Craigslist is a widely used classifieds platform that has kept the same design since 1995.
Most people are familiar with Craigslist. It’s a classified ads website that allows users to post and browse listings for jobs, housing, items for sale, services, community events, and more (Wikipedia).
Problem
Craigslist has been around since 1995, and its design has changed very little over time. As browsing behaviors and user expectations have evolved, the experience can now feel confusing and visually overwhelming.
While Craigslist is still widely used, its outdated interface creates friction for users. Dense layouts, inconsistent navigation, and a lack of visual hierarchy make common tasks confusing and time-consuming, especially for users accustomed to modern web experiences.
Interview notes
Research
To approach this redesign, I focused first on understanding the core usability problems users face on Craigslist. The research process included a heuristic evaluation and user interviews with experienced Craigslist users to better understand their frustrations, needs, and expectations. I interviewed five participants via Zoom. They expressed dissatisfaction with browsing and concerns around trust and safety.
Personas and empathy maps
Usability Issues
These are the usability issues identified during research:
Information & Layout
Excessive information displayed at once, creating cognitive overload
Insufficient white space, causing content and components to feel cluttered
Poor content hierarchy makes it difficult to scan or find key actions
Navigation & Discoverability
Navigation is not intuitive or clearly structured
Calls to action are difficult to recognize or distinguish
Users struggle to quickly understand where to go or what to do next
Visual Design & Trust
Outdated visual design with low visual appeal
Inconsistent UI elements reduce perceived credibility
Footer lacks structure and does not effectively support navigation or trust signals
User journey map view it here.
Competitive Research
Following the interviews, I created an empathy map, personas, and a user journey, then conducted competitive research to evaluate how similar platforms perform and identify opportunities to improve the experience.
These methods helped validate assumptions and uncover recurring pain points that informed the redesign.
Competitors I looked at view the analysis here.
Goal
Based on these findings, the primary goals were to:
Attract and encourage new users to sign up and actively use the platform
Build trust with both new and returning users
Modernize the visual design and overall user interface
Reduce cognitive overload by prioritizing essential information on the homepage
Improve navigation clarity to create a smoother, more intuitive user experience
Ideation & Design
The wireframes prioritize user needs by streaming the browsing experience and presenting key information early. The visual hierarchy helps direct attention to important elements, supporting quick scanning and effortless navigation. A dedicated sidebar offers flexible filtering options, allowing users to refine searches by category to find relevant listings more efficiently.
Buyer Flow - Wireframes illustrating the browsing and discovery flow.
Buyer Flow Usability Testing Results
Interviews were conducted with participants across different age groups, experience levels, and familiarity with Craigslist. While usage frequency varied, several consistent themes emerged.
Missing Listing Details
Rent amount and financial details
Security deposit and pet deposit
Number of allowed occupants
Income verification and credit check steps
Layout or floor plan uploads
Nearby amenities and neighborhood context
Location & Verification
Clear guidance around verification steps
Address and zip code fields to be clearly surfaced
Optional credit or background checks to set expectations upfront
Information Structure
Better grouping of related fields
Clear visual hierarchy throughout the flow
Consistent formatting across steps
Reduced clutter to make completion faster and less error-prone
Category Flow
Uncertainty about which option applies when posting a rental
Ambiguous category labels (e.g., Community, For Sale, Rooms)
Need for a clear, task-oriented header such as:
“You are posting a home for rent” to set context and expectations
Users preferred version A.
Seller Flow - Wireframes exploring the end-to-end flow for creating a listing.
Seller Flow Usability Testing Results
Interviews were conducted with participants across different age groups, experience levels, and familiarity with Craigslist. While usage frequency varied, several consistent themes emerged.
Missing or Expected Listing Details
Real photos and visual content
Clear location details (address, crime score and walkability indicators, transit proximity)
Square footage, lease terms, deposits, pet policies
Amenities clarity (e.g., in-unit vs shared laundry)
Visibility & Layout Improvements
More prominent address and map visibility
Improved font hierarchy (some text felt too small)
Better use of space to highlight critical content
Important information placed higher on the page
Trust & Context Enhancements
Additional surrounding-area information (transit, nearby amenities, neighborhood context)
The ability to save or favorite listings for later
Ratings or reviews for properties
Contact the Landlord
A highly visible, prominent primary CTA
Ability to schedule tours directly from the listing
Clearer labeling (e.g., “Contact Landlord” instead of ambiguous terms like “Hosted by”)
Persistent, fixed (“floating”) contact actions to reduce friction as users scroll
Users preferred version B.
Final Prototype
For both the and buyer flows, we regrouped form elements based on user feedback as participants indicated this would be helpful.
Below is the Figma prototype showcasing both flows.
Buyer Experience Prototype (Left) | Seller Experience Prototype (Right)
Final UI
For both flows, we designed the main screens. For buyers, this included the primary search landing page with clear calls to action for the main categories, as well as the housing main landing page and the housing detail page.
