A UX case study for Etsy Feature Integration

1. A F E AT U R E I N T E G R AT I O N C A S E S T U D Y
Stacy Lee
Rosi Solano
Alex Bershaw
Maria de Churruca

2. Problem Description
FIRST ASSUMPTIONS
Etsy wants to make it easier to sell custom items on their mobile app, by easily identifying sellers
who take requests for customizations and also allow those same sellers to easily take requests.
• Etsy is the main marketplace for handmade and customizable
items because it’s well-known and easy to use.
• Buyers care about efficiency and time when buying items.
OUR ASSUMPTIONS
ETSY’S ASK

3. Two Different Users,
Two Different Goals
R E S E A R C H : U S E R I N T E RV I E W S AT C H E L S E A M A R K E T
SELLERS
BUYERS
A shared passion for handcrafted
items and collaborative processes

4. An emotional connection to the product,
supporting makers and expectations met
through proper communication
BUYER SYNTH ESIS: AFFINITY MA PPING & I STATEMEN TS
“I bought handmade gifts for my wedding guests and it came with the sweetest note from the seller.”
“I’m aware people on Etsy are not available to talk 24/7 because it’s usually a side thing.
That’s why I like that site, because it supports freelance people. So I don’t mind the back and forth.

5. A simple interface, customer satisfaction,
and effective collaboration
SELLER SYNTH ESIS : A FF IN ITY MAPPING & I STATEMENTS
“Collaboration is a really great process. Sometimes, I end up talking to them for a really
long time, but once they decide what they want and are happy with it, I’m happy.”

6. c
Brandon
BU YE R
Age 36
Job Children’s Books Editor
Medium - High Tech Savviness
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
“Even if it’s a long process I will get exactly what I want”
He is patient, warm and attentive to detail.
He has a Jack Terrier named Henry.
He is an explorer/browser. On weekends, he likes
going to the farmers market and to flea markets.
PERSONAL BACKGROUND
MOTIVATIONS
• Feeling they can trust the seller
• Supporting local artists
• Owning high quality products
• Emotional attachment to the idea of
customized items.
CORE NEEDS
• He likes to buy personalized, handmade kitchen
items to cook his local produce when hosting dinner
parties, and hand knitted sweaters for Henry.
• Because he wants to make the perfect purchase, it
is hard for him to decide. His decisions are based on
ratings and comments.
• Purchasing time takes a while for him because it’s
hard visualize how the product would be made, so
he ends up communicating with the seller for a
while. The process is cumbersome, so even if he is
happy with his product, he doesn’t purchase often.
• Good, fast, easy communication
• A way to find the perfect item
• Wants a “made to measure” experience
HABITS
ABOUT

7. Jess
SELLER
Age 31
Job Middle School Art Teacher
Medium Tech Savviness
Facebook, Instagram, Squarespace
“Making sure my customers are happy is key.”
ABOUT
She makes custom headpieces for weddings and
other special occasions during her free time.
She is friendly and loves to interact with people.
She is very good with her hands but struggles
with computers.
PERSONAL BACKGROUND
MOTIVATIONS
• Self- expression
• Making sure the customers are happy
• To expand her reach
• Not to be overwhelmed
CORE NEEDS
• She would love to sell on a platform like Etsy to
get bigger exposure but is overwhelmed by
complexity of the process of setting up a shop.
• She regularly posts videos and pictures of her
process on instagram to connect with her
followers.
• As a people person, she likes uploading videos of
her process and lifestyle pictures of her products
to instagram.
• To make buyer happy
• More exposure
HABITS

8. BRANDON
Brandon loves to browse on Etsy but doesn’t feel comfortable making a purchase
because he is never sure if it will be exactly what he wants.
How might we help Brandon easily find and decide on a reliable seller with whom he can
effectively communicate what he wants
JESS
Business is directly correlated with customer satisfaction.
Jess wants her buyers to be happy and knows fast/easy communication is key.
How might we help Jess maintain a good work/life balance while effectively
communicating with her buyers for her shop to be successful?
Problem Statements

9. Designing for different people, finding common ground
IDEATION: BRAINSTORMING FEATURES

10. Turning insights into features
IDEATION: B RAINS TORMING FEATU RE S
BUYER ISSUE
1. Wants fast, reliable communication
2. Trusts word of mouth or extensive reviews
3. Likes to browse
4. Wants fast, reliable communication
5. Wants updates on production/delivery status
6. Wants someone to find it for him
SELLER ISSUE
1. Wants to be timely so they don’t lose customers
2. Wants to make users exactly what they want.
3. Wants to be available, but only when not doing other
freelance jobs
4. Wants items to have more exposure
5. Wants to make sure customer is happy with the fit/size
6. Wants to sync with Instagram
7. Likes the clean look of Squarespace
OUR PROPOSED SOLUTION
1. Have a messenger feature
- directly communicate instead of lengthy e-mails
2. Verified Etsy “power seller” feature
3. Have an infinity scrollable browsing feature
4. Status tracker feature
5. “Concierge” service
OUR PROPOSED SOLUTION
1. Instant messenger feature
2. A sketching feature to visually communicate
3. “Airplane Mode” - like feature for Inbox
4. AI tagging system -- seller doesn’t manually put hashtags for
when buyers browse
5. VR experience / 3-D rendering tool
6. Instagram feed plug-in
7. Personal branding templates

11. Designing for different people, finding common ground
IDEATION: B U Y E R / S E L L E R FEATURE PRIORITIZATION - MOSCOW METHOD
BUYER
SELL ER

12. Bringing Ideas together
IDEATION: D E S I G N S T U D I O & C O M M O N W H I T E B O A R D W I R E F R A M E

13. Mid-Fidelity Wireframes Solutions
U S A B I L I T Y T E S T I N G R O U N D 1 : I N S I G H T S
OUR NOTES/INSIGHTS/PROBLEM
1. I don’t know if I got a notification
2. Gear icon confusing - thinks it’s all settings
3. Random people hanging over is not intuitive
4. User feels prompted to click on button
before the first “wooden spoon” part
5. When is chat active/inactive?
6. The chat needs a description
7. Confused with here spoon
OUR SOLUTION
1. Have an +1 alert on the message icon, which leads to
another profile image circle with a +1 they can click
2. Change gear icon to clock
3. Change to hi-fidelity and see what the reaction is
4. Change the background of all entry fields the same color
5. When inactive (Gray), when active (orange)
6. “Bobby Brown - Order #1423
7. Make a clean spoon screen

14. From Mid-Fi to Hi-Fi
U S A B I L I T Y T E S T I N G R O U N D 1 : I N S I G H T S
BUYER/SEL LER PROBL EM
CHAT MENU / NAVIGATION
“Why are there random
people hanging over there?”

15. From Mid- Fi to Hi-Fi
U S A B I L I T Y T E S T I N G R O U N D 1 : I N S I G H T S
SELLER PROBL EM
SLEEP MODE CHAT
SETTINGS
“Is this the only setting this
chat has? Why is there a
gear next to the profile
icons ”

16. From Mid- Fi to Hi-Fi
U S A B I L I T Y T E S T I N G R O U N D 1 : I N S I G H T S
BUYER/SEL LER PROBL EM
CHAT
“How do I know who I’m
talking to?”

17. High Fidelity Prototype: Iteration analysis
U S A B I L I T Y T E S T I N G R O U N D 2 : I N S I G H T S
Comparison of Completion Times for Usability Tests
Average
time
to
(seconds)
Buyer Task 1 Buyer Task 2 Seller Task 1 Seller Task 2
27.1
20.2
26.3
48 88
23
24
73
Trial 1 Mid-Fi Trial 2 Mid-Fi

18. High Fidelity Prototype: User Insights
U S A B I L I T Y T E S T I N G R O U N D 2 : I N S I G H T S

19. Final Products
INVISION PROTOTYPES