Airbnb discovery: homes, experiences, services and filters
This captured iOS journey moves from Airbnb’s Homes browse feed into map and list results, home filters, introductory panels for Experiences and Services, experience recommendations and filters, and service-category rows. It preserves a previous Florence search, shows recently viewed homes, groups alternatives by dates and nearby areas, provides prices and ratings, offers map/list exploration and separates Homes, Experiences and Services.
The screenshots show labels, grouping and controls; they do not demonstrate attention, trust, familiarity, engagement, scarcity or conversion. “Popular”, Guest favourite, ratings and review counts are social information rather than proof of suitability, visible map prices can form a comparison range without showing that they change choice, and “vetted for quality” is a platform claim whose criteria need inspection. The practical questions are whether people understand why recommendations appear, can distinguish platform labels, compare total cost and accessibility, and move between accommodation, activities and services without losing their original task.
- Captured
- Capture date not recorded
- 15
- Screens
- 5
- Ingredients
- 14
- Applications
Common contexts
Business goals
What works
What the captured flow does well.
- Homes, Experiences and Services are separate top-level routes while search remains available.
- The home feed preserves destination, dates and guest count and separates recent views, similar dates, nearby areas and popularity-based rows.
- Map and list views keep destination, dates, guest count, filter access and total-price information available.
- Home filters group recommended options, place type, total price, rooms, amenities, booking options, standout stays, property type, accessibility and host language.
- Experience cards identify location, host type, price, ratings and, in the detailed list, review count and duration.
- Experiences and Services introductions state that listings are evaluated, can be closed and use specific Explore actions.
What could improve
What deserves closer review.
- Continue searching, recently viewed and recommended filters do not explain the activity used, how long it is retained or how to clear or change personalisation.
- Popular, Guest favourite, Original and Luxe labels do not provide their criteria, time window, review threshold or reassessment process in the captured views.
- Map price markers overlap heavily and the initial result says “Over 1,000 places”, making geographic and price comparison difficult at that zoom level.
- The home filter sheet is long and mixes recommendations, commercial labels and practical requirements; Clear all is disabled before selection and selected-filter review is not shown.
- “Vetted for quality” names expertise, reputation and authenticity but does not link to the evaluation method, ongoing checks, complaints or removal process.
- Experience prices exclude fees and taxes while home filters use totals including fees and taxes, creating an inconsistent comparison basis across product types.
Screen-by-screen breakdown
Follow the journey.
Each annotation distinguishes what is visible from our interpretation or hypothesis, then identifies a practical opportunity to investigate.
Screen 01
Homes browse – top level view
Keep the destination, dates and guests in Continue searching and distinguish that saved task from Recently viewed. Add clear history and personalisation controls, explain retention and avoid presenting an old search as current intent.
Screen 02
Homes browse – scroll: similar dates + areas
Airbnb separates alternatives into rows for similar dates, another area and popular homes. This is an observable choice structure; the screenshot does not show that it reduces effort or improves selection.
“Available for similar dates” frames a row as an alternative to the preserved Florence search. The screenshot does not explain how similar the dates are or show that the wording feels personally relevant.
Keep similar-date and nearby-area alternatives in separate, descriptive rows. Explain how far dates or locations may change, preserve total-price comparison and let people dismiss an alternative without affecting their original search.
Screen 03
Homes browse – scroll: popular & related
Airbnb uses “Popular homes”, Guest favourite, star averages and “Guests also checked out” as signals of other travellers’ choices and evaluations. The screenshot does not define the labels or show that popularity predicts suitability.
Define Popular homes, Guest favourite and Guests also checked out, including geography, time window, review volume and eligibility. Keep ratings and prices visible so popularity is not treated as universal quality or fit.
Screen 04
Homes list view – map and listings
The map shows multiple visible price markers before a listing card is opened. These prices can provide a comparison range; which markers people see first and whether they change later judgement require behavioural evidence.
Provide clear map-only and list-only modes, reduce overlapping price markers and state whether map prices are nightly or total. Preserve keyboard focus and the selected listing when moving between map, list and filters.
Screen 05
Homes list view – full list
The full list uses a repeated card structure for image, title, location, bed, host type, rating, nightly price, total price and cancellation. This supports direct comparison by design; the screenshot does not measure scanning speed or choice quality.
Keep a consistent card structure for image, location, host type, rating, nightly price, total price and cancellation terms. Add user-controlled sorting rather than periodically changing ranking, and explain any recommended order.
Screen 06
Homes filters – top view
The filter sheet groups recommended options, place type and total price before later rooms, amenities and booking controls. This is an observable choice structure; the screenshot does not show that the grouping reduces overload.
Explain why Free cancellation, Kitchen and Guest favourite are recommended and keep them separate from neutral place and price controls. Show total prices consistently and make the result count update without obscuring Clear all or close.
Screen 07
Homes filters – scroll 1
Keep rooms, beds and bathrooms as labelled steppers and amenities as text-plus-icon controls. Preserve selections while scrolling, expose all amenities to assistive technology and provide a compact summary of active filters.
Screen 08
Homes filters – scroll 2
The Guest favourite filter is described as “The most loved homes on Airbnb”. This frames the category around aggregated approval; the screenshot does not define eligibility or establish quality for a particular trip.
Explain Guest favourite and Luxe eligibility and link to their criteria. Keep accessibility features easy to reach, allow multiple host languages and avoid giving commercial categories more emphasis than practical access needs.
Screen 09
Experiences intro modal
The introduction says Experiences are “vetted for quality” and evaluated for expertise, reputation and authenticity. This frames the catalogue as curated; the screenshot does not show the criteria, reviewer or effect on trust.
Link “vetted for quality” to the criteria, reviewer, reassessment process and complaint route. Keep close and Explore experiences equally clear and explain expertise, reputation and authenticity in plain language.
Screen 10
Experiences browse – Florence & Originals
Airbnb labels a section “Popular experiences in Florence” and adds Popular badges. This uses aggregate demand as discovery information; the screenshot does not define popularity, geography or time window.
Explain Original, Popular and Booking closed separately. Define popularity and availability, show review counts with ratings and keep location, host type, duration, total fees and cancellation terms available before selection.
Screen 11
Experiences browse – local to user
Airbnb presents “Popular with travellers from your area” and Popular badges alongside ratings. The reference group is visible, but the screenshot does not define “your area”, the time window or the number of travellers.
State what “your area” means and how it was inferred, and offer a location control. Define Popular, distinguish destination from origin-based recommendations and keep ratings paired with review counts.
Screen 12
Experiences list view – London
The London list combines a Popular badge with a 4.96 star average and 1,083 reviews. The review count gives scale to the average, but popularity and past satisfaction do not guarantee fit, accessibility or current quality.
Keep type and duration filters visible and pair every rating with its review count. Add accessibility, language, total-price and cancellation information, and define the Popular badge without replacing it with another unexplained promotional label.
Screen 13
Experiences filters – price + duration
The experience filter separates traveller type, price per guest and duration, with labelled presets and ranges. This is an observable choice structure; the screenshot does not show easier comparison or fewer abandoned searches.
Keep traveller type, price and duration as separate controls, but use consistent total-price language across Airbnb. Make slider values keyboard-editable, state whether endpoints are inclusive and show active selections before applying.
Screen 14
Services intro modal
The Services introduction says listings are “vetted for quality” and evaluated for expertise and reputation. This is an explicit expertise signal; the screenshot does not provide criteria or show that it creates justified trust.
Link “vetted for quality” to the evaluation criteria, reviewer, reassessment and complaint process. Give short examples of Services before Explore services, while preserving a clear close route back to the original search task.
Screen 15
Services browse
Service cards show star averages beside category, host type and price. These summarise previous evaluations, but without visible review counts the evidence behind a 5.0 average is unclear and suitability remains unverified.
Add short category descriptions and explain whether price is per guest, per hour or per service. Pair ratings with review counts, show location and availability and keep category, accessibility and language filters easy to find.
Keep exploring