Case study · PriceLabs

A complex pricing tool, simple enough for your pocket

Designing the first PriceLabs mobile app, from scoping to launch and what came after.

Shail Chandel · Product DesignerNov 2025 – Oct 2026

01 · The problem

Small hosts needed to fix prices on the go, but on a phone PriceLabs was a squeezed copy of desktop

01Desktop-to-mobile trap

Tiny touch targets and cognitive overload.

02Fragmented onboarding

Setup scattered across modules.

03Charts that don’t scale

Built for a 27-inch monitor.

04Not native

React on the web’s backend, but it had to feel like an app.

PriceLabs mobile app2

The challenge

How might we give hosts confidence in their pricing from their phone, without the complexity of the full product?

Role

Product Designer

Team

2 designers, design manager, 3 devs + FE lead

Timeline

Nov 2025 → Jul 2026

Constraint

No billing in-app; deep setup stays on web

PriceLabs mobile app3

02 · Deciding what a phone is for

Usage data showed people mostly view and monitor on a phone

In v1

Pricing dashboard & calendar
Multi-calendar
Date-specific overrides
Base Price Help
Onboarding & import

Next

Scrolling calendar
Edit customizations
Neighbourhood & competitor data
Action Center

Out

Billing (app-store commission)
Deep configuration & analytics

PriceLabs mobile app4

03 · Structure & key journeys

The app is built around five jobs, not the web menu

First-time setup

Sign up→Add listings→Base → min → stay→Review→Sync

Daily check

Dashboard→Calendar→Sync now

Adjust dates

Calendar→Select dates→Save & sync

Manage portfolio

Multi-calendar→Override / copy to child

Fix an issue

Action Center→One-tap fix

PriceLabs mobile app5

04 · A mobile layer on the design system

Mobile variants on existing components, not a new library

48px buttons & inputs32px chipsAAA primary textAA calendar22 components

Bottom sheetsSettings one tap away

Same pattern, reusedDesktop tabs → filter sheet

PriceLabs mobile app6

05 · Onboarding

A one-way street to the first sync

Steps up front3 steps, with a skip

Recommend firstEdit second

ReviewEvery choice editable

Sync stays offuntil the host reviews

PriceLabs mobile app7

06 · The daily loop

Check, adjust, sync, with your thumb

The calendar carries only the essentials. Sync lives in the thumb zone, and overrides were redesigned around the quick 80% case.

DashboardSync status at a glance

CalendarDemand colours, Sync now

PriceLabs mobile app8

07 · Launch & outcome

Live on Android in April and iOS in July 2026, in 7 languages

11K+paying customers used the appfirst 90 days · 15K+ installs

70%were small hoststhe segment v1 targeted

27.5%of regular small hosts price mostly in the appvs 13–17% for larger managers

5.0★on Google Play4.5★ App Store · ~98% crash-free

PriceLabs mobile app9

08 · Did it change how people work?

It replaced the phone browser, not the desktop

Regular users who used the phone browser less after starting the app

Mid-size managers59%

Small hosts48%

Desktop (both)~42%

“The most important things you’re going to want to change from a phone are there.”App Store review ★★★★★

PriceLabs mobile app · correlation, not proof of cause10

09 · After launch

Every change traces back to something we heard or measured

Heard	Changed
15K-listing manager sees too few rows	Much denser multi-calendar before iOS	Shipped
Support ticket: header eats a third of the screen	Slimmer header and footer	Shipped
Tracker: setup weak without Airbnb data	4 or 6 steps, decided by the data we have	Shipped
Data: 16% vs 50% add a card on mobile web	One adaptive button · conversion ~23% → 34.7%	Shipped

PriceLabs mobile app11

10 · What comes next

Keep it simple, grow it carefully

Calendar

Scrolling calendar, edit customizations

Market data

Neighbourhood data, competitor calendar

Action Center

Alerts and one-tap fixes on mobile

AI

RM AI agent, AI actions

“I love the simplicity. I wouldn’t want the app to get too complicated.”Customer with 657 listings

Thank you · shail-portfolio-wine.vercel.app12