Project Type
• Self-studied redesign concept
• Individual project
Deliverables
• Roles and responsibilities
• Research study
• User persona and user journey map
• Initial concepts and ideas (paper + digital wireframes)
• High-fidelity mockups and prototypes
• Final designs after usability testing
Tools
• Figma
• Adobe Photoshop
Duration
1 week
Project Overview + Research
Author: Meagan Cortes, UX Researcher and Designer for this project
Date: 10/3/2022 - 10/10/2022
Problem Statement: In its current form, the Craigslist app has quite a few obvious pain points and/or areas in design that could be much improved.The home screen is not welcoming. When you open the app, it’s just an overwhelming list of categories with no direction whatsoever. You could say it’s to get straight-to-the-point, but it reads as under-designed and impersonal. For example:
• There is no hierarchy throughout the app. Headers are not distinguished versus other content.
• The app’s current design fits way too much content in a small space; it is so busy that it becomes overwhelming and, without the hierarchy, everything just blends together and there is no padding between different sections or categories.
• The color scheme of the app itself is not appealing. The background is black and the logo is purple, leaving little contrast. Other than the purple logo, there is no actual color palette, and very minimal design.
• There are several inconsistencies within the type of the app. Many things are all lowercase, while some words/actions are titlecase. These things should be consistent; if you want all lowercase, each type element throughout should also be lowercase, and vice versa with titlecase.
Goals:
1. Make it more visually appealing; establish a color palette and use it consistently.
2. Edit the type throughout the app and make sure that it is also consistent.
3. Space the content out better and maybe include icons to make it more inviting and easier to understand for users.
4. Create a home screen where users can establish their location, and feel more welcomed.
Project Background: I was using the Craigslist app and I noticed how not user-friendly the UI/UX of the app was. As I was training in this field, I took it upon myself to enact a redesign of the app, with more user-friendly content/features, and friendlier graphics.
Research Questions:
• How long does it take for a user to locate and apply search filters?
• Are the users able to successfully find the tasks given without interruptions or obstacles?
• What can we learn from the steps users took to process a message submission?
• Are there any parts of the search and or/messaging process where users are getting stuck?
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
• Time on task: How much time the users spend exploring the homepage
• Conversation rates: How many inquiry messages are submitted
• User error rates: How often users get stuck trying to fill out the proper input fields
• System Usability Scale: A questionnaire to evaluate customer feedback
Methodology:
• Unmoderated usability study
• Location: United States, remote (participants will go through the usability study in their own homes)
• Date: Sessions will take place between October 3-5, 2022
• 5 participants will submit a job application. Each participant will then complete a questionnaire on their experience
• Each session will last for 10-15 minutes
Participants: Participants are anyone who uses or has used a job search app
• Participants do not need to reside in any particular city or state
• Participants should be between 18 and 65
• Participants should include a fairly even distribution of genders across the spectrum and people with different abilities including:
○ 1 user of assisted technologies
○ 1 user with a visual impairment
○ 1 user with an auditory impairment
○ 1 user whose first language is not English
USER PERSONA
Name: Hector
Age: 28
Education: Florida Atlantic University
Hometown: Miami, FL
Occupation: Student
Background: Hector is an Engineering student at Florida Atlantic University. He moved to West Palm Beach from Miami to be closer to school, and brought very few furniture items with him. He is in the market for a used bed frame for sale in his area, as he is a student and lives on a budget.
Goals:
• Find and respond to used bed frame for sale postings in his area on Craigslist.
• Save postings that spark his interest but isn’t ready to respond to yet.
• Post about being on the lookout for a used bed frame.
Frustrations:
• The app as it is now does not have much contrast, and Hector has slight vision impairments.
• There's too much content on each page which again makes it difficult to read (spacing issues).
