I have a free couch with a cool velvet stripe for anyone who can get it back out of my room. It is a uncomfortable sleeper and has a few stains, but otherwise easily worth $50-75 bucks. So why am I listing it for free? Because I am pretty sure it is physically impossible to remove this thing from my bedroom down the narrow hallway, down the narrower six floor staircase and out the front door of my apartment. This is the story of how I helped this guy post this ad to remove his couch.
CLOSE5
Close5
My Role
Close5 was recently acquired by Ebay. Many user experience considerations and interactions are still being evaluated and much of it is still in development or visonary. I worked on this project as a UX Designer to help define many of the key features in the application, as well as create the mobile website. Many specifications for SEO optimization which are not feasible within the application played a challenging role when designing for both function and form.
THE GOAL
Our goal in this project was to create a website that would develop a foundational web presence for Close5 and establish the brand, grow user base, measure engagement and optimize conversion.
MY PROCESS
Work began with my internal team gathering all the data and information we could about classified applications and websites. I then setup a meeting with the product owners at Close5 to start learning more about the product and a basic overview to figure out what problem we are trying to solve from a high level to ensure all expectations are aligned. We were going to have a tight time frame to create and develop all the required features. I started to prioritize features by feasibility and broke it down into five core sections.
THE GRID
When the user uploads images to the application there are no established photography standards so the layouts were created to have a sense of symmetry and negative space.
THE HOME SCREEN
After many design iterations we selected a foundation to define the structure of the experience that would stay consistent as we developed the features on additional screens. In addition, multiple sets of search listings as sections on the home page were added to enhance the continuous flow experience, which will allow users to scroll through pre-defined sections: Newest, Our Favorites, Categories, Top Sellers
SEARCH
On the Close5 website we wanted to create a similar interaction as the application. I worked quickly and mocked up many design iterations and interactions to kick off the discovery for this feature.
Wire framing allowed us to look at all the different navigation directions and come up with a solution to put them all together. The idea was to combine location/map/categories/search into one navigation bar. There would be two modes: Mode 1 – When the user clicks on ‘Everything’ the search/category expands Mode 2 – When the user clicks on ‘Miami’ the location/map expands
ITEM DETAILS
Once the user selects an item they are directed to the item details screen. I worked on different interaction patterns keeping inline with the application features, hi-res image on the screen, call to actions, detailed product descriptions, visible comments and a map of the item location. I started working with all features from the items screen and then broke down each piece separately.
USER PROFILE
The user profile includes the users name, location, latest activity, followers/following and listings
The Results
