Classifieds Update: Improved views, filtering, required fields and more

[Matt]

Hi Hubbers,

 

We've been taking in feedback and have been working away on various Classifieds improvements over the last while. And we are just about ready to release a test version.

 

This post is a quick preview of some of the updates.

 

Required Fields

Browsing adverts can be frustrating when you come across incomplete or just plain lazy listings with little useful info.

 

We'll be introducing required fields to adverts to improve advert quality and create consistency in terms of the type of information provided.

 

Fields are category specific so based on the category the advert is placed in you'd be presented with different additional fields to complete (e.g. a complete bike would have fields for the components with key component fields being required)

 

 

 

Dynamic filters

Some required fields are also used to filter ads. E.g. Wheel size, frame size, etc.

 

We've had tons of feedback and requests for a frame size separation of sorts. This will provide the ability to filter the ads based on various attributes and will greatly improve the searching experience.

 

 

 

Advert page

The advert page itself has received a significant overhaul. Images are now front and center and easier to quickly browse in a larger view with fullscreen available. The page also now accommodates a table type layout for the required fields.

 

 

Fields layout

 

 

 

Advert listings

The advert listing pages have also had a more subtle revamp. Larger thumbnail images give a better idea of the item before opening the advert.

 

 

 

Trader Feedback

The whole trader feedback section and rating display have been improved. Among other general improvements you can now easily search for a specific members profile to view feedback and ratings.

 

The display of ratings in adverts has also been improved. Instead of displaying a count of positive ratings the in-advert rating now indicates how many ratings the user has and the percentage of those which are positive. This gives a more meaningful view of the specific user's feedback profile and credibility.

 

 

 

 

We're excited to get these updates out. First for some testing and then live on the site.

In the next week we should have a test site up and will invite regular Classifieds users to give it a test run before we roll it out live. Watch this space for updates.

 

*Note the elements shown in the screenshots may still receive some design tweaks before final rollout

[shaper]

cool and well done, am sure will be of great benefit to all us hubbers!!

[Rata Del Spruit]

Nice work, the new filters will be awesome. Is there the ability to filter by brand name as well?

[Spinnekop]

Looks very good Matt

[rouxtjie]

Good job

[Craigwt]

Nice work.

 

A few comments though. Mandatory fields are sometimes annoying. Sometimes you might not know a specific piece of info, or none of the options from a drop down list apply or or or... What ends up happening is people enter things like "n/a" or "---" which starts buggering up the search.

 

I know its probably waaay too late in the game, but perhaps you could implement a quality score. The more info a seller fills in, the more pics, the more "upvotes" from members for being a good Ad, causes the Ad to display higher in the list. This will cause crappy quality Ads to drop to lower pages quicker.

 

Anyways, just a thought, use it, dont use it

[Craigwt]

.... It would also be helpful to have the condition of the item in a drop down menu, linked to a small description, i.e.

 

Shop - A shop selling a brand new item.

New - Never been used, perfect condition item.

Like new - Used item, no damage at all, perfect working order

Good - blah blah blah...

[Matt]

.... It would also be helpful to have the condition of the item in a drop down menu, linked to a small description, i.e.

 

Shop - A shop selling a brand new item.

New - Never been used, perfect condition item.

Like new - Used item, no damage at all, perfect working order

Good - blah blah blah...

 

Nice work.

 

A few comments though. Mandatory fields are sometimes annoying. Sometimes you might not know a specific piece of info, or none of the options from a drop down list apply or or or... What ends up happening is people enter things like "n/a" or "---" which starts buggering up the search.

 

I know its probably waaay too late in the game, but perhaps you could implement a quality score. The more info a seller fills in, the more pics, the more "upvotes" from members for being a good Ad, causes the Ad to display higher in the list. This will cause crappy quality Ads to drop to lower pages quicker.

 

Anyways, just a thought, use it, dont use it

 

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions.

 

Agreed mandatory fields can sometimes be annoying and counterproductive when they're filled in with N/A or rubbish. A quality score and "upvotes" systems could be a good options and ones we'll consider in future development.

 

For now we'll limit the number of mandatory fields to the essentials per category. E.g. For a mountain bike at an absolute minimum the frame size and wheel size must be specified. Then certain key components like the frame, fork, wheelset, groupset, etc. should also be required. Other items which don't always apply, e.g. rear shock, derailleurs etc. will be optional.

 

Looking at a quick sample of bike adverts on The Hub these items are most often included, but some list bullet points others give the details in a paragraph. This way the input and output are more consistent and advertisers will have some prompts to include important details like size which they may have forgotten.

[lucmccann]

Nicely done Matt.

 

I'm in the web development industry and happy to assist with some usability testing while on the staging server if you would like some fresh eyes?

[Matt]

Nicely done Matt.

 

I'm in the web development industry and happy to assist with some usability testing while on the staging server if you would like some fresh eyes?

 

Thanks - would greatly appreciate it! Staging should be live early next week.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

NICE!!!

[Meentb]

I think this is an awesome idea. Too many ads that are useless.

 

This will filter out the rubbish ads from the genuine good ones

[lucmccann]

Thanks - would greatly appreciate it! Staging should be live early next week.

 

Cool, just pop me a mail when you ready and i'll commit a few hours for you.

[Caerus]

Nicely Done. Original photos should also be mandatory, although hard to do I can imagine, so too weed out the pics of something downloaded straight off the internet.

[Nemeziz_za]

Will this section be viewable with Aps like tapatalk ?

 

 

[Willie2011]

Nice improvements.Would be great if The Hub has an app.Get notifications on the go instead of filling up my inbox.Live chats etc.Is this an option in the near future?