Travel
UX/UI, Motion
VRBO: A Stay Like Home
VRBO: A Stay Like Home
OVERVIEW
VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner) is a vacation home rental platform. Focused on enhancing travel experiences for families, friends, and solo travelers, VRBO introduces 3 new features designed to make planning easier, decisions smarter, and group trips simpler. Have a stay like home with Vrbo.
VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner) is a vacation home rental platform. Focused on enhancing travel experiences for families, friends, and solo travelers, VRBO introduces 3 new features designed to make planning easier, decisions smarter, and group trips simpler. Have a stay like home with Vrbo.
VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner) is a vacation home rental platform. Focused on enhancing travel experiences for families, friends, and solo travelers, VRBO introduces 3 new features designed to make planning easier, decisions smarter, and group trips simpler. Have a stay like home with Vrbo.
TIMELINE
4-6 MONTHS
ROLE
Product & Motion Designer
MY TEAM
Yuriko Zheng
Gina Lee
Annette Perez
TOOLS
Figma
Adobe CC
After Effects
Chat GPT
TIMELINE
4-6 MONTHS
MY TEAM
Yuriko Zheng
Gina Lee
Annette Perez
ROLE
Product & Motion Designer
TOOLS
Figma
Adobe CC
After Effects
Chat GPT
HIGHLIGHTS
PROBLEM
Vacation planning is exciting.. until it isn't.
Travelers rely on 4–6 different apps and websites to plan a single trip. The more people involved, the harder it gets: coordinating dates, splitting costs, and agreeing on a place all happen in separate tools, or not at all.
Travelers rely on 4–6 different apps and websites to plan a single trip. The more people involved, the harder it gets: coordinating dates, splitting costs, and agreeing on a place all happen in separate tools, or not at all.
RESEARCH
11 empathy reviews, 4 travel segments.
11 empathy reviews, 4 travel segments.
Traveler Segments include consists of solo-explorers, group adventurers, family vacationers, and a home renter.
Traveler Segments include consists of solo-explorers, group adventurers, family vacationers, and a home renter.
82%
82%
82%
are frustrated by misleading listings and missing details.
are frustrated by misleading listings and missing details.
are frustrated by misleading listings and missing details.
73%
73%
73%
find planning time-consuming and indecisive.
find planning time-consuming and indecisive.
find planning time-consuming and indecisive.
80%
80%
80%
struggle with chasing friends for trip payments.
struggle with chasing friends for trip payments.
struggle with chasing friends for trip payments.
AFFINITY MAPPING
Sorting 100+ notes from interviews, 3 clear themes emerged:
Sorting 100+ notes from interviews, 3 clear themes emerged:
Information Trust
Information Trust
Listings feel incomplete or misleading, so users verify elsewhere.
Listings feel incomplete or misleading, so users verify elsewhere.
Listings feel incomplete or misleading, so users verify elsewhere.
Decision Fatigue
Decision Fatigue
Too many options, no way to compare or shortlist together.
Too many options, no way to compare or shortlist together.
Too many options, no way to compare or shortlist together.
Group Coordination
Group Coordination
Splitting costs and aligning on a destination happens outside the app.
Splitting costs and aligning on a destination happens outside the app.
Splitting costs and aligning on a destination happens outside the app.
View full Affinity Mapping Journey
KEY INSIGHT
VRBO solves finding a place, but not planning the trip.
VRBO solves finding a place, but not planning the trip.
The coordination, trust, and decision-making that groups need all happen outside the product, in texts and spreadsheets.
The coordination, trust, and decision-making that groups need all happen outside the product, in texts and spreadsheets.
SOLUTION
3 new features + a visual overhaul.
3 new features + a visual overhaul.
Each feature maps directly to a research theme. The visual redesign runs across all of them, making VRBO feel less transactional and more like a travel companion.
Each feature maps directly to a research theme. The visual redesign runs across all of them, making VRBO feel less transactional and more like a travel companion.
VRBO Live Tour
VRBO Live Tour
VRBO Live Tour
Information Trust
Information Trust
Information Trust
For travelers who need to see it to believe it. Before booking, guests can hop on a live video walkthrough with the host, so what you book is exactly what you show up to.
Schedule a live video walkthrough with the host before booking. Closes the gap between listing photos and reality — turning browsing into confidence.
For travelers who need to see it to believe it. Before booking, guests can hop on a live video walkthrough with the host, so what you book is exactly what you show up to.
Vitinerary
Vitinerary
Vitinerary
Decision Fatigue
Decision Fatigue
Decision Fatigue
For travelers who just want to know what to do today. VRBO surfaces quick ideas: spots, meals, activities nearby, and turns the ones you save into a ready-to-go itinerary for the day.
For travelers who just want to know what to do today. VRBO surfaces quick ideas: spots, meals, activities nearby, and turns the ones you save into a ready-to-go itinerary for the day.
For travelers who just want to know what to do today. VRBO surfaces quick ideas: spots, meals, activities nearby, and turns the ones you save into a ready-to-go itinerary for the day.
VRBO Split
VRBO Split
VRBO Split
Group Coordination
Group Coordination
Group Coordination
For groups who shouldn't have to chase each other down after the trip. Everyone tracks, adds, and pays their share in one place: just scan a receipt and VRBO handles the rest.
For groups who shouldn't have to chase each other down after the trip. Everyone tracks, adds, and pays their share in one place: just scan a receipt and VRBO handles the rest.
For groups who shouldn't have to chase each other down after the trip. Everyone tracks, adds, and pays their share in one place: just scan a receipt and VRBO handles the rest.
TAKEAWAYS
Design is not a one way street.
VRBO solves finding a place, but not planning the trip.
Visual identity shapes how people feel.
Visual identity shapes how people feel.
Changing the art direction can directly influence users on how trustworthy, explorable, and enjoyable the product felt to use.
Changing the art direction can directly influence users on how trustworthy, explorable, and enjoyable the product felt to use.
Good design means knowing what to remove.
Good design means knowing what to remove.
Less is more; Improving is to learn to deconstruct your work piece by piece and make something new out of it.
Less is more; Improving is to learn to deconstruct your work piece by piece and make something new out of it.
People don't lose excitement at the big decisions. They lose it in the small frustrations.
People don't lose excitement at the big decisions. They lose it in the small frustrations.
Over time, those small moments add up and take the excitement out of anything. Designing for this means focusing on the details that are easy to overlook and turning the experience into something smooth, intuitive, and enjoyable end to end.
Over time, those small moments add up and take the excitement out of anything. Designing for this means focusing on the details that are easy to overlook and turning the experience into something smooth, intuitive, and enjoyable end to end.
What's Next?
What's Next?
Reimagining VRBO’s art direction allowed me to explore a potential visual identity to make VRBO more approachable, and what VRBO can be.
Next, I would test how a more collaborative booking flow affects real results. The goal is to see if this direction improves engagement and overall customer satisfaction.
Reimagining VRBO’s art direction allowed me to explore a potential visual identity to make VRBO more approachable, and what VRBO can be.
Next, I would test how a more collaborative booking flow affects real results. The goal is to see if this direction improves engagement and overall customer satisfaction.
Thanks for viewing! If you want the whole case study, email me at yuriko_zheng@fitnyc.edu :)