02 · research & product strategy

Why long-stay guests didn't see themselves in the product

Our product was a good fit for long stays, but people didn't know it. This was a problem of perception and clarity, not features. We set out to find where that gap opened up in the journey, and to close it without reinventing the product.

role
Design Director. Co-led research, owned the design strategy
with
Faidon Loumakis, UX Research
when
Q1–Q2 2025
method
17 interviews, journey walkthroughs, concept tests
Search results with long-stay filters and a 'fully furnished, ready to go' banner 'Live the Blueground experience' section explaining what's included Option B price module with visible payment plans Price details dialog, line by line
Single payment? Surely you don't expect me to pay for a full year in advance…participant, 2025
the effort17 interviews → 5 themes → one response across the journey, from search to checkout
why now

A crowded short-stay market, and an open long-stay niche

Competitors were crowding the short-stay space. Owning the long stay was a way to stand apart, but in interviews, people who weren't specifically looking for furnished apartments didn't realise we fit their use case. There was a gap between what we offer and the rental mental model people arrive with.

what we did

Watching people rent, from the homepage to checkout

  • Interviewed 17 people who were not specifically looking for furnished apartments.
  • Explored their needs, frustrations and preconceptions about renting.
  • Had them use the Blueground website from homepage to checkout, and asked what would make it feel like a place to live, not a short-term stay.
what we learned

Five themes, mapped to the moments they happen

Perceived as premiumSeen as high-end and trustworthy
Short-term biasAssumed it's not for long stays
Unfamiliar offeringNovel, and unclear what's included
Pricing confusionUtilities and dynamic pricing felt foreign
Need for viewingSome need in-person validation

We placed every quote on the journey at the exact touchpoint where it came up. That turned a research report into a design roadmap:

Journey map with participant quotes at each touchpoint
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strategy

Protect what works. Fix the moments that mislead.

The first theme was good news: the brand already felt premium. The design response was deliberately no change. Instead we committed to protecting that perception in every solution and avoiding downmarket signals in copy, imagery and UI.

Each of the other four themes got a targeted response somewhere in the journey. Pick a theme to see what we heard, and what we designed:

“Apartments and service feel upscale and premium.”participant · theme 01
Property page with trust signals
design responseProtect it: no change

Trust signals stay calm and factual, like “Managed by Blueground”, with no discount-style urgency anywhere in the journey.

“A month..? Maybe it's short term. Longer? Maybe it's both short and long-term.”participant · theme 02
Search results with long-stay filters
design responseFilters for a long-stay mind

Bedrooms, price and home type up front, filters that adapt to the length of stay, and a clear “fully furnished, ready to go” promise in the results.

“Fully equipped? What, even dishes? Towels? I didn't realise it's furnished to that level!”participant · theme 03
'Live the Blueground experience' section
design responseShow what's included

A dedicated section that explains the service layer: utilities, linens, a full kitchen and in-app support, and how it differs from a traditional rental.

“Single payment? Surely you don't expect me to pay for a full year in advance…”participant · theme 04
Option B price modulePrice details dialog
design responsePrice that reads like a lease

A true monthly total while browsing, payment plans visible up front, and a line-by-line breakdown that separates monthly costs from what's due now.

“I would like to know more about the building if I'm gonna live here.”participant · theme 05
About the building sectionThings to know module
design responseAnswer it without a visit

Building context on the property page and a structured “things to know” module, so fewer people need a viewing or a call to support.

testing the details

Two pricing directions, tested head to head

For the highest-stakes component we designed two options, then compared them for clarity and confidence to convert.

Two pricing breakdown options
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validation

Option B came out ahead

  • Moderated interviews on how people read the current and proposed breakdowns.
  • Unmoderated usability tests comparing both directions for clarity and confidence to convert.

Across both rounds, Option B performed better overall. Seeing the payment options straight away removed most of the doubt people had about the price, and about the stay itself.

Option Bperformed better overall in research, and is the direction we shipped
Fewer questionsabout what the stay includes and how the price is put together
Less frictionpayment options visible instantly, and a more direct way to navigate the price
reflection

Sometimes the best design response is restraint

The most useful call in this project was deciding what not to change. Naming "perceived as premium" as something to protect kept every later decision honest: no discount-style urgency, and no clutter that would make us look like a listings site.