Overview
Craigslist is a centralized network of online communities for free classified advertisements (with jobs, internships, housing, personal advertisements, services, for sale/barter/wanted, community, and pet categories) and forums on various topics.
With more than 47 million users and nearly a fifth of the nations adult population, it is the most important community site and yet, it is the most underdeveloped. It received lots of criticism because of its poor user interface and outdated design.
Project Goals
My main goal was to re-design Craigslists outdated website and make it more up-to-date and aesthetic.
I also wanted to improve the website usability by creating categories and subcategories for organization and more clarity.
User Research
Due to limited time and resources, I made use of the top websites (such as reddit) to know what users think about Craigslist and to get a better understanding of the company.
Negative findings
"I've been posting on Craigslist for years, but I think it's recently gotten worse."
"eBay and Amazon. Those two sites crush Craigslist. Why? Because they follow design principles that focus on reducing cognitive load, among other things."
"I'm angry. Craigslist has become bias."
"Lots of scammers on Craigslist, I don't trust them."
"Too may solicitor's and too many people flag your ad for nothing!"
Positive findings
"Overall I think it offers a good user experience. It's highly utilitarian, and has stood the test of time. There's something to be said for 'it just works."
"I really didn't expect anything but a safe place to get rid of my old computers without loosing sleep about Info. on the hard drives. Found It with Laptop Zone and a little gas money. I'm happy!"
Problem
Based on the research, I identified the main user problems: outdated and lacking design, and lack of trust.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
Final Design
I chose the different shades of green because it is a restful and quiet color, and also can diffuse feelings of anxiety and can help with staying calm.
