Usability Study

Craigslist
http://www.craigslist.org

Communication and Message:
What is the purpose?
To allow people to buy/sell things, find/post jobs, and communicate in community oriented forums.

Intended Audience:
It does not seem to have an intended audience. It seems to be aimed towards anyone (likely adults) who has something to say, buy, sell, or who is looking for a job or employee.

Content:
Is the content organized in an intuitive manner?
Yes, the website is very simple and laid out with almost all content/links on the main page itself. Very little digging is required to get to where you want to go.

Usability & Interface:
The website is very consistent throughout. The three main page styles are the directory page, the pages listing posts under each section, and the posts themselves. All are very consistent in style and presentation and make it easy to get back to where you were before. There are no graphics which makes load time very quick and less confusing. There are also options at the bottom of the main page to choose different styles for mobile, tablet, and regular formatting.

Navigation:
Very consistent throughout the site. It is extremely easy to tell which items are links and which are not due to the color scheme selected. The site is basically a directory of links.

Overall Success:
I don't have any real suggestions for the site. It is extremely basic and effective which is likely one of the reasons it is so successful. Ease of navigation and use are key parts of the site.