I’m impressed by eBay’s new human-centred UI design

Online marketplace eBay has unveiled its new evolved brand and design system Evo, a simple and stylised UI evolution that places the customer experience at its core. Giving eBay's old website design a much-needed revamp, the fresh and dynamic appeal of Evo revitalises the sales platform for a new generation of users.

While there are no hard and fast rules to successful UI design, eBay demonstrates how effective accessible and user-friendly design can be both functionally and aesthetically. Modernising eBay's approach, Evo is a welcome innovation that brings the promise of a flexible and human-centred platform, putting 'Things.People.Love.' first.

Created by the in-house team, eBay Evo places evolution at its core, continuously adapting to keep "placing people and their passion" at the root of its experience. "Evo embodies the radical improvements we've made and the innovation to come—humanizing and simplifying in service of our community and their treasures," says eBay's head of design, Aaron Carámbula.

Evo's visual identity is a welcome evolution of eBay's identity, integrating immersive UI and an expanded colour palette to usher in a new era of simplistic style. Card stack motion design reflects the platform's sleek shopping experience while UI elements take inspiration from interactions like "searching, saving an item or highlighting a deal," putting the customer at the root of the expereince.

The logo's four heritage colours have been expanded to create a "cohesive 136-colour palette", while new imagery and authentic illustrations emphasise the brand's visual storytelling, building a sense of community. EBay's signature typeface, Market Sans, has been customised to create a heavy-weight, condensed version to pair with bold headlines, creating a strong brand voice without losing key elements of its identity.

At the centre of the brand evolution is the principle of accessibility, demonstrated by the brand's integration of the Include Accessibility annotations Figma plug-in. EBay's commitment to inclusive design runs through its new practice, ensuring that developments are created through an inclusive lens.

As part of the brand evolution, a custom playbook has been created to aid internal teams and agency partners in bringing the new system to life. Acting as a central resource, the "eBay Playbook Is a beautiful, highly functional digital tool that inspires each of our diverse disciplines with tailored guidance,” says Ryan Tinsley, eBay's staff product designer.

For more creative inspiration, check out our Day in the Life interview with UX designer Sam Drury to find out what the impact of AI means for the industry. If you're after more UI design stories, check out Canva's brand glow-up which puts a playful spin on corporate design.