eBay Network Diagram

Challenge: eBay was prepared to redesign its site and develop a new site architecture. We were brought in to work closely with the eBay user experience design (UED) team to create a large-scale network diagram for the entire domestic network.

  • Audits: The team spent time understanding the current issues and available metrics. We developed a working list of metrics that needed to be researched and understood and documented the site in a thorough audit.

  • Sketching Concept Models: The combined eBay and Tangible team spent a day workshopping the issues and together explored such topics as how the varied areas of the site depend on each other and how the eBay staff models the complexity of the site. Shown above is a group drawing from the workshop.

  • Information Design Concepts: The team explored many different information design concepts. Keeping in mind our audience and how they would need to practically use this diagram, we narrowed down our final designs.

  • Large-Scale Network Diagram: A segment of the final diagram

  • Detail from the final diagram

Solutions

Large-Scale Network Diagram
Our team created a network diagram of the entire domestic eBay site. The finished poster was approximately 17 feet long by 5 feet high. The eBay team was able to employ this diagram with great success on many UED initiatives.