Twin City is a home swapping platform that lets creatives exchange homes
across 50 cities through searching, requesting and chatting.
Co-founder, Product Designer
Sep - Nov 2025
1 Engineer
SHIPPED
Redesigned requesting to help users complete their first home swap
I co-founded Twin City. We quickly gained 3,000 users across 50 cities, but most had never actually completed a home swap. This case study explores how providing users with clarity on compatible travel plans helped them experience the magic of home swapping and convert 30% into paying subscribers.
The New Experience
OVERVIEW
We launched Twin City with the basics
Users could browse homes they'd love to stay in and also chat with hosts. The niche of creatives and the selection of designed homes set the platform apart. But the experience? Frustrating…
The Old Experience
CHALLENGE
I needed to understand
why swaps weren't happening
As a member of the community with a home in London to swap, I felt the frustration myself. Requesting was effortful - 6 clicks, write a message, send, wait. But it was exciting when a handful responded, until we ended up in back and forth date negotiation that didn't go anywhere.
Giovanna
24 Jan 2025
Hey Giovanna! I'm planning a trip to Berlin on Aug 1-7.
Free to swap? X
Hi Isaac, I'm keen but am only free the last two
weeks of August.. Would that work?
Ahh it doesn't, I need to be home then :(
What about September 10 - 17?
Conversations were dying at date negotiation
RESEARCH
The root of the problem
was availability, not trust
Many experts advised adding trust features, but when I spoke with 8 users, trust was barely mentioned. The pattern was clear: users logged in with trips planned, but availability only showed vague months like 'August'. The system wasn't matching on dates — it left that to the conversation
"This person looks available in August
but when I propose my dates they're not free."
USABILITY TESTING
Test, learn, refine…
To help users complete swaps, I explored making availability specific and requesting effortless. I tested my approaches with 6 users and ran into a few problems.
Exploration 1: any dates, automated message
BEFORE
The receiving experience was still broken
Users could request any dates with an automated message. Quick for requesters — but hosts barely responded. Dates didn't match, messages felt impersonal.
Exploration 2: confirmed dates, personal note
AFTER
So I connected the
two problems
Requests could only be made from confirmed availability. Users wrote their own messages. Dates already aligned, and messages felt genuine.
SOLUTION
Date alignment happens before conversation starts
Hosts set their availability. Guests find matches for their dates. The system aligns on intent and compatibility.
For hosts: Adding availability
Hosts add precise availability windows that accurately communicate their travel plans. No more mismatched requests.
Adding Availability
II. For guests: Requesting from confirmed dates
Guests see who's available for their trip. They write a personal message and send confident requests quickly.
Sending a request
IMPACT
50% of users subscribed after their first swap
I pushed for a first swap free model to prove value before asking for money. After completing a swap, users' mindset shifted: "I'm doing this all the time now." And the subscription became a no-brainer. Whilst Twin City wasn't skyrocketing, we had 40+ annual subscribers within a few months - enough recurring revenue to reopen conversations with investors.
60+
Swaps booked
Within 3 months of launch.
40+
Annual subscribers
£5,960 in annual recurring revenue.
2x
Request Volume
Average requests per trip: 2 → 4
REFLECTIONS
Start with the wrong assumption
I assumed trust was the blocker and nearly built verification features. Testing with 8 users proved it was availability. This project taught me to validate hunches early — even the obvious ones — before committing to a solution.
Build less to ship faster
Four weeks and one engineer forced me to design a minimal solution that could solve the problem. This constraint helped us ship quickly and get feedback with users asap.