Airbnb's design team has a framework they use for every feature.
They call it the "11 Star Experience."
Here's how it works:
1 star: The feature works (barely)
5 stars: The feature works well
11 stars: The feature is magical (probably impossible)
Then they work backwards from 11 to find what's actually possible at 7-8 stars.
The 59-sec takeaway:
Most people start at "what's realistic?" and never push further.
Airbnb starts at "what's absurd?" and scales it back.
The result: features that feel 2 steps ahead of competitors.
How I'd use this:
Next time you're designing anything (a feature, a campaign, a product):
Write the 1-star version (barely works)
Write the 11-star version (completely magical)
Ask: "What's the 7-star version we could actually ship?"
See you during tomorrow’s lesson,
Pavan
P.S. What's a feature you've built that could've been more magical? Hit reply.
You don't need to see their design docs to use this framework.