Airbnb's dull onboarding

OverviewWalkthrough
Context
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Onboarding
Category
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Travel
Goals
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Task Success
Biases identified
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Groupthink
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Authority Bias
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Anchoring Bias
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Cognitive Dissonance
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Choice Architecture
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Ambiguity Effect

Airbnb’s onboarding experience uses progressive disclosure and familiar third-party login options to ease users through account creation. It tactfully combines behavioral principles to streamline input, reinforce norms, and retain control of the user journey, while reflecting Airbnb’s value-centric brand.

‍

This is great if this were a very functional product, but it's not. Unfortunately Airbnb leaves much to be desired with their onboarding.

The flows we reviewed

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What works

  • Progressive disclosure reduces friction.
  • Familiar third-party login options add trust.
  • Clear visual hierarchy and form structure.
  • Psychological commitment builds across steps.
  • Values reinforcement with community pledge.
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What doesn't work

  • Subtle preselection of marketing opt-in.
  • Dense legal agreements can cause fatigue.
  • Lack of visible progress may reduce motivation.
  • Lack of emotional engagement leading to lower peak-end impact.
  • No personalisation during onboarding.
  • No guidance to first action.

Screen-by-screen review

Airbnb-onboarding-login-or-signup

Log in or Sign up

Authority Bias
Using Apple, Google, and Facebook as login options leverages their perceived trust and authority to encourage users to proceed.
Choice Architecture
The layout presents phone number login most prominently, nudging users toward this method via visual hierarchy and simplicity.
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Idea
Add microcopy explaining benefits of using phone number to boost perceived value and user trust.
Airbnb-onboarding-personal-details

Personal details Part 1

Anchoring Bias
Beginning with legal name and birth date establishes a formal tone, anchoring expectations for seriousness and accuracy.
Cognitive Dissonance
After starting to enter personal information, users are more likely to continue to avoid inconsistency in their behavior.
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Idea
Include a progress indicator to reinforce momentum and reduce drop-off likelihood.
Airbnb-onboarding-marketing-and-consent

Personal details Part 2

Ambiguity Effect
Dense legal terms and policy links are likely to be skipped due to uncertainty or lack of clarity, which can reduce informed choices.
Choice Architecture
The marketing opt-in is positioned in a way that assumes consent unless the user notices and opts out, guiding user behavior subtly.
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Idea
Make the marketing checkbox explicitly opt-in and simplify legal terms via collapsible content.
Airbnb-onboarding-confirm-account

Confirm account

Authority Bias
Verification via official Airbnb email builds credibility and encourages trust in the process.
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Idea
Add a reassuring note about email use (e.g. no spam) to strengthen user trust.
Airbnb-onboarding-community-commitment

Community Commitment

Groupthink
Airbnb appeals to shared values by asking users to agree to inclusive community behavior, invoking peer norms and belonging.
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Idea
Reinforce with real user stats or testimonials to enhance legitimacy and social proof.

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