Nest
Team: Solo
Timeline: May - August 2025
Background Making new friends as an adult is challenging, especially in a world where social apps often prioritize dating, popularity, or fast interactions. After speaking with users who felt disconnected or overwhelmed by existing platforms, I saw a need for a more mindful and emotionally safe way to build friendships.
Key Features
Research
Out of several Reddit posts, 95% of introverts struggle to make friends in their 20’s and 30’s.
Reviewers shared their frustrations about poor communication from hosts, unclear policies, and unhelpful customer service when trying to resolve problems.
In addition, the layout and language are clear, but key informaton like refund dates needs stronger visual emphasis. Redundant wording like ‘before’ makes readability slightly difficult. Reviewers shared their frustrations about poor communication from hosts, unclear policies, and unhelpful customer service when trying to resolve their concerns.
Competitve Analysis
Interviews
User Persona
Experience Principles
Users are drawn towards familiar places they’ve already looked at when they don’t have much time to look through other options.
In time-sensitive situations, users heavily rely on fast responses to confirm or adjust their reservations without the added stress.
Users want control over where and when their reservation will be.
Information Architecture
User Flow
Usability Testing To evaluate how users navigate and feel about the rebooking options, I tested with 5 participants, aged 25-56, who had previously booked stays on Airbnb or similar platforms. Participants were asked to complete a flow where their original stay was canceled and they needed to rebook an alternative. Usability testing showed that:
100% of users appreciated seeing their favorited stays first.
80% of users thought the instant booking label made choices feel more reliable.
10% of users found supportive messages reduced anxiety.
Next Steps To make sure the cancellation feature continues to support both user needs and business goals, the next step would be to monitor how users interact with it in a live or beta environment. This includes tracking metrics like drop-off rates, time spent reviewing suggested alternatives, and how often users select an option versus abandoning the process. Gathering qualitative feedback through quick surveys or in-app prompts can also help identify areas of confusion and any other issues. These insights would inform future updates that improve clarity, build trust, and make the cancellation process feel more supportive.
Reflection This project helped me realize how important it is to give users more control, especially when something as frustrating as a cancellation happens. I wanted the experience to feel more personal and supportive, not just like another generic error message.
It was also my first time really exploring how features like saved or favorited stays could actually make a big impact. Leaning into that idea made the experience feel more tailored and helpful.
This project taught me a lot about designing for trust, making recovery from bad situations feel smoother, and thinking through the little details that can make a big difference.
It was also my first time really exploring how features like saved or favorited stays could actually make a big impact. Leaning into that idea made the experience feel more tailored and helpful.
This project taught me a lot about designing for trust, making recovery from bad situations feel smoother, and thinking through the little details that can make a big difference.