Sir Jony Ive, the former lead designer of Apple’s IMac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, has joined the Airbnb family to create the next generation of the home rental firm’s products and services.
Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s chief executive, in a blog post, said the company had signed a multiyear “special collaboration” with Ive’s design company LoveFrom. Chesky said he and Ive shared the same belief in the value and importance of creativity and design.
The two seem to be on the same page when it comes to design philosophy, with Ive telling Chesky in an email: “I love that we both look at the world with such curiosity and care so deeply about the creative process and new ideas. We have learned that despite the inherent fragility of ideas, they can be developed to become profound and powerful.”
According to a report by Financial Times, Ive will lead the rental platform’s efforts to revamp its app and website. He will also be working on the redesign of the rating system that Airbnb uses where guests and hosts rate and review each after when a trip is done. It forms an integral part of recommendations on the platform, for both host venues as well as vetting potential guests.
As a result of this partnership, Airbnb’s chief design officer Alex Schleifer will reportedly step down a year after he came onboard.
Main Image: Financial Times
