How to maintain the trust of Airbnb users

01 Preface

As an explorer in the homestay industry, Airbnb first proposed the concept of "living like locals", which gave tourists better choices outside the hotel and accumulated a huge user base and loyal fans around the world.

Although it has withdrawn from the Chinese market due to multiple reasons, its excellent experience and trust system construction is still worthy of our careful investigation. Among them, the positive development of homestay business will inevitably not avoid the issue of trust.How does Airbnb use design to build a trust system?

Trust is the foundation of our being a human being, the beginning of a thing, and the driving force for the product to cycle forward. And the reason why we can trust is influenced by the common experience we and society have.

As a homestay reservation platform that connects owners and guests, Airbnb must not only provide property displays and online transactions, but also take into account the interaction of trust in the Internet for two people they have never met. Ask yourself a question before the next reading, why do you put your guard against strangers?

FromAirbnb designer Julia Khusainova made this point:

The ability to rely on someone for something for any number of reasons such as their experience of expertise. ——Julia Khusainova

In Chinese, it means: trust someone's ability toward something for various reasons.

This description seems a bit vague. Can it be more concrete? What exactly are the key factors that make people trust?

"Reality" + "Logicity" + "Empathy".

·Authenticity: The more detailed the content we describe, the more likely it is to happen, and the more acceptable the other party will be.

·Logic: We are all familiar with the fact that too much talk will lead to mistakes, but if what is said is true, based on common life experience, logic is usually in line with predictions.

·Empathy: Let the other person feel the emotions we emit and recognize us, so that she will make the same comments or complaints.

Therefore, the more we feel what we say and do, the easier it is to gain the trust of the other party. Suppose you have a problem like this: How would you answer if you missed a date with your beloved girl because you worked overtime?

Solution A is our answer most of the time, and there seems to be no problem. However, due to the vague description of things, perhaps coupled with the uncertainty of the tone at that time, the listener may have "rich psychological activities" in his heart. Plan B has detailed explanations of the matter and facts, and finally our evaluation is added. The other party will judge the authenticity of the matter and it will be easier for us to believe.

Such factors are also applicable in product design.

forAirbnb has left us with praiseworthy travel memories through strict control of entry listings and excellent user experience. After Airbnb has retreated in the Chinese market, these high-quality properties have been incorporated by several major domestic homestay leaders. But it seems that the protection and development of Airbnb's native group characteristics have not been seen, and the sense of low cost in hotels seems to be the intuitive feeling of domestic homestay platforms. In addition, there are platforms such as Xiaozhu B&B (very similar to Airbnb) that have better experience than similar products.

That,What specific designs does Airbnb have done well? How does it rely on design to win the trust of users? Let's take a look.

02 Trust in content

1. Friendly first greeting

Have you ever communicated with the landlord before deciding to place an order? Out of distrust of the program, in addition to quick reply, we will also want toThe "real" landlords communicate and confirm the status of the house to decide whether to stay or not. When communicating with multiple landlords, they need to greet each time and ask for some information. So, is there a better way to talk?

Suppose you are the host, who would prefer to check in your room when facing the greetings of these two guests?

Switch to the guest perspective, where will you choose to move into?

existIn Airbnb's design, when a guest wants to contact the landlord, he will enter the message page and follow the call out the common word module. The existing search conditions will be integrated and friendly greetings will be prepared for the guests' inquiries through dynamic integration of common words.

A good word is warm in three winters, and a bad word hurts people in six months. We all hope to be respected and recognized, although we do not expect to achieve sweet words. But friendly words can still be a mirror to promote every conversation, so that two strangers can have good memories of acquaintance.

2. A copy that drives emotions

How can we trust our master? Trust the authenticity of the house? Text as the main carrier of information is a key factor that helps improve problems.Airbnb's copywriting looks ordinary and a bit colloquial, but it must have been carefully decided.

(A: Where will you reunite with the world on the day the earth is awakened? B: All encounters in the world are reunions after a long separation. C: Provide more comprehensive protection for each overseas housing order for free. D: Exclusive to Airbnb users. )

More sincere language is used to avoid empty information and only highlight in a copy1-2 differences. Try to use these words as little as possible: very, beautiful, beautiful, and beautiful. If you describe it based on the customer's cognition, you will get more recognition. For example, compared with "very beautiful scenery", the former brings people a hollow feeling far less than the latter's small-scale specific association.

Make good use of positive encouragement and avoid unfriendly words/word. For example, the initial description was "a sea view room in the forest by the sea." The sea view room may have a bad experience for some people, which is ambiguity. If you use some familiar and unfamiliar classical style, "the rainforest hut overlooking the Mediterranean Sea" conveys the same message, but the feeling of being in the scene becomes clearer and more touching.

3. Your relationship with you

Message notification and recommendation are modules with a high appearance rate in the product. In most products, users are called"You" runs through the entire line, and Airbnb's name for users is divided into two terms "you" and "you" according to the scene. Is there any difference?

Usually in Chinese context,"You" are mostly used in close relationships and often used in collaborative environments. And "you" means that the two are used in different generations. Therefore, the "you" used by Airbnb on the notification is like a friend or peer, giving people a more intimate feeling and a certain sense of community belonging. When communicating with customer service or order service, if the user is in a higher position, it is more suitable for you to use it.

For example, this sentence:"We have recommended these Indonesian properties to you. Good houses do not wait for people, first come first served." It was like a friend who found the good things and ran to share them with me excitedly. And with you, it seems like a salesperson (yes, he wants to cheat me of money!). Although this is our most common need, we will also have different preconceived feelings due to a tiny word.

4. Me and my sense of security

In the application, a personal page is a must, which often indicates that the user has all the content. Some products named it are"I" are some of them "My". So which choice is relatively better?

Usually in Chinese context,"I" means showing myself to the outside world, and you may encounter unfriendly or even encounter safety hazards (such as: I am lost, I am lost, I am injured), and use it more often in places where social networking needs to be open. "Mine" means that individuals have ownership and control (my wallet, my account, my key), and are mostly used in sensitive places that require a sense of security.

And forAirbnb's personal page has sensitive information such as orders, coins, identity records, etc., and naming the first-level page with "My" can give people a more reliable feeling.

5. Language-friendly localization

As a global homestay platform, Airbnb provides services to more than 190 countries and regions, and will inevitably face different language, culture and cognitive differences. So how does it make efforts in localization?

The app pairs the default region, language, and currency according to the device's language. For content, we will join hands with local design teams to participate in the production (such as adapting to the layout and center of gravity of local text, taking pictures of local style, and similarizing them according to the use habits of local products). By adapting local content, text and grammar to different countries, we continue to expand our coverage, hoping to bring everyone a sense of belonging and a sense of home (as of now)Airbnb has adapted 80 languages ​​to users around the world).

6. Care reminder of status

Under the requirements of relevant laws, when communicating with the landlord, the system will pop up security prompts and various statuses, and will also give more competitive choices based on the status of the property. That,What efforts has Airbnb made in this regard?

·The visual is clear and discernible, and the status is promptly reminded.Airbnb's reminder appears in the form of immersive low-brightness bubble pop-up, creating a visible hierarchical distinction between the bubble wrap and the content of the text. For content sent by the user, the current information status will be prompted in the form of an information receipt.

·Brand protection is always around you. Showing the brand’s super symbol before the news begins, on the one hand, increases the user’s awareness, and on the other hand, gives the user a sense of security (it seems like a well-dressed professional secretary who gives advice by our side).

·Extremely low copywriting pressure. Limit reminder content toWithin 2 lines, when it rises to 3 lines, three types of visual jumps need to be taken into account, and the reading pressure increases at this time. Airbnb has a clickable hypertext guide to solve the problem of too much content pickup.

7. Herd effect·Average evaluation of the general public

When we are interested in something, if the attitudes and behaviors of a large number of strangers are inclined to the same direction, then we will believe in the facts in our hearts and take action immediately.

After Airbnb searches for properties, the listing page will show the average attitude of customers in the area at the top toward properties (such as the average rating, how many people have been here, the number of people who booked the property at the same time, the increase in search volume compared to the previous time, etc.).

Humans fromBeginning with the birth of 5 million years ago, the power of the group can satisfy each other's needs, and the social structure is always mainly based on group life. The attitudes and speech of groups and leaders can increase our certainty about the unknown, thus giving us a "sense of herd" and "a sense of belonging". In the long run, we are full of stickiness to the group, and we are more willing and eager to join.

8. Worry-free guarantee of strengthening trust

Accommodation insurance is a service that increases the security trust of customers. It also includes insurance for users on multiple homestay platforms, but there is a general problem of weak perception.How does Airbnb convert existing resources to trust rates?

Airbnb provides free insurance service for every tenant and landlord for the first time in the industry. It has a bold bold style with few words and big things and is stable. The display of the module is set at the last process of the homepage, product details page, and order submission page to explain to the guests. Such a "heart-boosting agent" seems more trustworthy than a Leng Bingbing business license or payment method when guests are willing to move in after browsing the property.

Small modules that are similar also play the same role, such as the detailed label: real and reliable property, professional Chinese customer service, and multiple security guarantees also play the same role. SmallBanner's: Where will you reunite with the world?

9. Evaluation and real review

I believe that most of us have the habit of checking reviews when purchasing products, and then decide whether to place an order or not. To filter out merchantsWe often engage in "witness" with merchants in order of time or limited product reviews, or ask questions from users who have purchased it. So, how does Airbnb make efforts in the evaluation module to trust?

See more copywriting in the Reviews section:"Read all 158 real reviews" and "all 158", the average rating of copywriting "4.85 points" and "Pentagonal Star Step-by-Step". Unlike products with transaction volumes of more than tens of millions, the model of B&B limits that the transaction volume will not be too high. The use of precise values ​​and reality here can make people more attractive. For products with high transaction volume, they mostly show the public's attitude with a general evaluation and positive review ratio.

10. Thoughtful tips for booking a recent house

When you temporarily go somewhere and need to book a property for the moment, how to find the fastest check-in? Or looking for expensive hotels?

existWhen searching for properties on Airbnb, if the date is today/tomorrow, a message pops up at the top after jumping to the list page: In order to find and move in faster, you can enable flash booking to view instant properties. In most cases, we are affected by emotions. Once we solve the urgent experience of coal burning, and when we face similar needs, the people or things that have helped us emerge again in our minds. This will lead to the next deal.

11. Visualization of key information

Every contact with a property is a new beginning, and tenants look for information through the content page to increase certainty. Facing the introduction of houses that are not professional copywriting, it is difficult to read, and then I lose the patience to book a house that I am not satisfied with. What can be improved here?

When Airbnb registers the property listing in process design, it guides the owner to selectively enter key information through inquiry. Through the visualization of these key information, it is easier for guests to understand the real information and status of the property area, location, facilities, surroundings, etc. when entering the property for the first time.

After mastering rich information, you can live in strangers' homes with peace of mind, and such accommodation satisfaction will be improved. (Even if my friend stayed here, the strangeness we never met was still prevailing.)

03 Interactive trust

1. Tension effect of global sliding

The homestay is for people to stay and offers warm and reliable rooms. What we are looking forward to is"Gentle, safe, comfortable..." This kind of experience. The stretching effect gives people a soft and reachable feeling. Help users reduce their vigilance, let go of their body and mind to communicate with their landlords, and establish a trust system.

In similar products, this effect is only achieved in some areas (hazelnuts), or there is a sense of lag (piglet). There is a big difference between the style conveyed by the platform and the mental trends expected by users. Perhaps different platforms face different problems, so they have received various answers.

2. Houses viewed in map mode turn gray

For travelers who have been to a certain city for the first time, there is no concept of the city's territory. Maybe they just want to find a house that I think is a good location, rich snacks and a strong cultural atmosphere. The number of contents of the list layout limits the feeling of the city. Relying on the popularization of map software, the new map house search model has been introduced into daily applications.

existIn the process of finding a house in Airbnb's map mode, we can swipe left and right to browse the house by sliding the left and right of the card form. When we encounter houses we are interested in, we can click to collect them or enter the details page to view them. The houses we have browsed will become thoughtful and gray, avoiding non-subjective and unnecessary repetitions when browsing.

3. Custom area search in map mode

For those who don't have a clear location, finding a location is really hard to choose.

Airbnb visually divides the area of ​​the property distribution in map mode, and uses preset positioning points to find wherever you like. If you accidentally paddle the current position, just click "Research" in the middle to return to the perspective of God in the previous step.

Why are the map buttons placed in the middle? Compared with domestic products, they like to be placed in the lower right corner. Most of the time, the human eye vision is concentrated in the central area. When Fitz's law slides, it is not easy to detect. Although it is easy to operate on both sides, it is a region that is easy to touch due to its narrow area. When it is placed above, it will block it and it will appear to be top-heavy. As a result of local culture, it is the best choice to place it directly below.

The only drawback is that such searches are limited to fixed areas, and they will be forced back after exceeding the area. You need to search for the target city again (for example, when searching for houses in Tokyo, you want to see the properties near the city). If you can search at any location to display the experience, it may be more natural.

4. Semi-immersive browsing in map mode

Too much content on the interface will affect the line of sight, and the refined settings after full screen cannot be operated.How to solve Airbnb?

When browsing properties in map mode, you can have the property list appear around you to select it, or you can click the map to display the full picture. To gain a richer visual area, everything is decided freely based on personal preferences. People are improving on security, and the sense of control is what this function wants to give to users. One finger and one wave is a command, and a sense of security is given through a sense of control, just like Google’s global map.

5. Save the search conditions completely

When searching for a house, you may search and compare repeatedly in multiple locations. Usually, the software will record recent search locations. So for B&Bs with various conditions, is it enough to just record the search location?

Airbnb retains a complete search condition history for guests including location, time, number of people, etc., and will display it near the search area when clicking on the search box. If guests need to find multiple listing information, combining full history and map mode can be a great experience.

6. Real-time update of the list

Click the area location in map mode, or after changing the basic information when searching for a property, returning to the main search box will update the search criteria simultaneously. The design of two-way search is very practical for users with unknown destinations.

04 Conclusion

In the rightDuring the Airbnb's research, he was deeply attracted by the trust era described by the founder and the trust system it established, and was also amazed at the subtle insights that design-driven products can achieve. Some trust in the design feeling:

·Trust will determine how far we can go, and the authenticity of design+Logicity + empathy is the focus of the long-term development of the product. Through various aspects, we can surround users with microscopic feelings and establish a strong trust relationship between multiple parties.

·The more information you have, the more expensive it will be to choose real content, and trust will become a scarce resource in this era. It will also be a breakthrough point that can be achieved in the face of convergent products, and will also become the primary moat for our products to make efforts.