Craigslist Redesign with a Focus on Usability
First, what is Craigslist? Craigslist is one of the most popular websites in the world. It is a free online website that allows anyone to view and post classified advertisements. Why redesign Craigslist? Craigslist has very simplistic functions and has a text-based layout. This may sound ideal, but it is not user friendly when navigating around the website, wanting to compare advertisement posts, and the account functions are limited and difficult to use.
The Plan:
The Plan:
Screen shot of the original Craigslist. When users arrive at the homepage of Craigslist they are met by a clutter of words and links (that many people will never click on).
Wireframe of Craigslist redesign in progress (made in Axure)
Homepage of the redesigned Craigslist. Notice the right column of the new homepage, this makes the account set up more straight forward and apparent. The look and feel of the original Craigslist was still retained while making the site more user friendly and functional.
Redesigned homepage once a user is logged in. Once logged in the user can view their messages, history, favorites, and posts. They also have the option of changing their accounts settings and posting a new advertisement all from the homepage.
Account settings page in the redesigned Craigslist.
Message page in the redesigned Craigslist. This allows for easy access for responses to posted advertisements and other information without checking a personal email for notices.
The redesign includes the feature of comparing two or more advertisements at once. This features reduces working memory and reduces the number of clicks the user has to make to compare a listing with another in order to find what they are looking for.
The compare design also includes the feature to compare postings in a small paragraph format and then allows the user to see more of the listing if they wish to read the whole ad and then allows the user to see less of the ad.
Search option in the redesigned Craigslist allows for multiple comparisons at one time to reduce the users working memory.
Once the user clicks on the link to read the advertisement, they have the option of clicking the icons at the top of the ad to save as a favorite, to email to a friend, or to post straight to facebook. This allows the user to share information easily without leaving the page or to recall information from the ad at a later time.
In the original Craigslist the searchfunction can be confusing and there are not many options to control search. In the advanced features option the user has the option to narrow the search by eliminating certain categories or searching within certain categories. The user also has the option of searching in certain geographical areas in addition to their own.
Craigslist is not all bad though! Below are a couple of examples.
