Organic growth
Things have a way of quickly outgrowing themselves. About three years ago the first Sell Your Item (SYI) form, one of the most commonly used tools to list items on eBay, was one long page. It had been the same since the earliest days of eBay. Experienced sellers had become accustomed to using it, but eBay found that new sellers often found it intimidating to use. In 2002, eBay introduced the current version of SYI, which parceled the listing process into manageable components spread across several pages.

SYI 3.0 has Help - when you need it

In the three years since the introduction of the current SYI, as the features and options available for sellers during the listing process grew substantially, a new set of problems arose. Experienced sellers often found the form was too long, and contained features they didn't really need, given their familiarity with the listing process. New sellers found it useful, but experienced sellers often found it a hindrance to their listing efficiency.

It was time for another redesign, one that would continue to help new sellers easily go through the listing process, and still keep the process quick and efficient for experienced sellers. It was time for the next generation of SYI.

Taking sellers' input at every step

David Wygant

Most projects at eBay are developed with input from eBay's Community at every stage. Given the importance of SYI in the selling process, it was especially critical to involve eBay sellers in the design and development of the next generation SYI. In fact, so important was the Community's involvement in the design, that the project went through several “alpha” stages, during each of which sellers “kicked the tires” and provided feedback to eBay. The first alpha, or early access version, was made available to sellers as early as February 2005. David Wygant, a Product Marketing Manager on the project, explained the long duration of the design and development phase. “We care deeply about the success of our sellers, so, right from the start their input was critical. We had a clear mandate about this from eBay's management.”

While each alpha was by no means the finished product, it did allow sellers using it to create live listings. “The alphas provided us with key opportunities to see what was working, and what wasn't,” recalled Micah Alpern, a User Interface designer who worked on the project. With over 50,000 sellers signing up for testing the new SYI, the volume of input reaching the SYI team was immense. George Liang, the Product Manager on the project, gave an idea of the mountains of input the team got from sellers. “Over the last year, sellers using the early access releases of the new SYI created over 400,000 listings. Typically we would get over 100 emails a day from them, mostly suggestions that helped us refine the product even more.”

Designed for sellers – and by sellers
The team highlighted some of the important product changes that were influenced by input from the Community. Alpern explained, “Our initial design had only a handful for color options for the item page. But our early access sellers demanded more colors, so we gave them what they needed. Now, sellers have the option of having their item page backgrounds show up in 120 colors. We also included five additional fonts in the design—again, after input from sellers.”

Additional colors and fonts were added after sellers requested them

Alpern explained that another design change resulting from input from experienced sellers was the amount of Help text displayed on the form. “At first, we had Help text show up near every step of the listing process. But this was mostly aimed at newbie sellers. During the alphas, experienced sellers told us that they preferred to have the Help text 'defaulted off.' This way they don't see Help text each time for a listing step that they've probably done thousands of times before. But it's just a click away, in case someone wants a quick Help hint.” Earlier designs also featured pop-up dialog boxes that offered listing suggestions near each step of the listing process. Alpern explained that it was decided not to display the pop-up boxes for a period of 30 days once the seller had viewed them. “This also was based on feedback we received from experienced sellers.”

Smart design

SYI 3.0 has more customization features

In fact, a seller's experience level selling on eBay plays a large role in making the next generation SYI “smarter” than previous versions. Wygant explained how experienced sellers benefit. “The new SYI 'detects' how many listings you've created on eBay. If you're an experienced seller, it will not show you options that you probably don't need, such as detailed Help text.

It also 'remembers' your selling preferences, making your listing process quicker, easier, and more efficient.” The team has heard from some sellers using the early access version of the new SYI that, in some cases, it's helped them cut their listing times by as much as 25% to 50%.

In fact, the entire design philosophy behind the next generation SYI is geared towards making the listing process quicker and painless. Wygant outlined a few of its key features:

• A simple 1-2-3 listing process -- fewer pages and fields help cut down on the time it takes to create a listing.
• A “category suggestions” feature – this ensures your item is listed in the best category for maximum exposure to buyers.
• Dynamic help and personalized tips – these provide guidance and best practices to help you create a better listing.
• Listing preview section – see what your listing will look like when viewed by potential buyers before you submit your listing.
• Re-usable listing templates – these make it easier for you to list additional items.

Phased transition
The next generation SYI is slated for “general release” some time in the summer of 2006. But that doesn't mean that the current version of SYI will go away immediately. Kathie Montgomery, a Marketing Manager, said that eBay's launch plan calls for both versions of SYI, the current and the new, to be available for an extended period of time. “Although the early access versions have been out there for a while, the vast majority of sellers will be using the new SYI for the first time. We realize that sellers may need some time to get used to the new SYI, and figure out if you need to change any of your listing processes. While you're doing this, you can still continue to use the old SYI form for some time.”

For the team, it's a period of excitement as they wait for their project to come to fruition. Comments like this one, from a seller using the early access version, add to their feeling of anticipation: “I think that the new SYI is awesome. It's easy to understand exactly what you need to do. Everything that you need to see is on two pages, and you can view your listing without having to open another page. If you make a mistake, you don't have to go back 7 pages to fix it. Excellent ideas! I would give it a 10!”

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Try the early access version of the next generation SYI today!