Back in May of this year, I sat down with Brian Burke to talk about the Feedback tests being run in the eBay Marketplace. 4 months later, Nathan (Nate) Etter contacted me this week to update the Community on the tests because (1) there are different variations than we had discussed previously, and (2) the tests will cover a larger number of buyers & sellers than the tests did in May, so more members may see this new flow (as made evident by AuctionBytes earlier today).
I sat down with Nate to talk about how the tests were doing and what new wrinkles were being added to the mix. Of course, no conversation with an eBay colleague would be complete without a “5 minutes with…” Q&A. You’ll find it below the videos.
Cheers!
RBH
What have you been testing over the past 4 months? Are you expanding the tests?
Screenshot of one of the 5 variations of the Feedback Test page:
(more images in the previous blog post)
Will more people be participating in the tests? What will they experience?
What are you hoping to accomplish with these tests? What are the goals?
How are these tests incorporated into the SR2 changes going into practice at the end of the month? Are they?
5 Minutes with… Nate Etter
Full Name: Nathan Etter
Nickname: Nate
Official Title: Director, Product Strategy
What You Really Do: My recent focus has primarily been leading projects related to Trust on eBay. My current efforts revolve around improving the eBay Feedback system for both sellers and buyers. I work with a cross-functional team that includes individuals from our user interface, engineering, QA, research, analytics, and marketing groups.
Your First Day at eBay: January 3, 2006
Education/Schooling: Stanford University
Interests: Triathlon, open water swimming, photography
Favorite Quote: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
Most memorable eBay experience: Attending my first eBay Live in Las Vegas!
Most recent eBay purchase/sale: A Bottecchia all-carbon road bike for my wife (it arrived this week and I’m green with envy!!)
Favorite Albums: There are so many!! A sampling: Live at Luther College (Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds), Sanctuary (Arvo Pärt), Our Endless Numbered Days (Iron & Wine), Haunted (Poe), Gossip in the Grain (Ray LaMontagne), Rodrigo y Gabriela (Rodrigo y Gabriela), To Venus and Back (Tori Amos)
Favorite Movies: Forrest Gump, Awakenings, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Fisher King, Lord of the Rings
What You Wanted to Be Growing Up: It was a toss up between being a doctor or a chef on a cruise ship.
Fill in the blanks:
I should have gone for a run yesterday.
I wish that I could fly in small planes without getting airsick.
The first thing I do when I get to work is check emails.