Netflix
On its home page, Netflix uses a stack of personalized rows that minimize the choices that users have to make. This works well for engagement and retention. However, it could be overwhelming for users. Possible improvements could be adding a toggle differentiating between fresh and familiar content, stronger explanations for why certain titles were recommended, and a faster way for users to indicate they are not interested.
YouTube
Youtube starts with explicit search then uses the home feed to fuel continued user engagement, creating more ad slots. The strength is that this works well for niche topics, compounding via recommendations, but the risk is that it could lead to clickbait or off-topic content that hurts satisfaction. An improvement could be adding filters on results and a mode that keeps suggestions tied to the user’s query.
Airbnb
Airbnb is designed to reduce risk and drive booking conversion. Users declare constraints, such as price, amenities, accessibility, and neighborhoods, and compare on a map with totals. Strengths include control, trust, and comparability. However, frictions include an overload of filters on mobile or no results being found. As an improvement, filters by the type of trip could be implemented, along with showing the total price up front and offering an option to the users to relax the filters to see more options.
