The website I chose to review was Etsy.com. I have never ordered anything from this site but I have heard of multiple people that have. Etsy is a page that allows crafters and people with specialty skills to sell their products on this site and grow their business. Because of the immense number of creative members there is a very unique and wide range of products sold on the site, including but not limited to, specialty gifts, food, art, furniture, men, women and children’s apparel, and wedding accessories.
The site was extremely simple to use and straight-forward. The first thing I saw when I opened the page was the search bar in the center at the top of the page asking me, “What are you looking for?”. Directly under that was a bar of product options/departments to help make the users selection easier. I clicked on jewelry and the site once again helped me make a decision while browsing. The jewelry section was broken down once more into different categories in alphabetical order. Sections of jewelry like Body, Bracelets, Brooches, Earrings ect. were displayed. After choosing your style, it was very easy to browse the products for many reasons. Each pair of earrings had a decent sized picture, accompanied by the username of the seller, and the price. You can also refine your search by limiting the products to vintage, homemade or all, as well as choose a price range and a location of where the items are made. I found it interesting to type Pittsburgh and see what products came up. I proceeded to put an item in the cart and was pleasantly surprised to see a comment section in the shopping cart where you can write a note to the seller with any additional information or special requests. This feature made my purchase feel personal and I felt like they seller, as well as the entire Etsy business, appreciated my purchase.
Overall I was very surprised at the usability of this website. It is not nearly as popular as other retail sites like Amazon, Overstock and Eastbay. Even my Grandfather, who has never used a computer in his entire life, would be able to successfully navigate this website and make a purchase. I never felt confused or overwhelmed while browsing the site. All of Etsy’s trigger words were straight-forward and the homepage was easily navigable. Chapters 1 and 2 were very enlightening as to why this website may be set up the way it is. The textbook highlighted that users love to skim web pages. I noticed that there was no section describing the website or any paragraphs at all. Nothing on the website was more than a few sentences long, which is ideal for all users who skim. The text also spoke about ‘optimal choices’ and how most humans don’t make the best choice on a page due to the Back button. Etsy provided many choices on the home page that were clear-cut and if I had a product I was looking for, I believe it would have been uncomplicated to find, without having to use the back button.
I cannot think of any criticism to the site other than it was rather bland with hardly any color. However, this may be being used as a technique to make the site easier to use and have a less overwhelming feel. I may feel this way because I am used to navigating ecommerce sites that I wouldn’t be bothered by more colors. Either way, Etsy surprised me by its overall navigability and simplicity.