Friction

Challenges

AirbnbReported repeatedly

Hosts cannot reach the calendar their income depends on

3 people raised this across 3 weeks, on both iOS and Android.

iPhone and Android hosts in the United States, across three app versions.

In their own words

Neither app store gives a review a permanent public link, so each entry is a snapshot taken on the date shown and the link goes to the app's review listing.

Messaging is broken. App navigation is broken on abdroid

Android, version 26.37, 2 stars, United States,

  • about billing

Captured on . See reviews on Google Play

popups keep triggering over and over multiple times per session blocking my workflow

iOS, version 26.35.1, 2 stars, United States,

  • worked before an update
  • described a workaround

Captured on . See reviews on the App Store

I need access to my calendar and messages, but I'm stuck on the main dashboard

iOS, version 26.21, 1 star, United States,

  • said they were leaving
  • worked before an update

Captured on . See reviews on the App Store

What people do instead

  • use third-party tools to manage pricing

What you could do with this

These four are written from the reviews above. Everything else on this page is quoted or counted.

written

BUILD IT

A host mode that opens on the calendar rather than the guest view.

See how3 points
  • Remember which side of the product the person actually works in
  • Let a popup be dismissed permanently, not once per session
  • Start with the stuck-on-dashboard path hosts describe

Why it might not workOne app serving both guests and hosts means every change is a trade between them.

written

START IT

Tooling for hosts whose working day runs inside someone else's app.

See how2 points
  • Calendar and messaging in one place across listings
  • Priced per listing rather than per booking

Why it might not workAccess depends on an interface the platform controls and has withdrawn from similar tools before.

written

STUDY IT

What does a consumer redesign cost the people who work inside it?

See how2 points
  • Compare task completion for hosts before and after a redesign
  • Ask which tasks moved to a laptop afterwards

Why it might not workBefore-and-after access is rare, so this usually has to be reconstructed from accounts.

written

WRITE IT

The redesign that served guests and stranded hosts.

See how2 points
  • Follow a host through a day of blocked popups
  • Quote the reviews about navigation breaking after an update

Why it might not workRedesign backlash is a familiar beat; the sharper subject is the working day inside it.

Airbnb

People are refused money back after a stay goes wrong

Host agreed to a refund. Then disputed it.

Reported repeatedly

Airbnb

People are stopped by errors that explain nothing at all

Uninstalled the app and reinstalled, no luck!

Reported repeatedly

See all 25 challenges

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43 results