Daniel Schlereth

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Making Group Travel Easier: Improving Airbnb’s UX

  • Project: UX case study to improve Airbnb’s group booking experience
  • Role: Managed the full project cycle solo – from research and ideation to prototyping and testing
  • Goal: Understand the needs of group travelers and identify opportunities for improving fairness and usability in the booking process
  • Approach: Defined the problem space through surveys and competitor analysis, mapped existing flows, and iterated design solutions based on usability testing
  • Result: A validated cost-splitting feature seamlessly integrated into the Airbnb flow – praised by testers as intuitive, fair, and long overdue

Objective

This case study, created during my UX/UI Bootcamp at Memorisely in 2024, focuses on improving the booking experience for users organizing group trips on Airbnb. As a solo project, I combined UX/UI design with comprehensive self-directed project management, independently conducting user research, ideation, prototyping, and usability testing.

My goal was to better understand users’ needs and develop a solution that would make the booking process more convenient, fair, and seamless.

Research & Competitor Analysis

I independently designed and conducted a user survey and a competitor analysis, synthesizing insights to guide design decisions.

User Survey

The survey aimed to uncover the experiences, pain points, and needs of Airbnb users booking group trips. Key insights included:

  • Many users find it problematic to pay upfront on behalf of others.
  • Popular third-party tools for cost-splitting include Splitwise and Splid.
  • There’s a clear demand for an integrated cost-sharing solution within the Airbnb app.
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

I analyzed both direct and indirect competitors:

  • Direct: HomeToGo – with a focus on group bookings.
  • Indirect: Splitwise, Splid – offering fair and flexible cost-sharing solutions.

Evaluation criteria included user flow, usability, visual design, features, content strategy, and opportunities for differentiation.

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

Mapping Airbnb’s current booking process enabled me to identify optimal integration points for new group-related features without disrupting existing flows, ensuring a seamless user experience.

Problem Statement

How might we help users fairly split the cost of group accommodations on Airbnb – without requiring one person to pay upfront?

This guiding question allowed me to clarify user needs and take a user-centered approach in the solution design.

Mind map exploring potential features to improve group booking experiences

Ideation

I structured the ideation phase using creative techniques such as Crazy 8s and Affinity Mapping to generate and prioritize solutions aligned with user needs.

After evaluating the ideas, I decided to develop an integrated cost-splitting feature within the booking process.

Key requirements for the solution included:

  • Seamless integration into the existing user flow
  • Ability to split costs evenly or individually
  • Option to take over unpaid shares
  • Tools for managing and reminding group members
Excerpt from the user flow showing how co-travelers, payments, and reminders are managed after booking

Design Process

User Flow & Functionality

I mapped the current group booking flow and added new steps for:

  • Inviting group members before payment
  • Splitting the cost per person
  • A reminder system and fallback options if payments are missed
Wireframes & Prototyping

I started with low-fidelity wireframes to gather feedback on structure and functionality. Then I created a clickable high-fidelity prototype, closely aligned with Airbnb’s visual design system.

Key screens included:

  • Adding fellow travelers
  • Flexible cost distribution
  • Managing payments post-booking
  • Reminder functions and cost takeover options
The new cost-splitting feature is seamlessly integrated into the familiar booking screen without disrupting the existing flow
Users can invite fellow travelers before payment and optionally take over unpaid shares if needed
Costs can be split evenly or individually – by fixed amounts, percentages, or shares – depending on group dynamics
The booking user sees the status of each payment request and can take over or reassign shares as needed
To secure the booking, users can optionally cover unpaid shares of group members

Validation & Usability Testing

I planned, moderated, and analyzed usability tests. 

Participants were asked to:

  • Book a group stay
  • Invite fellow travelers and set their shares
  • Manage the booking and trigger payments

Based on early feedback, I made targeted refinements. Final testing confirmed overwhelmingly positive responses.

“This feels like a feature Airbnb should already have.”

“This would finally make splitting easy and fair!”

“It reminds me of Splitwise – but better integrated.”

Conclusion & Learnings

This project clearly demonstrated the critical role of in-depth user research and structured prototyping in delivering impactful UX solutions. Key outcomes included:

  • Addressing real user pain points by integrating established mental models (e.g., Splitwise)
  • Seamlessly embedding new features into Airbnb’s existing user experience without disrupting flows

Managing all project phases independently strengthened my abilities in:

  • Time management: Planning and prioritizing tasks to meet deadlines efficiently
  • Stakeholder communication: Interpreting and integrating user feedback as simulated stakeholder input
  • Strategic design thinking: Balancing user needs, business goals, and technical constraints throughout the process

This solo project honed my skills in self-directed project coordination, reinforcing my readiness to lead and manage UX initiatives end-to-end.

“Daniel combines a strong willingness to learn with clear communication. He applies essential UX/UI methods with a structured, positive approach, using feedback to create user-centered, compelling designs.”

Margherita Gazzola, UX/UI Teacher, Memorisely