Client: Paul Lau, Senior Product Designer, Etsy

Background: In an increasingly Amazon world, how can Etsy connect buyers to sellers from around the world in more meaningful ways? 

Main prompt: How might Etsy make online shopping more personable?

Brand Guide: You can find the company brand guidelines in the class Google Drives which are accessible via our #0_classinfo Slack Channel.

6 Different Team Focuses and Teams: 

1. Marketplace 1: (Daniel, Leah, Luke) 
   • Prompt:
     • Different audiences have different values and needs. Someone planning a wedding might need a different experience than someone decorating their dorm room. With this in mind, How might we create a marketplace experience that’s tailored to fit the needs and expectations of a Gen Z audience?
   • Questions:
     • How might we inspire new and returning buyers through experiences that feel more personable and human?
     • How might we balance showing the people behind the items while also surfacing the information buyers need to evaluate said items?
     • Pages to explore: Homepage, Listing Page, Search Page
2. Marketplace 2: (Erin, Isaac, Phoebe) 
   • Prompt:
     • People come to Etsy for the first time for a variety of reasons — planning a wedding, buying a gift, decorating their home, etc. However, like similar companies, the problem is giving them reasons to come back. How might we create a holistic experience (inside and outside of the marketplace) that inspires first-time buyers to come back and become habitual shoppers?
   • Questions:
     • How might we inspire new and returning buyers through experiences that feel more personable and human?
     • How might we balance showing the people behind the items while also surfacing the information buyers need to evaluate said items?
     • Pages to explore: Homepage, Listing Page, Email
3. Messages: (Laura and Vanessa)
   • Prompt:
     • Messaging is an incredibly important aspect of Etsy — it helps buyers determine whether a product is right for them and it helps sellers connect with their audience and make sales. That said, while buyers expect answers as soon as possible, sellers generally don’t want to spend all day at their computer answering questions or doing administrative tasks. How might we make messaging faster and easier for sellers on the Sell on Etsy app?
   • Questions:
     • How might we improve the tools that sellers and buyers use to communicate?
     • For buyer’s: how do we make chatting as easy as possible? What kind of information do they need throughout the shopping and purchasing flow?
     • For seller’s: what do they need to manage multiple conversations easier so that they can spend more time creating / curating?
     • Pages to explore: Messages, from both the buyer and seller perspective
   • To practice working with Messages, you can message Paul Lau at https://www.etsy.com/shop/FreshMoves
4. Custom Orders:  (Lorenzo, Terrell, Ryan)
   • Prompt:
     • Everyone loves something that was made just for them — be it a personalized mug or  a custom dining table.. That said, the custom order process hasn’t been updated in years and largely occurs through messaging, which requires a lot of back and forth and constant clarification. How might we standardize the custom order process (regardless of item) and make it easier for buyers and sellers?
   • Questions:
     • How might we make it easier for sellers to collect the information they need to create custom items?
     • Pages to explore: Open ended but show the buyer and seller experiences
5. Seller Identity: (Tunny, Ian, Jackie)
   • Prompt:
     • Sellers on Etsy are running a business and as such, it’s important to them that their brand and identity is reflected across their shop and listing pages. In a sea of millions of items and shops, how do they stand out from the crowd? How might we better show buyers that they’re shopping from real people?
   • Questions:
     • How might Etsy bring individuality to shop and listing pages while still being consistent with each other?
     • How might sellers customize how their brand is perceived? 
     • What are buyers looking for when shopping from a small business, beyond compelling items?
     • Pages to explore: Shop home, listing page, Shop home editor
6. Seller Ads: (Sarah, Ayden)
   • Prompt:
     • As a seller’s business grows organically, they can also choose to purchase ad space on Etsy, which promotes their items on relevant searches. However, because of the universal understanding about ads online, buyers tend to dismiss them, regardless of how relevant they are. How might we help buyers see ads differently and also create new spaces for sellers to promote themselves?
   • Questions:
     • When are ads relevant or irrelevant and how does that change the buyer’s perception?
     • How might you educate a buyer about the difference between Etsy ads and ads bought by large corporations on other sites — through an experience and not just text?
     • Pages to explore: Search, Listing page, Homepage
   • Click here to see an example of what Seller Ads look like. (They say “Ad by Etsy Seller” in small print on them.)