The travel industry is abuzz as the 2016 Airbnb Open looms. This event promises revelations of innovative products, fresh policies, and insights into Airbnb’s strategic trajectory.
Among the highly anticipated announcements is the introduction of “City Hosts.” This novel initiative positions Airbnb not just as a lodging platform, but as a holistic travel companion for those eager to immerse themselves in authentic local experiences. In sync with its broader vision, Airbnb is transitioning to a refreshed digital interface, methodically unveiling its contemporary design.
Dive in with us to understand the essence of this metamorphosis!
A New Look for the Homepage
Airbnb has been experimenting with updates to its website interface. The initial modifications, while retaining some elements of the original design, incorporated various background visuals. This was further compared against an entirely different layout in A/B testing.
The company ultimately unveiled a more streamlined look. This refreshed appearance offers hints into Airbnb’s upcoming design trends, characterized by ample white space, rounded edges, contemporary typefaces, and a subtle shift in its color scheme.
Evolution in Listing Previews
Recently, the topic of A/B tests aimed at promoting the use of Instant Book during accommodation searches was discussed. Alongside these modifications, Airbnb is exploring fresh visual changes to the listing preview tiles.
The ongoing design trial represents more than just an interface alteration. By excluding the host’s image and the listing title, Airbnb is introducing a revised strategy for host-guest interactions.
Hiding the host’s face in search results, a move towards anonymizing listings, can be viewed as Airbnb’s continued commitment to combat discrimination. Especially considering the negative publicity they faced last year, addressing discrimination has become a paramount concern for the platform.
Yet, by emphasizing the property over its host, Airbnb appears to be de-emphasizing its unique human touch, which many consider a distinguishing element that sets it apart from more impersonal OTA websites.
From the perspective of hosts, this change seems somewhat contradictory to previous efforts aimed at personalizing the Airbnb booking experience.
Enhanced Search and Filtering Capabilities
In response to several recent updates aimed at giving hosts greater control over their reservations, Airbnb is introducing a revamped search feature. Beyond the cosmetic alterations, which align with their new design direction, the primary enhancement is the inclusion of the ability to specify the number of adults, children, and infants in the travel party.
This new feature extends to the search result page and individual listing pages. It empowers Airbnb to offer more tailored accommodation suggestions for various traveler group sizes, enhancing the booking experience for both hosts and guests. By providing this level of customization, Airbnb aims to optimize the guest-host match, ensuring that every traveler can find their ideal place to stay.
A New Chapter in Airbnb’s Design Aesthetics
Airbnb is in the process of rolling out significant alterations to its listing pages, showcasing a modernized user interface.
As it undergoes A/B testing to gauge effects on conversion and user engagement, this refresh doesn’t introduce drastic shifts. Instead, it emphasizes rearranging existing elements for a more coherent presentation, ensuring consistency with design elements recently introduced in other areas, like the co-hosting section.
Airbnb is introducing several enhancements to its listing pages, aimed at improving user experience and design consistency:
- Enhanced Title Font: By adjusting the font size and weight (shifting from 24px regular to 36px bold), Airbnb places greater emphasis on the listing’s title. It’s intriguing to note that this change is being tested at the same time as another which conceals the listing title on search result tiles;
- Prominent Overview Icons: While the icons themselves remain unchanged, they’ve been given a dedicated section, underscoring their role in aiding users in swiftly assessing a property’s features;
- Amplified Description Font: The font size for listing descriptions has been magnified. This choice may generate mixed reactions. Larger fonts undoubtedly enhance legibility, particularly for older users. However, they may also limit the amount of information immediately viewable, potentially affecting content clarity. Additionally, this ups the challenge of accommodating languages with longer word lengths, like German or French, which could disrupt the page’s layout;
- Streamlined Reviews: Reviews have been restructured to span a broader horizontal space, accommodating the augmented font size and granting more prominence to individual feedback;
- Refreshed Star Rating Color: Moving away from the conventional yellow, Airbnb is experimenting with using the same green seen in links and buttons for its star ratings.
Revamped Header Design on Airbnb
Airbnb’s header has evolved over time, adapting to the various design transformations the platform has undergone. With the latest design overhaul in progress, it’s expected that the header would receive its share of updates.
The freshly designed header, which is currently under A/B testing, showcases several notable changes:
- Streamlined Logo Presentation: Omitting the brand name beside the logo reflects Airbnb’s established brand recognition. As the platform’s signature Bélo logo has become widely recognized, there’s less dependency on the accompanying logotype;
- Absence of a Search Box: An intriguing user experience shift, possibly driven by the revamped homepage which places greater emphasis on search as the primary action. It’s crucial to note that while the search box is absent from the header on the homepage, it reappears as users scroll further down, ensuring it remains accessible when the main search box isn’t in view;
- Simplified Tab Layout: Earlier designs showcased tabs with distinct separations, each occupying their designated space. The new design opts for a more unified approach, with tabs blending seamlessly without clear boundaries. This choice might pose some clarity challenges for users familiar with the previous layout.
Refreshing the Footer Design
Often overlooked due to its positioning, the footer remains an essential navigational tool on websites, guiding both users and search engine bots to pivotal sections of the platform.
Previously, the footer donned a black color scheme and was segmented into five primary categories:
- Localization preferences (including language and currency settings);
- Insights about the company’s background and ethos;
- Tools and resources catering to guests;
- Dedicated sections for host resources;
- Connections to various social media platforms.
The revamped footer, introduced globally without undergoing preliminary tests, retains the foundational structure of its predecessor. However, it now aligns with the website’s refreshed white design palette.
Beyond mere aesthetic modifications, there has been a strategic reduction in the number of resource links featured in the footer. This suggests an intentional restructuring of the site’s hierarchy, aiming to accentuate certain sections for a more streamlined user journey and enhanced SEO performance.
An intriguing observation is the removal of certain social media links such as Google+, Pinterest, and YouTube. This change likely indicates a strategic decision to channel efforts and resources into a select few platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, which potentially offer a more substantial engagement and return on investment.
Conclusion
Airbnb, with over 8 years in the business, has seen its website undergo numerous transformations, mirroring its ever-evolving brand essence. While it has introduced myriad features and explored various visual alterations, post the significant 2014 design revamp, Airbnb’s aesthetic has largely remained consistent.
What’s your take on the latest modifications? Are you leaning towards the refreshed design or do you have a soft spot for the classic look? Share your thoughts in the comments section!
If you’re intrigued by the latest trends and insights from Airbnb, you may also like our article on Airbnb’s 2016 Gathering in LA for a deeper dive into their notable event.
