Recent Changes

Competition
Craigslist: Craigslist is a very popular site for users to create posts advertising items for sale. Apartments and other housing ads are also a prominent feature of the site. Recent stories about various sexual assaults that may have been related to introductions made through Craigslist have somewhat tainted this service's reputation. The fact that Pratt SILS students all belong to a community will increase the sense of trust users have in our service, especially for the housing section.
streamlined process. In addition, there may be some potential users who hesitate to support eBay because of founder Meg Whitman (who recently lost the election for governor of California) and her very conservative politics.
Pratt SILS Listserv: The listserv is an already established means for Pratt SILS students to connect with each other by sending emails to everyone at once. Emails are often sent advertising items for sale such as used textbooks. The listserv is also completely free and anyone with a pratt.edu email address is a member. Difficulties arise when using the listserv to sell an item since emails cannot be tagged or categorized. Due to this lack of classification, searching for specific emails can be difficult. Furthermore, the large volume of emails sent to the listserv every day, most of which do not pertain to buying or selling anything, leads to relevant emails being obscured. It is also hard to determine the number of users that a relevant email is reaching since some users may simply delete all emails received or not read them at all.
Analysis of Technology

Consequences: This scenario shows that listing the categories naturally without a drop down box may be helpful. The user immediately saw the word Computer and was able to click through to the desired item.
Future Plan
can be posted and categorized. The website should also provide users the means to make online transactions. A service such as PayPal would allow users to make secure transactions with credit cards instead of cash only. Furthermore, as the site currently offers links to other social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, Pratt SELLS may one day evolve into more of a communal hub for SILS students to connect to one another beyond buying and selling items. An online message board or forum would be a great addition to the site and allow users to more easily interact with each other.

Pratt SILS students who want to buy, sell, or exchange merchandise of any kind. Our limited audience allows the website to provide a focused service for SILS students. The website acts as a central location on the Internet where SILS students can interact with each other, mainly for transactions of some kind. Students looking for textbooks, housing, or any other item will find a great deal of use in the website. Instructions can be found on the FAQ page, however users are expected to be tech-savvy to at least a basic degree based on their enrollment in a information and library science program. As such, at this stage in the website's development, users wishing to post an item for sale or an apartment for rent on the website must be capable of sending emails. Users are also expected to be familiar with the process of commenting on a post or page.
Competition
Craigslist: Probably the largest and mostCraigslist is a very popular site for users to create posts advertising items for sale. Apartments and other housing ads are also a prominent feature of this type.the site. Recent stories the housing part of the service.section.
eBay: The oldest merchandise exchange.Allows users to put their items up for auction, which often helps people purchase items for deep discounts. The bidding some cases, though items may be cheaper than retail, it still may lead
Pratt SILS Listserv: The listserv is an already established means for Pratt SILS students to connect with each other by sending emails to everyone at once. Emails are often sent advertising items for sale such as used textbooks. The listserv is also completely free and anyone with a pratt.edu email address is a member. Difficulties arise when using the listserv to sell an item since emails cannot be tagged or categorized. Due to this lack of classification, searching for specific emails can be difficult. Furthermore, the large volume of emails sent to the listserv every day, most of which do not pertain to buying or selling anything, leads to relevant emails being obscured. It is also hard to determine the number of users that a relevant email is reaching since some users may simply delete all emails received or not read them at all.
Analysis of Technology
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Page Descriptions
Home page: Shows pictureHome: The landing page for the site, Home is the first page users will see when entering the site's URL. There is a brief message directing users to certain pages of Pratt,interest depending on their specific needs. The Home page shows the name students.
For sale:Sale: This is will have to communicate with limits the Searchposting capability to the one searchableblogging page. We figured that people would want to easily be able to find items that theyCategories were lookingestablished for each item on this page and the posts are tagged accordingly for by searching.easier searches.
Seeking: Users can leave comments on this page asking for items they are looking to buy. Comments can be exchanged between users on this page to set up transactions. Ideally this page would allow users to directly respond to each other instead of having long strings of comments, but this may be a limitation for Wordpress.
or sublet. It has been designed with asHousing opportunities are listed on a mashup withcustom Google mapsMap so that potential users can school developments. The Connect page itself provides links to Pratt affiliated news and student run organizations.
Facebook: A subpage of Connect, the Facebook page lists links to Facebook pages and groups that are run by students or student organizations.
Twitter: Similar to the Facebook page, the Twitter page offers several Twitter feeds that may be useful for the users.
About: The About page provides basic information about the site's purpose. Through a dropdown menu, the user can find its subpages, which follow.
the site. This page serves to answer any question that users may have on how basic processes on the site can be carried out.
Legal stuff: This subpage basically disclaims any responsibility on the part of the creators for transactions that take place after participants contact each other based on the website's information. This disclaimer is taken from the Craigslist NY site in order to ensure that it is authentic legal language.
Contact Us: Standard ways for the reader to get in touch with the site's creators/managers.

About: The About page provides basic information about the site's purpose. Through a dropdown menu, the user can find its subpages, which follow.
FAQ: A basic how-to for the site.
Legal stuff: We "borrowed" this language from part of Craigslist NY's site. This subpage website's information. This disclaimer is taken from the Craigslist NY site in order to ensure that it is authentic legal language.
Contact Us: Standard ways for the reader to get in touch with the site's creators/managers.
Usability Tests
a. User Scenario
b. User Task Analysis
c. Results
d. Describe ChangesFor each scenario, the user was asked to Website (Before vs.imagine himself as a Pratt SILS student accessing the website.
Scenario 1: You have something you would like to sell. How would you go about selling it on the website.
Results: After test)orienting himself with the general layout of the page, the user first clicked over to the For Sale page. The user realized that he could not simply post his item on this page. The user then found the FAQ page where an answer for this question is provided.
Consequences: We would prefer to give our users the ability to post items themselves to the website instead of forcing them to send us emails before an item is posted. In this way, we would serve as moderators as opposed to gatekeepers and the site would be more open and user-generated. Presently, this is a limitation of Wordpress that we do not see how to circumvent.
Scenario 2: You found an item on the site you want to buy. How do you go about buying it?
Results: User first clicked on the For Sale page to see if there was a way to buy from that page. When an answer was not evident, the user then navigated to the FAQ again and found another question that provided the answer.
Consequences: A short explanation on how to buy items was added to the For Sale page, however upon publishing this revision, the explanation was not visible on the For Sale page. This may be a problem with Wordpress functionality or the nature of the blog page. Ideally, we would like to have a static explanation that sits above the For Sale posts that details how to purchase an item.
Scenario 3: Where would you go to find out more about Pratt events?
Results: The user first returned to the Home page and looked over the sidebar to see where it would lead. The user then clicked on Seeking, Housing, About, Home again, the "Other" category on the sidebar, and the FAQ. The user specifically did not click on the Connect tab. The user then clicked through to other pages again before landing on the Connect page and finding links to events.
Consequences: This task proved to be the most difficult for the user. The Home page was revised to contain a short navigational description to help users understand where to go to fulfill specific needs. Among these descriptions is an explanation of the Connect page to help dispel some of its ambiguity.
Scenario 4: Find computer for sale on the website.
Results: The user clicked on the "Computer" tag under the Categories widget on the side bar and was taken to a post listing a computer for sale.
Consequences: This scenario shows that listing the categories naturally without a drop down box may be helpful. The user immediately saw the word Computer and was able to click through to the desired item.
Future Plan
At some point in the future, we would like to monetize the site, both through advertising as well as by earning a fee on all transactions made through the site. To do that, we would probably have to migrate the site off WordPress which offers relatively limited features in terms of searchability, as well as for the number of pages where items can be categorized.

FAQ: A basic how-to for the site.
Legal stuff: We "borrowed" this language from part of Craigslist NY's site. This subpage basically disclaims any responsibility on the part of the creators for transactions that take place after participants contact each other based on the website's information.
Contact Us: Standard ways for the reader to get in touch with the site's creators/managers.
Usability Tests
a. User Scenario

Facebook: A subpage of Connect, the Facebook page lists links to Facebook pages and groups that are run by students or student organizations.
Twitter: Similar to the Facebook page, the Twitter page offers several Twitter feeds that may be useful for the users.
About: The About page provides basic information about the site's purpose. Through a dropdown menu, the user can find its subpages, which follow.
FAQ: A basic how-to for the site.
Legal stuff: We "borrowed" this language from part of Craigslist NY's site. This subpage basically disclaims any responsibility on the part of the creators for transactions that take place after participants contact each other based on the website's information.
Usability Tests
a. User Scenario

For sale: This is a moderated page: people who want to sell something will have communicate with the site managers (Bruce and James) so that we can mark the post with the appropriate categories. Since Wordpress limits the Search capability to one page, we decided to make this the one searchable page. We figured that people would want to easily be able to find items that they were looking for by searching.
Seeking: Users can leave comments on this page asking for items they are looking to buy. Comments can be exchanged between users on this page to set up transactions. Ideally this page would allow users to directly respond to each other instead of having long strings of comments, but this may be a limitation for Wordpress.
Housing: This is a page for people with a room to rent or sublet. It has been designed with as a mashup with Google maps so that potential users can locate potential housing possibilities in relation to Pratt's Brooklyn and Manhattan campuses, as well as other places.
Connect: This page and its subpages provide users various links to other helpful websites. Each link is given with a description of the website and why it would be of value to the user. The general theme of these pages is to foster more interactions between students and to keep them informed about the lateset school developments.
Facebook: A subpage of Connect, the Facebook page lists links to Facebook pages and groups that are run by students or student organizations.

Page Descriptions
Home page: Shows picture of Pratt, the name of the site at the top, and a succinct statement of the purpose of the website: "Buy, Sell, or Rent with Pratt SILS students.
For sale: This is a moderated page: people who want to sell something will have communicate with the site managers (Bruce and James) so that we can mark the post with the appropriate categories. Since Wordpress limits the Search capability to one page, we decided to make this the one searchable page. We figured that people would want to easily be able to find items that they were looking for by searching.
Seeking: Users can leave comments on this page asking for items they are looking to buy. Comments can be exchanged between users on this page to set up transactions. Ideally this page would allow users to directly respond to each other instead of having long strings of comments, but this may be a limitation for Wordpress.
Connect: This page and its subpages provide users various links to other helpful websites. Each link is given with a description of the website and why it would be of value to the user. The general theme of these pages is to foster more interactions between students and to keep them informed about the lateset school developments.

Site Map
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Page DescriptionDescriptions
Home page: Shows picture of Pratt, the name of the site at the top, and a succinct statement of the purpose of the website: "Buy, Sell, or Rent with Pratt SILS students.
Seeking: Users can leave comments on this page asking for items they are looking to buy. Comments can be exchanged between users on this page to set up transactions. Ideally this page would allow users to directly respond to each other instead of having long strings of comments, but this may be a limitation for Wordpress.
Connect: This page and its subpages provide users various links to other helpful websites. Each link is given with a description of the website and why it would be of value to the user. The general theme of these pages is to foster more interactions between students and to keep them informed about the lateset school developments.