Tradesy Save Search
Project Overview
As a peer to peer marketplace, Tradesy's inventory is constantly changing. If someone is looking for a specific item, it might not be for sale on the platform at that moment, so we needed a way for users to be notified when the item they were looking for was added. This is where the "Save Search" feature comes in. The goal of a "Save Search" feature is that when a user can’t find the item they are looking for, they are able to save the search criteria and receive a notification when something new matches their search.
Tradesy's existing “Follow Search” feature had some usability and functionality issues. We needed to update the feature to include design patterns that users have come to expect from "Save Search" features on other marketplaces.
Tradesy had previously built a feature called “Follow Search” that was supposed to satisfy this need, but it had some shortcomings that needed to be addressed.
Shortcomings:
- No clear location for shoppers to find their saved searches.
- Shoppers were unable to save a free text search.
- The term "Follow Search" was inconsistent with standard naming conventions found on other marketplaces.
- Modals were overloaded with information.
- Frequency of notifications were too far apart to be useful to the end user.
All of these shortcomings led to our feature failing to deliver on the promise of keeping users up-to-date on new arrivals for their search.
Competitive Research Audit
I looked at many sites to create a complete map of “Save Search” feature patterns. After looking at many of our competitors, as well as a selection of other sites with "Save Search" features, I created a list of design patterns that we should consider when rebuilding our "Save Search" product.
Features that we considered
- Feature highlight to promote awareness for first time visitors
- Filter tags to show what criteria they would be saving
- Adjustable notification frequency
- Show users saved searches in the global search bar for easier access
- Create a dedicated page for all of a user's saved searches to live
Vestiaire Collective
ThredUP
Design Iterations
For this project, I explored an array of features to create a robust "Save Search" update. In the end, we decided to focus on only a few updates for the first revision of the tool. This is a sample of the design path that I explored for this project.
Final Design
Due to resource constraints, our solution was focused on providing the three feature updates that we felt were most important for our users. Those were: implementing filter tags, replacing our modal with a "toast," and creating an easy to find space for all of the users' saved searches.
Implemented Features
- Implementing filter tags makes the feature more prominent on the page and helps users understand what criteria are applied before they save their search.
- Replacing our modal with a “toast” removes unnecessary content and makes the "Save Search" user flow lighter.
- Creating an easy to find space for all the users’ saved searches helps them to check back in on products without a notification or email.
- Adding an introduction state helps to increase user awareness and adoption.
