.png)
What's Craiglist?
Craigslist is an American classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, for sale, items wanted, services, community service, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums.
Why is (still) popoular?
Craigslist remains important due to its simplicity, free access, local focus, and long-standing trust, serving a wide range of needs over the years.
What's the goal?
The website interface is disorganized and confusing making interaction frustrating for users, and preventing frequent use.
The goal is to improve its usability by modernizing and enhancing the interface.
CARD SORTING
Me and my team listed 30 possible tasks you can do on Craigslist, and then we asked people to group the cards into categories based on what made sense to them. The card sorting study helped me to generate a user-centric information architecture.
Some of the tasks include:
-
Buy House
-
Sell your Nintendo Wii
-
Announce your pregnancy
-
Buy a puppy
-
Find your lost ring
-
Found a job in a hair salon
-
Post your house for sell
ANALYSIS
After sharing the results from the Card Sorting we were able to narrow down possible categories that we could use to develop the website.
-
BUY
-
SELL
-
FIND/POST A JOB
-
FINDING SERVICES
-
FORUMS COMMUNITY
-
ETC.
Almost done ☮︎
BRENCHMARK
Here I compared different websites: Amazon, eBay, Ali Express, Etsy, and Facebook Market Place and evaluate their weaknesses and strengths, and discover opportunities to improve the Craigslist interface.
-
Personalized recommendations.
-
The interface was not confusing.
-
Organization in the categories.
-
It was up to date.
-
Hierarchy in the design.
-
The amount of images was not overwhelming.
-
Too many ads can confuse the interaction.
-
Main options should be placed in a more noticeable location. (Ebay / Etsy)
-
Too much space in some parts. (Amazon)
STATEMENT
A user-friendly website is important because it makes it easier for users to search for information, so they spend more time interacting on the website, which ultimately translates into more sales.
-
Build trust with the audience.
-
Keep navigation and layout simple.
-
Make content easy to digest and share.
WIREFRAMES
I assigned 24 user points to the wireframe which helped me to understand the hierarchy needed for the design.
These points are important.
Is like creating a map of where you want the user’s attention to go first, second, and so on.
These points help organize the page, making sure that things like buttons, titles, or important information are placed where they are easy to notice and interact with.
BEFORE
SKETCHES
Start Designing ☮︎
AFTER
Craiglist
Craiglist
Craiglist
so, here are my thoughts about websites nowadays:
Website redesigns are more crucial than ever in today's digital world, with AI and apps. Sites must be fast, mobile-friendly, and UX-built.
53% of global web traffic is now mobile.
I love apps because they provide convenience and a more personalized experience, which is why they're so essential today. However, while redesigning Craigslist’s website, I realized that Craigslist remains popular among users not just because of its extensive range of listings, but also because websites still hold notable value. Websites can be more accessible and offer a broader, more flexible experience compared to apps, especially for users who prefer browsing on larger screens or accessing information without the need to download anything.
I believe simplicity is often seen as the best approach when redesigning, but with Craigslist, it was a challenge because there's so much information on one screen that needs to be organized and categorized while still maintaining the brand's personality. The best way to redesign Craigslist is to facilitate the user experience, creating clear categories and intuitive navigation without losing the platform’s unique, straightforward identity.
Redesigning Craigslist made me rethink the value of websites in today's world, where apps often steal the spotlight.
While apps dominate with their convenience and personalization, websites like Craigslist show that there’s still a unique power in how the web can serve a broader audience
They offer easy access without downloads, and provide a versatile platform that doesn’t require constant updates. It reminded me that websites aren’t just relics of the past—they remain essential for reaching different users and delivering information in a way that apps sometimes can't match.