Team Hotline Bling
White Paper
Abstract
Websites, such as Craigslist, are being used by millions of people daily for the buying and selling of old possessions. These websites are already very popular and will only continue to become more prevalent. With the success of the websites sprouted many mobile applications that allow us to buy and sell mobily. One of these applications stands out more than the rest and it’s called letgo. Letgo is an extremely easy to use application with many great features. It’s also a much safer alternative to craigslist. It also emphasises on locality meaning that it’s much easier finding whatever you're trying to find within your local area. All around it seems to be just a better a version of craigslist in way it handles buying and selling.
Problem Statement
Safety is an issue that is many people have when using craigslist. This is mainly due to the fact that craigslist can be completely anonymous. This allows people to scam others by selling a product that they do not necessarily own, or by selling them a product they don’t even own. This is a problem because you spent your money on something you didn’t want or something you never received. This is one of the most frustrating situations to be in. Another problem is having to provide personal information such as, a cell phone number or an email address to contact potential buyers and sellers. There are many companies out there that gather a mass of phone numbers and email address and sell them. Usually, this information is bought by companies attempting to plague a user’s computer with spam or used to scam the user.
Finding things on craigslist can be a hassle, especially within your local area. Even though craigslist has website domains for most cities the site still doesn’t offer enough options within the local area. Normally you’ll have to travel to a larger city to find what you’re looking for, and even then it might not live up to expectations or the price might be out of range. Although letgo might not directly solve pricing issues it will definitely aid you in locating items that are within your local area.
Talk about the clunky design of craigslist and the possible problems with it. Another issue with craigslist is the user interface. It’s very clunky and there is a lot of hyperlinks on the screen at once. Some of the links are very misleading and take you to parts of the site that you didn’t want go to. Another problem is ending up on the wrong craigslist site since the site has domains for most cities. Since craigslist has website domains for every large city you’ll have to make sure that the site you're using is the correct one.
Description of Solution
Security is always a concern when engaged in any application or website and letgo sets out to be as secure as possible for all users. Although the app accesses the user’s location through their cellular device, the app only provides a vicinity of the seller’s location. This ensures that the individual’s exact location and safety is secure, but accurate information is provided. Letgo attempts to abolish the anonymous aspect that many private marketing apps and websites have. Users are required to create a profile that can be linked to Facebook in order to sell any merchandise. These profiles have the option to upload a picture of the user. By providing an image of the user, potential buyers can associate a face to who they should be making an exchange with and can help with identifying dubious situations.
When looking for merchandise on Craigslist, individuals may find it complicated to locate items that are anywhere near them. Certain larger cities have the luxury of having their own section for merchandise, but this isn’t how it is for all cities. Letgo eliminates the need for having sections for each city and makes the user the center of marketing. By accessing the GPS located on smartphones, letgo can search for all posting within a 100 mile radius, organizing them from closest to furthest away. This allows users to find what is in their city specifically. Even on the move the app can access the user’s location and can give them a list of everything for sale in their vicinity. Each item is indicated with a mile marker to give the user an idea of how far they would have to travel.
Letgo incorporates a very user friendly interface that doesn’t even require a tutorial to understand how to operate. Upon initializing the app, individuals are brought to a listing of all items for sale in their area and they can instantly begin searching. If an individual is in search of a particular field of merchandise, the app offers a drop down menu that consist of a number of userful links. One in particular is the “Categories” which allows users to specify their search to such categories as, electronics, cars and motors, home and garden, or fashion and accessories. If a user is more interested in selling items, letgo has an attention grabbing button that takes them right to the “Sell Your Stuff” interface. This interface allows the user to provide images of the product they wish to sell, specify the price and category, and provide a short description of the product. Next, the seller just has to tap the “Sell” button and they are on their way to making a profit.
How the product solves the problem
By using letgo, the locality of the merchandise an individual is
shopping for is narrowed and specific to the user. All the while, the
location of the seller is protected to ensure each individual’s safety. Each
sales page comes equipped with an “Ask a Question” and a “Make an Offer” buttons, which offer a private conversations between the two users without providing any personal information, like phone number or email address.
There are also icons that allow individuals to share sales pages to friends and family through text or Facebook
The user interface of letgo allows the most user friendly experience for everyone. If individuals are attempted to locate a specific category then they need only to go to the “Categories” tab and select their needed category. The categories are broad, but specific enough to allow every area of potential merchandise to be present. The “Sell Your Stuff” button is present on all pages of letgo, except for the Sales Page of a specific items. This means individuals can access the Sales posting page at any time to post an item.
The drop down menu for letgo offers a number of important features. The “My Profile” sections allows for users to see a complete listing of all their sales postings. The “Chat” option takes you to a listing of all the chats you have going on between individuals a user may of had questions for. This protects the user’s personal information, while allowing a way for constant contact with buyers and sellers. The “Edit Profile” tab allows for individuals to customize their profile image and home location.
ddThe “Sell Your Stuff” interface offers a user friendly experience. By following the screen from up to down, the individual can select images from their smart phone. Then, they can specify exactly what they are saying and then immediately give a brief description of the merchandise. Finally, they can complete the most important task, which is specifying the price, before finally posting for all the users local buyers to see.
Conclusion
All in all letsgo is a much better alternative to craigslist in the way it handles locality, user friendliness, and safety. Craigslist lack of locality can be very lacking when trying to find a desired product. Letgo has a great sense of locality due to its gps locating methods. It also enables you to find new sellers as you travel since it’s locality is based on your current location. Letgo offers an excellent user interface with many ways to navigate through merchandise. It’s also very easy to sell your own belongings on this application. Safety on craigslist isn’t guaranteed due to the anonymous nature of the site. Letgo offers much greater security in the sense that it isn’t anonymous. Since letgo similar to other social media it has a profile for every seller using the application that informs you whether or not the seller is legitimate. With all of this in mind Letgo is a much better alternative to craigslist and should be used over it for buying and selling any day.