Inventing a Tangible Airbnb Offering: Target User, Need, Concept and Success Metrics

You are a product manager at Airbnb. Propose a physical product Airbnb could offer. The prompt does not limit what kind of object it is, who it is for, or whether it is used during a stay: choose the user and the need or goal it serves, describe the product, and explain how you would know it is working. ```hint Earn the physical form Pick the business goal first and let it point you to a user. Then ask what a tangible object can do for that user that a feature in the Airbnb app cannot. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Should the product serve guests, hosts, or people who have never booked on Airbnb? - Does "physical" mean an electronic device, or does any tangible object count, such as a card or a printed item? - Must it connect to the Airbnb app and booking system, or can it stand alone? - Is the aim winning new travelers, repeat bookings, better stays or more hosts, and must the product break even on its own? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A goal tied to Airbnb's business and a reasoned choice of user among hosts, guests and people who do not yet book on Airbnb - A specific need for that user, and why a physical object meets it better than an app feature alone - A concrete product with its core features, weighed against at least one alternative of a different kind - Who pays, how the product is made and reaches users, and whether Airbnb builds it or partners - Success metrics tied to the chosen goal, and the risks specific to the chosen product, such as cost, low adoption, misuse or harm to Airbnb's core business ### Follow-up Questions - Early adoption is far below plan. How would you tell whether the concept, the price or the distribution is at fault? - Would Airbnb make the product itself or work with a partner, and what would decide it? - How would you show the product changed booking or hosting behavior, rather than simply being taken up by people who were already loyal?