how can we get meaningful feedback about calendar design and function to designers??

how can we get meaningful feedback about calendar design and function to designers??

As a host with 2-3 listings under 1 roof, the calendar is super weak.  I put a lot of time and energy into Airbnb like I would any other job.  The calender is frustating, underpowered, ineffeicent and creates missed opportunites for maximizing revenue.  

 

For example:

I have a 3 night mininum but as those dates fill up I might want to create a 1 or 2 night minimum to maximize available space.  This is not possible to do "on the fly" while looking at the calendar/dates you want to edit.  You have to open a new page with AVAILABILTY SETTINGS and then review a list of calendar edits you have already made to figure out your next step.  At this point, I am trying to recall the specific dates I want to edit and, to be sure, must go back to the calendar to reference which dates.

 

Now multiply this by 3 and it gets really confusing and time consuming. 

 

2 ideas for solutions:

 

Make either AVAILABILTY SETTINGS or the CALENDAR a pop-up window that opens within the page so you dont lose the place where you were working.

 

OR

 

Give more functions inside the individaul day/box that allows me to edit the calendar "on the fly" without ever having to leave it.  Just like I can drag across 3 days to block them, let me drag across 3 days and let me edit the minimum a 1 or 2 night stay.

 

Suggestion:  Enable me to color code blocks of days with the minimum requirement so I know I already have rules in place.  

 

The calendar could be so much more of a powerful tool!!! 

 

calendar, improvements, web developers, feedback, usability, inefficient, maximize revenue, multiple listings

7 Replies 7
Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

To put things in perspective, the Airbnb 'front end' is reputed to be the very best among all booking agencies, which other agencies are copying as we speak. Nonetheless, it is of course, subject to improvement.

Your ideas are good, and yes would lessen the 'cross-referencing' you are alluding to; i.e. the ability to change the minimum days 'on the fly' within the calendar without having to leave it and having to execute a different form to do changes.

May I suggest send your ideas to them via 'Feedback', and perhaps they will find them helpful and doable within their existing database structure.

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To get around their calendar's existing shortcomings btw, I do this: I make days available on the calendar using specific 'slots', in my case following my 4-day minimum. For example, I first block the 1st, 5th, 10th and so on in each month, when people book a 4-day slot (say the 2nd-5th), the guest has the option of taking the previous or next 'block' days at either end of their 4-day stay. It is why I say my minimum is 4 days but can be made into a 6 day stay by just asking. 50% of guests do exercise this option. Days that end up not taken, I use as open day to work on my place. The upshot, I end up maybe having 2-3 per month not booked. Just a thought. Before I was ending up with all kind of oddball days in between bookings. Just a thought.

Branka-and-Silvia0
Level 10
Zagreb, Croatia

@Edward42

yeees, I totaly agree with you.... after recent changes this web site become totaly USER UN-FRIENDLY 😞

 

before it was all in one window with the calendar and we could change min stay in 2 clicks, then they change it and now we need 10 clicks , pen and paper for every date range we want to change  !

Also, before I could access list of my reservations with just 1 click from top menu. Now, I have to click arround like a blind chicken looking for a grain. After few months I still can not say where it is.

 

There are so many bad solutions which they could change on this website but no, they keep changing the good ones... Aibnb should have at least one host working in their IT management sector. 

Something is getting wrong with the calendar, sure. It s getting difficult. Before was clear and easy

please check!!!

 

Henrich1
Level 1
Bratislava, Slovakia

I can see that there are different coloured days in my calendar. What does it mean? I have there green, onange, red coloured days. Thanks for your thoughts.

@Henrich1

it has to do with your pricing, if your price is to high (according to Aibnb) then it is red, if it is ok then it is green.. or blue.. but nobody knows for sure... if there were just 2 colors , green and red for example, it would be much clearer.

So that is what those colors means. I am mostly at 'Orange', but 'Red' looks so much more exciting. 😉

Ian20
Level 4
England, United Kingdom

I have just had yet another guest confused by Airbnb's calendar design. He wrote:

 

''I'm looking at your cottage and wanted to check if it's available on the dates I selected. am a little confused because the dates in between the 3rd and 10th appear to be crossed out.''

 

The days he refers to are available, but they are crossed out because they are not available as check-in days. This design is misleading and confusing.

 

Just looking at the calendar, i.e. if guests do not interact with it, they think the days are booked but the dates are simply not available as check-in days. The difference between the booked dates and the dates available - but not as check-in days - should be made clear.

 

I would suggest an obvious colour code system with explanatory symbols below the calendar alongside the minimum stay information.

 

Many people contact me because of this, but many don’t bother, they simply move on and we have lost bookings because of this problem. After seeing the Airbnb calendar looking 'booked' some of my previous guests have then gone to TripAdvisor to check dates and booked there - so the design flaw is losing Airbnb business too. I would much rather they booked at Airbnb!

 

AIRBNB: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do something about the calendar design to make it clearer: differentiate between booked days and days simply not available as check-in days - not every potential guest interacts with the calendar if they think the days are unavailable!