Subject
Mobile Application Case Study
Year
2020
Type of Work
Product Ideation & Innovation
With apps like Poshmark, Mercari, and Facebook Market Place gaining substantial ground as digital listing platforms, it’s getting harder for Craigslist to stay top of mind as a place to buy, sell, and trade. Despite its longstanding tenure since 1995, Craigslist faces a challenge in staying relevant due to the brand’s perception; users dubbing the platform 'sketchy,' 'unreliable,' and 'unofficial,' attributing these perceptions to a lack of credibility and security.
Survey participants reported an overwhelming and disorganized interface, contributing to a feeling of distrust and claustrophobia. This study reimagines Craigslist’s branding, user experience, and perceived credibility by introducing robust security features.
01
Problem
The perception of Craigslist as “sketchy” stems from both its branding and lack of security features.
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Sketchy Appearance: By a quick survey of my peers via google forms, I found that like myself, many others consider the current desktop experience as “sketchy” — typically referring to its cluttered interface, claustrophobic home page, and impression of the overall Craigslist brand. More specifically, the heavy text, informal grammar, lack of an 'official' appearance, and plentiful links continue to enforce an “unprofessional” brand.
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Lack of Security Features: Craigslist also lacks essential security measures — a crucial concept that shouldn’t be taken lightly considering the application’s main purpose is to help strangers meet for online transactions. The current anonymity allowed on the app poses risks and safety concerns. There are no dedicated safety features within the app (beyond general safety tips), no means of authentication of accounts, and no proactive safety measures initiated by Craigslist to ensure secure meet-ups.
02
Product Ideation
Position Craigslist as a trustworthy and safe platform by developing in-app security measures to promote more transparency and accountability among users.
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03
Final Designs
A safety-focused app: Request user verification, write reviews, & protect private information via an in-app chat system that recommends secure meeting spots.
User Profiles
Users drive accountability by requesting verification from others, ensuring a safety-focused community where users can request phone, email, photo, and social verifications.​​​
Secure Meet-ups
Users' locations remain private as Craigslist suggests safe, public meet-up spots like police stations. Directions, details, and hours are provided without revealing anyone's location.
User-Initiated Verification
Users drive accountability by requesting verification from others, ensuring a safety-focused community where users can request phone, email, photo, and social verifications.
User Reviews
Empowering individuals to rate and share feedback fosters transparency and trust, allowing avoidance of those with poor reviews for better community relationships.
Chat System
Having an in-app chat system removes the need to share personal information to strangers like your phone number, social profile, or email address.
Safety-Focused Branding
Establishing the brand and introducing more visuals will minimize text hyperlinks and foster trust in interactions within the app without concerns of unexpected redirects.
