Airbnb Magazine
Improving Airbnb magazine’s Gen Z readership and awareness by building digital product add-ons
TOOLS
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Miro, Whimsical
METHODS + SKILLS
User Research (In-person Interviews), Secondary Research, Market Surveys, Product Marketing, Journey-Mapping, Prototyping, Visual Design, UI/UX Design
DURATION
3 months
TEAM
Labiba Amyeen, Daniel Ha* (Project Manager), Katie Marr, Michelle Gong, Hansol Jung, Copter Lee, Shelley Cai
ROLE
Researcher, Design Consultant
overview
As a part of the imagiCal, a creative consulting agency at Berkeley, Airbnb approached us to help generate awareness and increase readership of the Airbnb magazine, especially amongst the Generation Z demographic. We provided Airbnb with key insights on understanding Gen Z and developed a series of online and offline executions that help Airbnb Magazine increase awareness + readership.
project outline
1. problem
Understanding the problem scope and what Airbnb Magazine is asking for
2. research
Conducting surveys and in-person interviews to gauge target audience sentiments
3. synthesis
Synthesizing research findings and drawing key insights to cite
4. ideation
Creating user personas, and ideating design solutions for Airbnb Magazine
5. final prototype
Presenting our final recommendations backed by our research to Airbnb Magazine
PROBLEM
context
Airbnb Magazine is a travel and lifestyle print magazine. They aim to inspire people to travel and connect with the world, to curiously take in the cultures around them and adopt a curious, open-minded mentality as they do so. Airbnb Magazine reached out to ImagiCal to help understand the Gen Z readership space and break into the digital sphere to help build awareness for the magazine.
Airbnb magazine wants to…
Attract share the human experience of travel to the younger generation
Establish themselves as a credible travel magazine
does NOT want to…
Use their magazine to directly sell the Airbnb product
Integrate fully with the Airbnb platform
MAIN OBJECTIVE
Generating awareness and credibility for Airbnb Magazine amongst the general public.
THE ASK
How can Airbnb Magazine leverage their own platforms or forge partnerships in order to generate awareness/credibility, increase readership and garner interest for contribution from younger talent who would fit well into their community?
THE SOLUTION
A strategic research summary, target user personas for potential Airbnb Magazine readers, and digital/in-person executions to help boost awareness
RESEARCH
the stats
326
survey correspondents
17
in-person interviews
in-person interviews overview
GOAL: To gain qualitative insights into magazine readership and travel behaviors to capture key insights and build mass surveys + competitive analysis
17 Gen Z Interviewees
Both active and non-active magazine readers
survey overview
GOAL: To gain quantitative insights on Gen Z readership and travel behaviors
7
competitive analyses
Interviewees sourced from cafes, bookstores, and coffee shops around UC Berkeley and in person connections
23%
of survey respondents subscribed to magazines
Magazine readership ranged from none to extensive amongst respondents.
SYNTHESIS
key insights
THE DIGITAL SPHERE
Efficiency over everything
Gen Z is more comfortable with digital formats than print due to convenience
45%
Engage with magazines digitally
#1 Venturing into the Digital Sphere
Gen Z is heavily influenced by the digital sphere and gathers recommendations from it
#2 Personalization and Authenticity
Gen Z craves authenticity in their experiences and the products / content they engage with
“College students are extremely busy and move around all day. Carrying physical copies everywhere will not be convenient.”
ANNA M.
vs.
THE DIGITAL SPHERE
Engage with magazines in print
28%
31%
Research travel destinations through websites + blogs
vs.
THE DIGITAL SPHERE
Research travel destinations through social media
“I once saw a photo of hot air balloons in Turkey on my Instagram explore page and it’s been on my bucket list ever since”
RACHEL L.
28%
Visual and digital content heavily influence Gen Z
#1 For Gen Z, credibility is built through word of mouth.
# 2 Digital Advertisements are essential for Gen Z’s brand awareness
Gen Z’s seeks new and authentic learning experiences while traveling
“With limited time, Gen Z usually seeks information with a purpose and spontaneously. It will be more efficient to access them on digital media rather than physical magazines.”
KEN N.
THE DIGITAL SPHERE
THE DIGITAL SPHERE
PERSONALIZATION + AUTHENTICITY
PERSONALIZATION + AUTHENTICITY
“I read Craft Magazine which is all about art and how it can be incorporated into daily life. I really like how the magazine showcases honest human experience which makes me connected to them.”
MELANIE I.
As a psych major, I read a lot of science magazines because it’s what I’m interested in. I read the “New Scientist” as a way to better inform myself of the world/workforce that I will be in.
SWAD N.
PERSONALIZATION + AUTHENTICITY
user persona
empathy map
IDEATION
design goal
How might Airbnb Magazine digitize the experience of finding and sharing authentic travel content/inspiration while building brand awareness?
potential solutions
-
Mobile app segment to current Airbnb app with built-in pdf reader + interactive engagement elements
-
Chrome extension to Google Travel that would allow trip planners to see articles related to trips they’re planning (ie: information bot)
-
Airbnb Magazine build a pop-up store that allows users to experience different cultures, and build travel itineraries using the magazine (crafty)
-
Airbnb Magazine build a pop-up store that allows users to experience different cultures, and build travel itineraries using the magazine (crafty)
chosen solution
INTERACTIVE TRAVEL DIARY
Segment on Airbnb’s website that allows individuals to read magazine articles, highlight content + build + share their own travel diaries
user flow
RATIONAL
Digital First
Connection to the Product
Efficiency + Interest - Users have short attention spans/cannot read magazine articles without interactive experience
Personalization - Allows users to cater content to themselves and their interests
Shareable content - increase credibility through word of mouth
PROTOTYPE
key features
ONBOARDING
CREATING + SHARING DIARY ENTRIES
The main value proposition for this product add-on is the ability to create + share your own travel diary entries
Feature Highlights:
Blogging - Being able to see professional blogging content while also creating their own content, users engage with Airbnb magazine in a new and fresh way
Share Content - majority of users discover new travel ideas through social media and blogging. This feature combines those two key conversion factors
PERSONALIZATION + AUTHENTICITY
A simple + easy to understand onboarding is key to app retention.
Highlights + Rationale:
Intro Quiz - aids with personalization for users and allowing to engage more with diaries feature
Attention Span - Maximize efficiency with suggestions filtered by read time
PERSONALIZATION + AUTHENTICITY
THE DIGITAL SPHERE
TRIPS TAB INTEGRATION
One of the important features of this add-on is to integrate it with Airbnb Trips Dashboard
Feature Highlights:
Diary Popout - Brings the Diary section to Trips tab to allow for further product integration
Deeper Engagement - streamlines communication between collaborators and eliminates off-app scheduling
