eBay Digital Studio

powered by AI

Transforming the marketplace:

Elevating listing images

As a peer-to-peer marketplace, eBay relies on user-generated photos for listings, but many sellers lack the necessary skills to create high-quality listing images that effectively attract buyers and facilitate sales.

Our team was tasked with designing a digital studio within the selling flow to help sellers effortlessly enhance their listing images using AI technology, being mindful of the inherent risks while celebrating the magic of AI.

Role

Lead designer

Responsibilities

UX design

Motion design

Art direction

AI prompt crafting

Curating AI scenes

We developed eBay’s Digital Studio in close collaboration with the branding and design system teams to deliver a modern, streamlined brand experience.

Our approach started with curating three initial AI background scenes—Studio, Surface, and Outside—balancing creativity without overwhelming users with choices. These options range from functional to expressive, offering sellers additional control over lighting, color, and materials via a customizable set of keywords for each scene.

To guide the engineers training the AI model to output the envisioned aesthetic and moods, I crafted AI prompts to refine the visual outputs and created a visual matrix showcasing a range of items and scenes.

Leveraging moments of delight

We applied eBay’s AI branded color gradients in two key transition moments. We visually communicate that the image is being scanned to cut out the item, which serves as delightful moment for users while also reducing perceived latency. After the seller selects an AI scene, the cutout item is overlaid on an AI branded shimmer, signaling that the images being generated.

Managing risks of AI generated images

To address the inherent risks of AI-generated images, we implemented a human-in-the-loop approach which enables eBay to quickly adapt and refine the Digital Studio. Users are encouraged to inspect their generated listing images and to use the provided reporting mechanisms and feedback channels.