ideal for stress-testing the design’s accessibility and flexibilty.

Issac Marlow

35, Male

New York, New York

Marketing Director

"I want this trip to feel like a dream she’ll never forget, romantic and perfectly planned."

Goals

Craft a once-in-a-lifetime romantic trip for his wife.
Find high-quality accommodations and cultural experiences.
Minimize planning stress through efficient and seamless booking.

Craft a once-in-a-lifetime romantic trip for his wife.

Find high-quality accommodations and cultural experiences.

Minimize planning stress through efficient and seamless booking.

Needs

Tools that support thoughtful comparison of listings.
Cultural experiences tailored to his interests.
Fast user flow that respects his limited.

Tools that support thoughtful comparison of listings.
Cultural experiences tailored to his interests.
Fast user flow that respects his limited.

01

"What could our Hawaiian escape look like?”

Actions

Browses homepage carousels and explores “Categories” like Beachfront, Luxe, and Amazing Views.
Uses flexible date selection to see more options.

Browses homepage carousels and explores “Categories” like Beachfront, Luxe, and Amazing Views.
Uses flexible date selection to see more options.

Pain points

Struggles to gauge which listings suit their needs.
Too many listings feel similar at first glance.

Struggles to gauge which listings suit their needs.
Too many listings feel similar at first glance.

“What’s the perfect stay for us?”

Actions

Applies filters. For example, the entire home, Wi-Fi, etc.
Uses the map view to compare nearby listings.

Applies filters. For example, the entire home, Wi-Fi, etc.
Uses the map view to compare nearby listings.

Pain points

Hard to compare subtle differences.
Frustration going back and forth between individual listings while browsing.

Hard to compare subtle differences.
Frustration going back and forth between individual listings while browsing.

02

03

"Which one will make her feel the most special?”

Actions

Revisits and adds potential listings to a wishlist.
Check the details of the listings carefully.
Looks at proximity to specific must-do experiences.

Revisits and adds potential listings to a wishlist.
Check the details of the listings carefully.
Looks at proximity to specific must-do experiences.

Pain points

Hard to compare each and every detail about each listing
Relying on other maps to find nearby experiences
Frustration in finding out dealbreakers amidst reading details

Hard to compare each and every detail about each listing
Relying on other maps to find nearby experiences
Frustration in finding out dealbreakers amidst reading details

Ideation

Problem Framing & Solution Exploration

Our team practiced the Thoughtful Execution Framework to explore multiple problems and hypotheses based on data and insights.

It helped us ensure that the solution addresses the right problem and that ideas are thoughtfully evaluated before being tested, built, and shipped.

Practicing Thoughtful Execution Framework

Guided by the Impact-Complexity map, we zeroed in on these three standout solutions

Finalised Opportunity Spaces

After finalising our areas, we moved forward with the prototypes for testing.

Testable prototype for initial user research

Interview Participants

Psy

Simon

Sang

Fran

Cloud

Research goals

View research plan

To better understand:

Parameters users consider when comparing multiple listings.
Parameters users prioritize when searching for a listing.
Pain points that prevent users from making a decision.

To better understand:

Parameters users consider when comparing multiple listings.
Parameters users prioritize when searching for a listing.
Pain points that prevent users from making a decision.

Screening criteria & questions

View screening plan

We designed a short form to identify testers whose travel habits aligned with our product goals.
It captured age, recent booking behavior, group size, planning timelines, and decision patterns, helping us focus testing on users likely to benefit from collaborative booking features.

Discussion guide

View guide

We conducted 30-minute remote interviews to evaluate early travel booking prototypes.
Participants were asked to think aloud while exploring the concept framed through a honeymoon-in-Hawaii scenario.
We focused on how users search, compare, and make booking decisions, particularly in collaborative planning contexts.

Insights

Iterations

Elevating information architecture with decision-making filters.

Insight

Users prioritizes Price, Ratings, and Highlights

Iteration

Enhanced the information architecture by replacing “Homes” and “Experiences” with more meaningful filters: Price, Rating, and Highlights.

Misaligned booking flow causes friction.

Insight

The Search → Compare flow confused users and stalled decisions.

Iteration

Moved the "Comparison" to wishlists to match user workflow

Location context matters more than the map itself.

Insight

For users who valued location, maps alone weren’t enough.

They craved richer context—neighborhood safety, food spots, nearby attractions, and transport links.

Iteration

We enhanced the maps interface with hover-based previews and overlays that surface context like restaurants, attractions, and transit, supporting more informed location-based decisions.

End Result: Wireframes

End Result: Prototype

Impact

Designing for Decision: Improving Booking Efficiency on Airbnb

Designing for Decision: Improving Booking Efficiency on Airbnb

Designing for Decision: Improving Booking Efficiency on Airbnb

At a glance

Trip planning involves several key decisions: destination, travel companions, duration, and accommodation preferences.

Trip planning involves several key decisions: destination, travel companions, duration, and accommodation preferences.

For this project, the planning phase begins when a user accesses Airbnb.com or opens the Airbnb app and ends when they decide on a place to stay.

For this project, the planning phase begins when a user accesses Airbnb.com or opens the Airbnb app and ends when they decide on a place to stay.

We focused on honeymooners, couples planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip with high expectations. They’re meticulous, criteria-heavy planners who compare listings carefully and make joint decisions.

On the persona spectrum, they represent those with the most detailed needs, making them ideal for stress-testing the design’s accessibility and flexibilty.

Issac Marlow

"I want this trip to feel like a dream she’ll never forget, romantic and perfectly planned."

01

"What could our Hawaiian escape look like?”

“What’s the perfect stay for us?”

02

02

03

03

"Which one will make her feel the most special?”

Problem Framing & Solution ExplorationOur team practiced the Thoughtful Execution Framework to explore multiple problems and hypotheses based on data and insights.