Theory: EBay as Flea Market

Let's assume EBay looks the way it does (not great) because not a lot of attention was paid to the design. Now let's say they had contracted the design to a professional services firm that practices user-centered design. What would the result look like? Most likely something pretty slick.

Conventional wisdom - at least with the folks I hang out with - says that auctions, plus EBay's first-mover advantage - is such a compelling experience that people will tolerate the bad design. But what if EBay is succeeding because of its bad design? What if, like a flea market's rough, seller-created environment, the amateur design communicates the idea of bargain?

A designer might have come to this conclusion - balancing some good global elements like navigation with lots of seller-created pages, letting the vernacular bubble up, however painful to look at - but maybe not. And even if the designer was to hit upon this idea, how hard it would be to sell, or even to think about selling, a poor looking design to the client.

The experiment to switch the quality of the design could certainly be run, and will be if EBay ever grabs the reigns in a big way and puts a pretty design in action. If popularity declined as a result, that would be quite a big insight into experience design.

Update: Sparked thoughts from Tanya, Gene, and Jason.

Monday, March 8, 2004 | Permalink | Filed in Psychology

Recently

Dreyfuss Mobile Phone

Survey of Web Genres

Doblin's Short, Grandiose Theory

Marsupial Mouse

Search method seeds

Volunteering pays

History

Headline! Radio buttons originally controlled radios

Cost and Style

Litmus test for scent/meaning

Shifting information goals

Theory: EBay as Flea Market

Teaching in Sound Bites

Peeps