Driving cross-sell with Airbnb's content discovery

OverviewWalkthrough
Context
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Content Browsing
Category
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Travel
Goals
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Engagement
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Search Success
Biases identified
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Anchoring Bias
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Attentional Bias
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Attentional Spotlight Effect
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Framing Effect
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Authority Bias
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Availability Heuristic
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Choice Architecture
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Choice-Supportive Bias
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Scarcity Principle
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Social Proof

Airbnb’s content discovery journey covers far more than just finding a place to stay. With dedicated browsing flows for homes, experiences and services, the platform tactically balances inspiration with intent, encouraging exploration while gently steering users toward conversion. Airbnb layers in strong psychological cues, from social proof and visual priming to authority signals and scarcity nudges, guiding decision making.

While many of these biases are well-integrated, others can crowd or confuse the experience, particularly in the earlier browsing stages. Let’s dive into how Airbnb uses behavioural psychology to shape content discovery and where the flow can still be sharpened.

The flow

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What works

  • Strong visual framing of content cards enhances scanning and appeal.
  • Reuse of familiar badge patterns (e.g. Guest Favourite, Popular) builds fast trust.
  • Early reinforcement of quality via vetted content messaging builds authority.
  • Smart use of filters with category defaults makes narrowing easier without overwhelm.
  • Recency and location cues anchor discovery in user context.
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What doesn't work

  • Too many repeated content carousels can fatigue attention.
  • Repeated 'Guest favourite' tags lose salience over time.
  • Discovery feels visually heavier for homes than experiences/services.
  • 'New' labels on nav tabs may be too subtle to drive engagement.
  • Heavy information load in filters can discourage casual use.

Screen-by-screen review

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Homes browse – top level view

Attentional Bias
Smaller size for recently viewed listings deprioritises user memory cues.
Availability Heuristic
“Continue searching” reuses familiar city and date, simplifying decision.
Choice-Supportive Bias
Pre-set suggestion to return to Florence nudges users to resume.
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Idea
Increase visual emphasis or interactivity of recently viewed listings to signal their ongoing relevance, not just prior activity.
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Homes browse – scroll: similar dates + areas

Choice Architecture
Sections like 'similar dates' and 'new areas' make dense info feel manageable.
Framing Effect
‘Available for similar dates’ feels tailored rather than generic.
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Idea
Add clearer visual separation between content types (e.g. new areas vs. date alternatives) to strengthen perceived relevance.
airbnb-content-discovery-3-homes-browse-scrolled-further

Homes browse – scroll: popular & related

Social Proof
“Popular homes” and “Guests also viewed” validate choices via crowd.
Authority Bias
“Guest favourite” badge confers trust and expert-like status.
Attentional Spotlight Effect
Images dominate appeal and help form faster preferences.
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Idea
Limit how many sections repeat the same badge types (e.g. “Guest favourite”) to preserve impact.
airbnb-content-discovery-4-homes-list-map

Homes list view – map and listings

Social Proof
Visible star ratings and review counts boost trust.
Anchoring Bias
Price clusters in map view anchor cost expectations.
Attentional Bias
Dual map/list format pulls focus equally to location and price.
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Idea
Enable quick toggling between map-only and list-only views to support different discovery styles.
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Homes list view – full list

Choice Architecture
Uniform layout aids rapid scanning and comparison.
Availability Heuristic
Reused images support memory and orientation.
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Idea
Introduce dynamic ranking (e.g. “newly added”, “best value”) to reframe list results periodically.
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Homes filters – top view

Choice Architecture
Grouped amenities reduce overload in choice-making.
Choice-Supportive Bias
Recommended filters are shown first as optimal choice.
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Idea
Explain how recommendations are chosen (e.g. based on past searches) to strengthen trust and relevance.
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Homes filters – scroll 1

Attentional Bias
Icon-based filters are more immediately noticed than text-only ones.
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Idea
Allow users to pin frequently used filters for faster future discovery.
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Homes filters – scroll 2

Authority Bias
‘Luxe’ homes imply expert-endorsed accommodation.
Framing Effect
“Guest favourite” filter reframes results as high quality.
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Idea
Visually differentiate 'Luxe' listings within the search results for consistency with filter framing.
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Experiences intro modal

Authority Bias
‘Vetted for quality’ creates trust through expertise signal.
Framing Effect
Messaging positions experiences as curated and premium.
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Idea
Let users view criteria behind vetting to support transparency and perceived legitimacy.
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Experiences browse – Florence & Originals

Social Proof
‘Popular’ label highlights community preference.
Scarcity Principle
‘Booking closed’ and ‘Original’ tags imply rarity.
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Idea
Clearly distinguish Originals from standard experiences via a badge legend or icon explainer.
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Experiences browse – local to user

Social Proof
‘Popular with travellers from your area’ aligns with group norms.
Availability Heuristic
Seeing local city name boosts familiarity and interest.
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Idea
Add toggle to switch between local and destination experiences for more explicit control.
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Experiences list view – London

Social Proof
Review count and stars reduce perceived risk.
Attentional Spotlight Effect
Photo grid supports emotional response and engagement.
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Idea
Use more diverse framing tags (e.g. “hidden gem”, “host recommended”) to avoid popularity fatigue.
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Experiences filters – price + duration

Choice Architecture
Time options are chunked into scannable slots.
Choice-Supportive Bias
Wide filter presets invite tweaking over abandoning.
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Idea
Visually preview what types of experiences fall into each duration bracket for intuitive filtering.
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Services intro modal

Authority Bias
Repeats 'vetted' framing to imply trust and control.
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Idea
Offer example service types within modal to better set expectations before click-through.
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Services browse

Social Proof
5-star averages indicate reliability and popularity.
Attentional Spotlight Effect
Photos clarify and attract for intangible services.
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Idea
Add category descriptions or headlines above content rows to help orient users unfamiliar with “Services” as a concept.