Airbnb (bootcamp)

Group payment, built into Airbnb booking

Product DesignMobileConcept

Role

Product designer

Timeline

12 weeks (2025)

Team

2 designers (bootcamp), solo final redesign

Tool Stack

Figma, FigJam, Google Forms, Dovetail

Group payment in checkout

1 / 7

About Airbnb

Airbnb connects travelers with places to stay and helps hosts earn from their space. For a 12-week design bootcamp, my partner and I designed a native group payment feature for trips where one person books and everyone else pays their share. We did the research and early concepts together, and I redesigned the final screens on my own afterward.

[1/5]

Problem

People hate chasing others for money

Airbnb lets one person book for the whole group, but there's no way for everyone else to pay their share in the app. So the group lead, usually whoever booked, covers the full cost up front and then chases friends to pay them back. We surveyed 22 frequent Airbnb users: most plan at least one group trip a year (nearly half plan more), and 41% usually travel with 5 or more people, which means more people to collect from. When we asked what makes these trips hard, collecting payment came up more than anything else.

Biggest stressors of the current payment process

54.5%

Said collecting payments on time was a struggle, the top answer. Once the lead books, getting paid back depends on friends remembering or being able to send money.

31.8%

Struggled to coordinate payment methods, since not everyone in the group pays the same way.

27.3%

Struggled to decide whose card to use, since one person has to cover the full trip before anyone else pays.

22.7%

Wanted more transparency around how costs were split and who had paid.

Survey of 22 respondents. People could select more than one answer.

[2/5]

Approach

My partner and I wrote the survey and brainstormed concepts together. Our first idea put group payment inside checkout because it felt like the fastest path. We tested a basic clickable prototype with 4 friends and parents, and it showed that groups pay over time rather than all at once. So we moved payment collection into a dashboard the group owner runs after booking.

Goal 1

Give the group owner one place to track who has paid

Goal 2

Let people pay on their own time, outside checkout

Goal 3

Keep one person in control of the money settings

[3/5]

Execution

A dashboard outside checkout

Our first version added group payment as a step inside checkout. In testing, people didn't trust they could leave and come back, even with a save button. It also assumed the whole group would pay at the same moment, which isn't how groups actually pay. We moved collection into its own dashboard so the owner could track progress and remind the group over time.

1Group payment in checkout

Group payment shows up as a payment option in checkout, alongside paying in full or with Klarna. Picking it puts a 24-hour hold on the booking and lets the owner invite friends to pay their share. We kept the hold short because the host gives up other possible bookings during that window. Hosts can opt out of group booking entirely, and if the group needs more time, the owner can ask the host for an extension.

2Payment dashboard

After booking, the owner lands on a dashboard with what's left to pay, how many guests have paid, and how much time is left on the hold. Reminders live in the "..." menu in the top right. We locked split edits until everyone has joined, so the owner isn't juggling amounts while people are still being invited.

Why we said no to co-owners

Research kept pointing to one person who books the Airbnb and keeps the trip on track. We made that person the group owner, the only one who can invite guests, edit splits, and contact the host. We considered shared control but rejected it. If someone changes the cost after others have paid, or the group includes newer friends who aren't in every conversation, multiple editors quickly turns into a version control problem.

1Shared guest payment list

Once everyone joins, all guests see the same list: who's in, what each person owes, and whether they've paid. The owner is tagged "Group owner (Last to pay)," so it's clear who's running the booking without anyone having to ask.

2Owner-only split controls

Only the owner can open Edit split. They can split evenly or change individual amounts, and their own share fills in automatically (including any leftover pennies from an uneven split). That way the total always matches the bill and nobody has to do the math.

Pending payments at the top of Trips

A held group booking needed a home once the owner left checkout. We put pending group payments at the top of the Trips tab under a "Pending" label. That way the owner can get back to the dashboard from a screen they already know.

1Pending bookings in Trips

Pending group bookings get their own section at the top of Trips, above upcoming reservations, with the hold countdown right on the card. Owners can check the deadline and get back to the dashboard from the same place they'd look for any other booking. Using Trips also meant we didn't have to add new navigation to the app.

Owner pays last

We borrowed this pattern from group ordering in Uber Eats: guests pay their share first, and the owner pays last to complete the booking. That gives the booking a clear final step and one person responsible for it. It also fits who usually books the Airbnb in the first place, the responsible one who sees things through.

1Owner pays last

As guests pay, the progress bar fills and each person gets a small tag for the order they paid in, like "First to pay." The owner's Pay share button stays disabled until everyone else has paid, then turns on with "All others paid" so they know it's time to close the booking.

2Familiar checkout methods

Each guest pays only their share, using whatever method they'd normally use on Airbnb (PayPal, card, or Apple Pay). We kept this the same as Airbnb's existing checkout so there's nothing new to learn. It also takes care of two survey pain points: coordinating payment methods and deciding whose card to use.

[4/5]

Outcome

Testers found it simple and wanted to use it

This stayed a concept and never shipped. In testing with 4 friends and parents, people said the dashboard felt really simple and that they'd be interested in using it. They also felt less stress about payment reminders once tracking lived outside checkout. That's encouraging, but it's a small, friendly sample, so I'd treat it as a reason to keep testing rather than proof.

Group payment in checkout

1 / 7

[5/5]

Reflections

What I'd do differently

Reflection 1

Test beyond friends and family.

Our survey and our usability tests both drew from friends and family. They're real Airbnb users, but politeness bias probably softened what they told us. Next time I'd recruit a wider, more random group of people who plan group trips before locking in the problem.

Reflection 2

Ask more open questions.

Our survey was mostly multiple choice. One or two open prompts about how people split costs and get paid back might have flagged our checkout assumption before we built it. Open questions take more effort to answer, so I'd watch for survey fatigue and offer a small incentive for finishing.

Reflection 3

Zoom out more often.

I sometimes spent too long adjusting small UI details on one screen when I should have moved on to the next. Next time I'd check my progress against the whole flow more regularly so the small stuff doesn't eat the schedule.

Arnold Wei

Arnold Wei

Open to product design roles!

Currently in

Orange County, CA