Neighbor Storage
Neighbor, an A16Z-backed growth stage company, is building a nationwide peer to peer storage marketplace.
As a product designer at Neighbor, I was primarily responsible for overseeing the renter experience on the platform.
Shannon
“Seemed sketchy. I wasn’t sure if it was legit".”
Ben
“The price looked good enough, so I took a chance.”
Project description
Customer reviews are a critical trust-building mechanism in most marketplace platforms, such as Airbnb and Turo. During user testing with renters on Neighbor, we identified a general feeling of skepticism stemming from the low volume of reviews on our platform. Given that Neighbor operates as a storage marketplace with lower transaction frequency, we recognized the need to explore alternative methods for establishing credibility and trustworthiness in both our brand and our hosts.
I had the opportunity to lead a redesign of the renter experience on our platform, encompassing the entire journey from initial engagement and search to checkout. The goals of the 'Renter Trust' project included increasing renter conversion rates and fostering a sense of trust between hosts and renters throughout the user experience.
Preliminary research
I began by conducting user interviews to identify pain points in the current renter journey and to explore the sources of distrust among renters using our platform. My methods of research included user interviews I conducted with both renters and hosts on our platform as well as clickstream analysis on User Brain and analytics analysis on Amplitude. From these insights, I distilled three key problem statements, which became central reference points throughout the design process.
One
Users are uncertain about Neighbors legitimacy as a platform.
Two
Renters express hesitation when it comes to trusting hosts.
Three
The platform lacks a sufficient volume of reviews to effectively build trust.
Design process
Building on these research insights, I conducted a competitive analysis to assess if there were any current solutions to the problems and created user journey maps to pinpoint key areas of the experience where renters reported unease. This allowed me to prioritize which aspects of the journey to focus on.
Once I had the areas identified, I facilitated a 'How Might We' brainstorming session. This collaborative effort clarified existing technical limitations, aligned stakeholders on direction, and also generated momentum to address the identified challenges.
I subsequently sketched wireframes and developed multiple prototypes in Figma. I presented and led meetings with stakeholders where I would use these low and high fidelity wireframes to propose my ideas and find alignment.
The high fidelity prototypes were also utilized to conduct usability tests with renters on our platform, allowing me to gather valuable usability feedback. I then consistently iterated on the designs before landing on a unified solution that best fit the needs of renters on our platform.
Solution
To address the challenge of limited reviews caused by a low turnover rate, I developed a new design and information system to enhance host credibility on the platform.
To foster trust in Neighbor, I introduced new methods to emphasize the company's key value propositions throughout the renter journey.
In the search experience, I highlighted Neighbor’s free cancellation policy and commitment to locking in monthly prices at the time of reservation.
During checkout, I showcased Neighbor’s average annual savings of $1,200, demonstrating the platform’s proven ability to help renters save money. Additionally, I incorporated reviews from trusted sources such as Google and Apple to strengthen social proof and validation.
This system involved redesigning the search experience to highlight key host metrics besides reviews such as response time, top host status, identity verification, and completion of our host education program.
I also introduced a feature to showcase host experience by displaying 'months rented' in place of reviews for hosts with long-term renters who hadn’t left feedback. Given that rental durations often span months or years, 'months rented' became a valuable indicator for both hosts and renters.
As part of this project, I also designed for the host logged-in experience. I developed a dedicated statistics section on the host page where both hosts and renters can view key host metrics, reviews, and active listings.
Additionally, I designed a new section of the host dashboard, offering hosts the opportunity to complete an educational course aimed at improving their listings, attracting more renters, and increasing their success on the platform.
Results
The redesigned renter experience achieved a 10% increase in incremental GMV, accompanied by all-time high renter conversion rates from search to checkout. Additionally, user feedback indicated higher levels of renter satisfaction and improved retention rates.
Control
Test
The image above is a snapshot of the search portion of the tested experience. The full experience included the listing detail, checkout, and the host dashboard.
