Elizabeth Yuan
Seashells
An app to define the next generation of vacation souvenirs.
Top 15 out of 500 projects for the Adobe x Airbnb Creative Jam 2020
Overview
Airbnb lets travellers create beautiful trips, and we let them turn those fleeting moments into lasting memories, just like bringing a seashell home from the beach.
Our users create trips, add their co-travellers, link their Airbnb account to load Stays and Experiences, and then upload their photos, videos, text files, or audio snippets throughout their trip. All of this media is stored in the shared Trip, which travellers can then like and comment on. By trip’s end, there will be a robust tapestry of moments and experiences for everyone to reflect upon and share to whomever they choose. In addition to the final album, travellers will also receive accolades depending on their contributions — one traveler might get “Shutterbug” for taking the most photos, while another could get “Foodie” for linking the most restaurants. Using the power of traveller collaboration, we’ve created the next generation of souvenirs.
Problem
The prompt was the empower families and groups of friends who travel together in a collaborative way to document, organize, and share their travel experiences and stays to the larger Airbnb community. There were many times where we simply do not remember the trips we went on, or what pictures were taken there by people on the trip with you. Sharing a Google Drive for trip pictures isn't enough, because many people want to know exactly where they went and document their experiences in words as well. Therefore, we wanted to focus on making the experience more interactive and engaging for friends and families when they go on trips. Therefore, we came up with the idea of a social-media where people can share their photos and thoughts while checking in to Airbnb locations and experiences.
Solution
We settled on a concept resembling social media, but with a twist: separate feeds for each trip. In these trip feeds, those actually on the journey can share, view, comment, and give 'hearts' to posts. To make things even more seamless, we seamlessly integrated Airbnb locations and experiences, providing users with event and housing details without relying on explanations from fellow users. Only trip participants can contribute posts, but anyone on the user's friends and family list can enjoy a peek into their adventures.
Once the trip wraps up, users have the opportunity to reminisce by revisiting each trip's feed and its standout moments. These highlights are chosen based on a combination of likes and engagement. Additionally, we award special titles to trip participants based on their unique contributions. For instance, the individual who shared the most pictures might earn the coveted "Shutterbug" title.
Reflection
We were truly passionate about our concept and thoroughly enjoyed the process, despite the challenging circumstances of our team being scattered across different locations and having less than three days to bring it all together. It was a pleasant surprise when we received an honorable mention, ranking among the top 15 projects! The experience with Seashells taught us the value of working efficiently and autonomously within a tight three-day timeframe, seamlessly dividing tasks among ourselves, all while managing our demanding school schedules.
You can check out the full project here!
