CraigsList: Re-Imagining the Seller Experience
Class Project: Identify an aspect of [Craigslist, Ebay, or Wikipedia] that could be improved - then, solve the issue for a killer experience.
Tools:
Pencil + paper [sketching]
Adobe Illustrator
Google Slides
My Role:
Student
Problem Solver
Interface Designer
Skills:
Prototyping
Marketing/Presenting
User Stories
Journey Mapping
​
CHALLENGE
My concern for craigslist is its communication cycle. If you have ever tried to sell on craigslist, you may have been overwhelmed at the number of responses and inquiries you receive about your product. How do you remember who's who, who's actually interested, or who contacted you first? The messages are buried in your personal communications of emails or text messages, and can easily get lost.
The solution was a simplified communication portal to keep track of messaging. The messages would be organized by item for sale.
JOURNEY MAP
On the surface, the seller's journey and the buyer's journey appear harmonious...
COMMUNICATION TANGLE
...until you take into account that the seller was probably communicating with multiple buyers before selecting one.
MESSAGE
COMMUNICATION TANGLE
THESIS
THESIS
Sellers prefer
organized
communication
for a simpler cognitive load.
Old pattern:
Organized communication:
CHANGING THE JOURNEY
USER STORIES
THE SOLUTION
-
User will be freed up to focus on communications about one item at a time.
-
User shall see at a single glance all who have contacted her about a particular item.
-
User will be able to easily identify who responded first.
-
User will not have to tell buyers that a product is unavailable.
FEATURES, by user story
1. Messages are organized by sales item.
2. All potential buyers are displayed near the item of interest.
3. Interested parties are numbered, according to who responded first.
4. By selecting this, all potential buyers are notified the item is no longer available.
Additionally, the item is removed from sales listings.
CONCLUSION
By following the thesis "Users prefer organized communication," the application implements a communication portal. This means the user doesn't have to decipher multiple communication channels (cellphone texts and emails) which arrive at varying times.
Instead, all of the messages are organized into a simple seller's portal, freeing the seller's mind of confusing details about who she spoke to first and what was said.
The killer experience? Not having to think as hard!