eBay Australia
Dealing with trust issues
UX Research | Mobile Design
Summary
eBay is Australia's number one online shopping destination. As a former eBay employee, I was not surprised when extensive UX research unveiled that shoppers do not trust eBay. To solve for this, I redesigned eBay’s Search Results, View Item and Seller Information pages to make product reviews and seller ratings more prominent and accessible.
My role
Spanning over 2 weeks, I completed this project during the immersive UX course at General Assembly. I worked with my team mates, Marina Moura and Olivia Wang, during the research and synthesis phase. After initial research, we ventured on our own ways for design.
Shoppers cannot build trust on eBay because vital information is not easily discerned.
I'm a long time eBay user, and like anybody, trust is major concern. Can I trust the seller I'm buying from? Is this product good quality?
These are a few questions that go through my head when I shop on eBay and it turns out I'm not the only one.
After a few interviews and a survey, I discovered a few flaws to Australia's #1 online shopping destination.
Google survey which generated 42 responses
15 interviews with a usability test of the app
There are two types of eBay shoppers
Damo
A savvy online shopper on the hunt for a good deal and all round good product.
Martha
Only shops on eBay when she can’t find a product anywhere else.
These two personas were based off a key insight from our survey.
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Meet Damo
For Damo...
There's too much information to sort through
How do you feel about the amount of information on eBay's product pages?
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70% of survey respondents found there was too much information to sort through on an eBay product page
Reviews are vital but not widely available when deciding to purchase
How do shoppers determine trust when shopping on eBay
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My survey revealed seller reviews/ratings is the top consideration for eBay shoppers.
Additionally product reviews are important when shoppers review a product page.
Top considerations when deciding to buy a product
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However 30% of survey respondents believe product reviews are not widely available on eBay.
Meet Martha
For Martha...
eBay is a last resort
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24% of survey respondents only shop on eBay when there's no other option or they can't find a niche item anywhere else. This insight was particularly apparent in our initial interviews with shoppers noting they would purchase items such as vintage skateboards, tech items that are no longer manufactured or even face masks during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The look and feel of a seller's page is important
How do shoppers determine trust when shopping on eBay
32% of survey respondents believe the look and feel of a seller's page is important when deciding whether to purchase an item on eBay. This was especially considered when the product is expensive as revealed by our interviews.
Amazon is preferred for online shopping
In our survey, we asked respondents whether they agree or disagreed with the above statements when it comes to shopping on eBay versus Amazon.
35% of survey respondents believe sellers are not trustworthy on eBay and 30% do not feel product reviews are widely accessible on eBay.
THE SOLUTION💡
Making product reviews and seller ratings more prominent will improve the likeliness of shoppers purchasing through eBay versus elsewhere.
What features are a must?
FIRST DESIGN
Bringing the key information to Search Results and Product
This design focused on:
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Highlighting the top 5 rated product listings and top 5 cheapest product listings
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Bringing seller ratings and product review ratings to Search Results
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Personalising the Seller Information page to include more information on the seller, consequently building trust
It was the right design but...
5 usability tests with frequent online shoppers revealed:
What does "Top Rated" mean?
How can users sort products?
Social media accounts of sellers isn't necessary
Badge system for sellers to easily determine their trustworthiness is desirable
SECOND DESIGN
5 usability tests revealed:
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Better clarification on how many reviews were left for a product on the Search Results page is important.
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When purchasing from an eBay Store, the seller profile image should be the store's/company's logo.
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Indication of the seller rating is required on the Seller Information page.
FINAL DESIGN
Have a go yourself on the prototype
Shoppers can now on eBay with confidence because product reviews and seller ratings are more prominent
6 frequent online shoppers and 2 non-frequent eBay shoppers were able to assess whether they trust
All 8 users said they would feel more comfortable shopping on eBay if these design solutions were rolled out.
CONGRATS 🎉
You made it all the way to the bottom!
Let me treat you to a coffee ☕️
janieasencio@gmail.com