craigslist
- Information Architecture Redesign
- G Suite, Miro, Sketch, Optimal Workshop, Adobe Photoshop
- San Francisco, CA
craigslist is a Privately-held American company that operates a classified advertisement website. It was Founded by Craig Newmark in 1995, and became a web-based service in 1996. The goal for this project is to redesign the Information Architecture of craigslist’s website.
Project Timeline
This project was structured into five distinct phases, all aimed at redesigning the Information Architecture of craigslist. The first phase, Discovery Needs, focused on identifying the project scope and conducting initial research. In the Evaluate & Analyze phase, I performed a gap analysis and tree testing to uncover key insights. Then, in the Synthesize phase, I conducted card sorting exercises and developed the abstract IA. The Refine, Validate & Design phase involved refining the navigation and updating the IA to improve the overall user experience. Finally, in the Design phase, I created wireframes to visualize the new structure.
Business Goal
i.e., “Provide a competitive, simple, honest and realistic alternative, either low-cost or free, to classified ads.”
Task
i.e., "Create a job opening for your company"
Business Priority
Low, Medium, or High
Business Goals
- Connect communities that are nearby or share specific areas of interest.
- Provide a competitive, simple, and transparent alternative, either low-cost or free, to classified ads.
- Focus on users rather than profitability.
- Adapt to any changes in customer needs or legal requirements when needed.
- Reach a wide audience via internet.
- Protect users from illegal, fraudulent, or potentially dangerous listings on the website.
Tasks & Business Priority
High
- Flag a post
- Search for housing rentals
- Search job listings
- Hire a resume writer
- Search for something you need
- Look for part-time gigs
- Create a job opening for your company
- Set your preferred city/location/country
- Mark a post as a favorite
- Check your favorite posts
- Advertise a service
Medium
- Change your language
- Change locations
- Reset your password
- Log in to your account
- Create an account
- Check the event calendar
- Re-post a post
Low
- Participate in a forum
- Pay for a post
- Read the Terms of Use
- Download the Craigslist app
- Learn about Craigslist
- Read “Best of” craigslist posts
- Browse jobs to work for
- Craigslist
Then, I developed two UX Personas. First, there is Joe, who is looking to create a comfortable home office. And meet Sophia, who needs a simple way to post a room for rent online.
Joe "The Conscious Teleworker"
35 • Single • Programmer • San Francisco, CA
“I want to have a comfortable office space without spending a lot of money or creating waste.”
Sophia "The Practical Student"
20 • Single • Full-Time Student • Berkeley, CA
“I need an easy way to advertise a room for rent online once my friend moves out of our apartment”
Discovery Needs
My first step was to establish the business goals for craigslist. Next, I pinpointed tasks that could be carried out on the website based on the business goals. Finally, I prioritized each task based on its business importance.
Evaluate & Analize
Gap Analysis
I began this phase by conducting a Gap Analysis of each task, which revealed three key findings. First, the navigation is time-consuming and lacks intuitiveness. Second, users often struggle with posting or searching for ads under the correct categories. Lastly, the existing structure does not align with the business priorities, impacting the overall user experience.
Tree Testing
Next, I conducted a Tree Testing study of the current IA of craigslit. Six participants worked through 10 scenarios previously created based on user’s tasks that were previously identified. The key findings from this study were concerning.
Success Score
The success rate averaged at 21.7%, indicating that the labels were not effective and often led participants in the wrong direction. In terms of directness rate averaged 61.8% and time spent to complete tasks was 22.62 seconds. This suggests that participants frequently took incorrect paths and had to backtrack to finish the tasks. Additionally, only 32% of the first clicks were correct across all tasks, likely due to confusion caused by the misleading labels.
Directness Score
bla bla bla
Time Taken Score
bla bla bla
Overall Score
Bla bla bla
Synthesize
Card Sorting & Abstract IA
The process began by conducting a card sorting exercise of the current AI of cragislist. 10 users, ranging in age from 20 to 50 were tasked with sorting a total of 252 labels. This exercise helped me to gain valuable insights into how users categorize information.
Craigslist is a complex website with a diverse range of categories that cater to various user needs. To improve its organization, the card sorting exercise was divided into six main categories: Home, Community, Discussion Forum, Housing, For Sale, and Jobs.
This is the first draft of the new Abstract IA. Labels were reduced from 252 to 110. This restructuring aims to simplify navigation and improve the overall user experience by making the categories more intuitive and manageable.
Refine, Validate & Design
Upadated IA
The first draft of the new Abstract IA was carefully analyzed to ensure all labels were well-known, easy to understand, relevant, brief, and representative of their content. Those that did not meet these parameters were modified as needed.
First, some labels were renamed. Housing was renamed to Real Estate, Nearby CL to Location, and Safety to Help & Safety.
Second certain categories were reorganized for a better user experience. For instance, gigs, resumes, and services (previously under Jobs) were grouped together to form a new category called Professional Services. This new category streamlines the user experience by consolidating related offerings under one umbrella, making it easier for individuals and businesses to offer career-related solutions.
Finally, the community section was reorganized with some subcategories being moved to the Discussion Forum in an effort to make the navigation more intuitive for users.
Tree Testing (Updated IA)
A second round of tree testing was conducted with the updated AI structure, where six participants performed the same tasks. This time, the results showed notable improvements. The success rate increased to 67%, meaning participants were able to complete more tasks successfully. The average time to resolve tasks dropped to 28 seconds, with 74% of destinations being selected without backtracking. Additionally, correct first clicks were above 65% for all tasks, indicating that users had a better understanding of where to find the information they needed.
Compared to the first round, participants showed notable improvement in performance. Out of all tasks completed, 51% led to a “correct” destination, a significant increase from the initial 27%. Additionally, 80% of the destinations were selected without any backtracking, indicating more confident and efficient navigation. Participants also completed tasks faster overall, with the average time dropping from 9 minutes and 27 seconds to just 5 minutes and 55 seconds. Finally, Participants successfully completed a higher number of tasks this time, whether directly or indirectly.
Success Score
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Directness Score
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Time Taken Score
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Overall Score
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Design
Based on the new IA, I created wireframes for each main page. Craigslist follows a top-down approach, where a basic structure is displayed initially and becomes more refined with each subsequent click. This approach ensures that users are gradually introduced to the content and features, providing a clear and streamlined navigation experience.