Service concept · Airbnb Experiences scenario · 2026

Travel Together

Trust is not a feature. It is a sequence.

2026 · Academic project

Scenario: Airbnb Experiences

Role: service designer & researcher

Testing: 3 participant groups

A progressive matching service that helps couples build confidence before meeting compatible travelers at an Airbnb Experience — designed, prototyped and tested as a final-report deliverable for the University of Toronto Service Design program.

Problem

Couples want memorable social experiences, but meeting strangers raises uncertainty — safety, compatibility, expectations. More information does not fix that; confidence has to be built gradually.

My role

Solo service designer and concept researcher: ideation, concept prioritization, prototyping, testing with three participant groups, and the revision that followed.

Context

Two concepts were developed — an Interest Quiz and Travel Together. I chose Travel Together: harder to deliver, but more distinctive and far better suited to testing trust.

Results — what testing established

Testing rewrote the concept.

Three participant groups with different travel mindsets — social explorers, family planners and cautious users — disagreed on plenty, but converged on the same trust requirements.

3/3

groups wanted to know why they were matched

3/3

treated verified profiles and previous reviews as essential

3/3

preferred to chat before meeting in person

participant groups, different mindsets — one shared set of trust requirements

Stated plainly: a tested concept, not a launched service. The evidence is what three groups consistently required before trusting — not adoption or business impact.

Process

How it got revised.

IdeationPrioritizationPrototypingUsability testingJourney designTrust & safety design

Frame the tension

Travelers may want memorable social experiences, but meeting strangers creates uncertainty about safety, compatibility and expectations. The design problem is confidence, not discovery — and trust has to be built gradually while participation stays optional.

Problem framing

Prioritize the concept

Two directions were developed further: a personalized Interest Quiz — easier to implement, useful for discovery — and Travel Together. I selected Travel Together: harder to deliver, but more distinctive and better suited to testing trust.

Concept prioritization

Prototype the journey

The prototype broke the decision into five steps. Each screen tested a different adoption barrier instead of asking users to commit immediately.

Opt in

Choose whether to participate.

Match

See that a compatible couple was found.

Review

Understand why the match fits.

Chat

Build confidence before meeting.

Confirm

Retain control over the final decision.

Test with three groups

Social explorers, family planners and cautious users had different concerns — family travelers wanted information about children and travel pace, younger couples expected familiar social interactions — but all three groups agreed on the foundations: explain the match, verify profiles and reviews, chat first.

Prototype testing · 3 groups

Revise & recommend

Before: compatibility score, direct invitation, basic profile, immediate meeting. After: explainable match, optional opt-in, verified profile, guided chat and safety controls. The concept shifted from introducing strangers to supporting a progressive trust journey. Recommendation: pilot it in naturally social formats — food tours, walking tours and workshops.

Revised prototypeTesting findingsTrust requirementsPilot recommendationFinal report — U of T

Process · My work · Result

The work, in images.

Opt-in screen — Make this experience more social

01 · Opt in

Offered, never assumed

"Make this experience more social" — yes, maybe later, or no thanks.

02 · Match

A score, explained

94% match — with its reasons listed: pace, food, group size, languages, verified IDs.

03 · Review

Credibility first

Verified profile, 18 reviews, shared interests — and the right to decline politely.

04 · Chat

Guided conversation

Chat before meeting, with suggested icebreakers that lower the social risk.

05 · Confirm

Control to the end

"You're ready" — meeting point, experience details and safety options, confirmed.

The five-step progressive trust journey. Each screen of the prototype was designed to test one adoption barrier — opt-in, compatibility, credibility, conversation, control — and testing with three groups turned the sequence into the revised concept.

3/3

wanted the match explained

3/3

required verified profiles + reviews

3/3

preferred chat before meeting

Pilot

recommended in food tours, walking tours and workshops