Overview
Understanding the Project Context
My Role
UX Research: Secondary Research, User Interviews, User Surveys, User persona development, User Scenario Storyboard, Affinity Diagramming, Video-making UX Design: Ideation, Lo-fi Wireframes, Mid-fi Mockups, User Testing, Hi-fi Prototypes, Video making
Project DEtails
Duration: 1 months, Aug '23 - Sept '23 Type: Academic Design Project Team: Harshavardhan Thokala, Graham Allgood, Prithvi Manjunatha, Sowymyashree Bharathan
Project OVERVIEW
Revamping the 5-star evaluation process for sellers providing services on online platform, as an academic project for UX Design Grad Studio. The goal was to create a fair and balanced evaluation system that benefits both buyers and sellers, by reimagining the conventional 5-star rating system. The project's scope enabled us to introduce features for sellers to present improvements based on shoppers feedback.
The main objectives of this project were to ensure potential sellers understand the seller’s journey. Design a evaluation system to assess sellers’ work fairly and enable them to use ratings for improvement and demonstrate progress to potential future sellers.
Problem
How Might We Improve the Evaluation Process on Etsy to Ensure Gig Workers Receive Fair Assessments of their Service?
People are increasingly accepting the idea of availing services from sellers through online platforms. However, the method of evaluating sellers through reviews and ratings appears inconsistent, lacks detail, and does not accurately reflect the received service, thereby impacting the sellers' business. The goal was to evaluate and propose a redesign of the effort required of the buyers to review sellers fairly while still providing constructive and accurate information about their service. Additionally, there is a need to anticipate how the shared information could potentially be exploited against the sellers.
Solution
How do Sellers and Buyers Benefit from Our Redesign of Etsy’s 5-Star Rating System?
People are increasingly accepting the idea of availing services from sellers through online platforms. However, the method of evaluating sellers through reviews and ratings appears inconsistent, lacks detail, and does not accurately reflect the received service, thereby impacting the sellers' business.
The goal was to evaluate and propose a redesign of the effort required of the buyers to review sellers fairly while still providing constructive and accurate information about their service. Additionally, there is a need to anticipate how the shared information could potentially be exploited against the sellers.
Link to YouTube Video of the Project
Research
Exploring the Problem Space
Through a 2-step primary and secondary research process, we identified key issues that sellers and buyers typically face on freelancing platforms. Our initial insights into the problem space came from secondary research, where research papers and case studies in this domain provided a strong understanding of the prevalent issues on online freelancing websites.
Our findings revealed that the 5-star rating system is still considered the most effective option for purchasing a product compared to binary and 10-star ratings. This is because it has a strong cognitive fit, offering users a clear understanding of the rating system and its associated meanings. Additionally, we explored weaknesses of the 5-star rating system, such as differences in mental models, and proposed information guidelines to ensure that buyers, sellers, and the platform share a common understanding of what each star rating represents.
Primary Research
After conducting interviews and surveys with the main target user group, we affinity-mapped the insights to categorize the data and identify common issues that sellers were experiencing with the platform. We then synthesized the data to develop themes aimed at solving user problems and improving the rating and reviewing experience for both the seller and buyer user groups.
Mental Models of Buyers and Sellers on Using Etsy
User Personas
From our insights and analysis of research data, we identified two main user groups: sellers (small business owners) and buyers. To better understand their needs, we developed personas for these stakeholders, which were crucial for efficiently identifying and communicating user needs. The personas, along with user scenario storyboard, further guided our process in identifying user needs and pinpointing key issues.
User Scenario Storyboard - Sellers' and buyers' Navigating the Platform
To visualize the steps sellers and buyers take to achieve their goals on the online freelancing platform, we developed storyboards for each of the involved stakeholders. This process helped pinpoint issues that users might encounter while interacting with the product, allowing us to learn about user behaviors, motivations, and opportunities for our redesign.
Ideation
Exploring and Validating Redesign Proposals through Iteration Process and User Testing
Low Fidelity Wireframes
To translate our findings from primary and secondary research, we developed solutions for the identified pain points through low-fidelity wireframes. Narrowing down to the most feasible, functional, and intuitive design, the wireframes presented above showcase a few of our redesigns.
Mid Fidelity Wireframes
Mid Fidelity Wireframes
The homepage layout has a two-column design with a side navigation bar divided into three subsections: For You, Calendar, and Upcoming. A search bar is integrated into the top section, reducing the number of sections on the page.
Design
Redesign Suggestions Based on User Testing Data
Feature 1: Comprehensive Rating Breakdown
The goal of the "Comprehensive Rating Breakdown" feature is to elevate the feedback experience by introducing sub-categories within ratings for purchases. These sub-categories encompass critical elements of the buying process such as Product Description, Shipping, Product Quality, and Customer Service.
Feature 2: Guided Feedback
he goal of the "Guided Feedback" feature is to educate and empower users about the vital role their reviews play in the Etsy community aiming to steer buyers towards a more thoughtful and precise evaluation of their purchases. By providing clear and contextual guidelines for each rating level within the feedback pop-up.
Feature 3: Rating Optimization
The goal of this feature is to create a toolkit within the Etsy platform that offers comprehensive guidance and strategies to help sellers enhance their ratings. This toolkit could include tips on improving product quality, enhancing customer service, optimizing shipping processes, and engaging effectively with buyers. Additionally, it could provide insights into interpreting customer feedback to identify areas for improvement, empowering sellers to take targeted actions and ultimately boost their ratings on Etsy.
Feature 4: Performance Progress Banner
The goal of this feature is to exhibit the improvement in a seller's ratings over time. For example, it highlights enhancements in shipping ratings from for instance 3 to 4 over a designated time span. When a buyer views a product from that seller, a banner will display the shipping rating improvement achieved within the last 6 months, showcasing the seller's commitment to enhancing their service.
