Creating a Design Playbook for eBay Inc.

Goal

Enhance eBay Inc.’s global innovation capability through design thinking by addressing several challenges, such as aligning the distributed design community, creating a playbook, evolving eBay’s design culture, and building an external reputation.

Role

I was part of a select group of thirty designers chosen to create eBay Inc.’s digital design playbook. I was responsible for defining the content strategy to develop a compelling site that expressed eBay’s design philosophy and the excitement of designing for commerce.

Timeline

Our team had two weeks from our first meeting to presenting the results of our work to the CEO, John Donahoe, the chair of the Design Advisory Board, John Maeda, and the design leaders of the company.

Approach

This initiative was sponsored by eBay’s former CEO, John Donahoe, supervised by John Maeda, and directed by Dane Howard, eBay’s former global brand experience director. For two weeks, we worked collaboratively as a team of UI designers, visual designers, content strategists, and front-end developers from eBay’s different entities across the nation at its HQ in San Jose, CA.

After initiating the project, the team devoted the initial two days to exploring various methods and formats for expressing their critical themes while defining their visual language. I assumed the role of a hands-on copywriter and a member of the editorial board, overseeing all content production.

Through several group activities and design iterations, we created a powerful and cohesive story that combined simplicity and playfulness. We then translated the process that led up to our digital prototype into a physical wall display using foam board, printouts, precision knives, and clamp spotlights to create the impression of an art installation. This display served as the backdrop for our presentations to the CEO and design leadership team.

Deliverables

The outcome of our effort was a digital platform that shares eBay’s design principles and processes with both internal and external design communities. Additionally, prototypes of physical books were developed to guide new hires through the playbook’s language and content. The initiative resulted in an enterprise-wide commitment to design expressed and shared via the playbook website, with tangible examples of improved products and customer experiences. Finally, the design thinking initiative significantly enhanced eBay’s reputation as a talent hub for designers.