Get to know fellow freelancers from around the world, share your stories, and connect beyond work

Freelancer Lounge

Hi everyone!
 Sorry for the lengthy title; I couldn't come up with anything better. Today is a bit of a slow morning for my brain! 

But at least the title explains the point of my post. 

TLDR.: Buyers don't know how to use the site. 

I do want to give a couple of disclaimers here: 

1. I don't know if much has changed - I have seen the UI change a bit over the past few months, I think (and the many new features pop up), but I personally haven't had many issues. However, I am not a buyer who's on here only a few times a year/etc. 

2. Some of this is likely due to user error. However, on a site as big as Fiverr, I would expect things to be smoother (and more intuitive on both sides.) 

Anyway... There are a few main things I'd like to point out today, though, of course, if anyone else has anything to add to it, I'd be thankful! Most of these concern the order process itself since that's what I mostly see people struggle with. 

1. Many buyers seem unaware of the order page. Some don't seem to know where the delivery timer is (and have no idea when the deadline of the project is), while others just... don't find the order page's inbox. This can usually be fixed easily by pointing them in the right direction but it can still cause trouble (no one wants their experience to start rough, right? 

2. Quite a few buyers have complained about not getting notifications from the order page. As a seller, I need to update them on there (which is understandable.) However, I've noticed more and more people who miss notifications, often for a week! This affects the buyers' experience and can cause huge delays. I believe the biggest delay I've had so far was... 10 days or so (as I need buyers to acknowledge an update.) I tend to write to them in the inbox after a day or two of an update, and that seems to help, but I genuinely don't think it should be my responsibility to make sure updates go through. (I wouldn't be surprised if buyers could set up notifications for the order page (extra emails, etc.), but in general, it seems a bit wonky. 

3. The order page as a whole (the inbox part) seems unintuitive.) Someone pointed out to me a while back that they didn't like it because whenever a new message popped up, it'd shift the rest of the messages. It also hides older messages quite often - and buyers don't seem to know this. This has caused updates (and many, many, very important questions!) to go unread. While I know this one should be fairly obvious, the 'load more' button is very small - and people don't know if there were several questions/etc asked above! I think it'd be great if there was a bit bigger indication there since not everyone (including me!) has good vision. 

4. In general, it seems to be that many people don't understand the site's features, from searching for sellers to briefs, etc. Once in a while, I will get a huge influx of completely irrelevant messages asking for things I don't offer at all. Maybe some tweaks can be done on that front as well? 

5. This is a bonus (as it concerns sellers), but it needs to be said: Spam has increased tenfold on the site. I know that some measures have been taken, but it's clear that just directing people to read the TOS (and having some info on new messages, etc.) doesn't seem to work when people are FAKING messages from the system. Something needs to be done. 

I know this is a lot to read through, but there's just a lot I feel needs a bit of work. Obviously, I do work with a very varied clientele from game developers to grandma's looking for a present for their grandkids, so I've definitely seen a lot! However, I do believe it's important to think about how the user experience can be made easier. While as a seller, I'm happy to help teach buyers about the site, I don't think it should fall on us. (We also don't know every bug/glitch that can occur and so, many misunderstandings might happen, which can cause issues. 

Fiverr seems to have gotten harder for buyers (and new sellers)

A home for meaningful connections, peer support, and professional growth.

Fiverr Community

Job Title

Login to the Fiverr Community community to connect with others, attend community events, and more!

Login or Sign Up for even more

To unlock all parts of the community and get the best experience, complete your profile.