5 Sites, 1 Task: Explain How It Works

Christian Watson UX Design, Writing for the Web

DVD, CD and video game swapping sites are becoming popular again. Web-app catalog site Simple Spark lists 10 of them. However, depending on the business model, the way these sites work varies. And sometimes it’s not that simple either.

Consequently, it’s very important to be able to quickly show a potential user how it works.

As an example, I have a bunch of CDs and video games that I’d like to get rid of; however, the swapping site I looked at seemed so complicated that after reading the ‘how it works’ page about three times and still not understanding it, I gave up.

So, here’s a screenshot of the ‘how it works’ pages from the site in question along with four others that I picked at random from Simple Spark’s list.

See if you can guess which site I had trouble with (answer at the end) and please let me know which one you think seems the easiest to use based on the screenshot.

Zunafish

Zunafish how it works infographic
Zunafish “how it works” infographic

Hitflip

Hitflip how it works infographic
Hitflip “how it works” infographic

PlayInterChange

Play Interchange how it works infographic
Play Interchange “how it works” infographic

SaySwap

SaySwap how it works infographic
SaySwap “how it works” infographic

Swaptree

Swaptree how it works infographic
Swaptree “how it works” infographic

Parting Thoughts

The site I just couldn’t get my head round was SaySwap. Never was the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” more appropriate than here. I could read that page five more times and still not get it.

Kudos to PlayInterChange for making it seem really simple. One image with five steps — very clear.

I actually liked SwapTree’s approach the most. A simple, elegant four-step image to explain the process, followed by some FAQs to cover the details.

And, the site intrigued me enough to sign up for the beta. You don’t get more effective than that.

4 thoughts to “5 Sites, 1 Task: Explain How It Works”

  1. I agree completly about SaySwap.

    Never was the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” more appropriate than here. I could read that page five more times and still not get it

    I couldnt agree more – well commented. It does seen in vogue to have these types if site and they are blossoming gain.

  2. SwapTree is easily the best. Four steps, four words. I signed up for the beta, too!
    Does anyone else find HitFlip’s images confusing? I don’t think repeating the same image four times and flipping an arrow around is the clearest way to explain the service.

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