How 58.com Turned Data and Design Into a Smarter 11.0 Product

01 Introduction

Shortly after the 2021 New Year, we began a six‑month research project on 58.com version 11.0, following the previous 10.0 upgrade. The work involved data analysis, business communication, solution planning, implementation, and testing.

02 Field Investigation and Industry Insight

In May 2021 we met with business leaders and discovered that, alongside core services, teams were experimenting with new media such as live streaming, short videos, and content creation to reach users.

New Links

58.com’s live‑stream square connects recruiters and job seekers via live video, allowing direct interaction and faster resume submission. In the rental business, landlords and agents use live streams for property tours, while short videos enrich local life listings, gradually replacing static displays.

New Cognition

Artificial intelligence, AR, and VR are applied across scenarios: VR‑enabled virtual tours for home‑viewing, 360° car inspections, intelligent semantic analysis for customer service, and an AI designer that automates image generation and background removal for advertising.

New Reach

The internally incubated service 58到家精选 targets young users with a dedicated app, aggregating small‑scale home‑service merchants, boosting order volume and reducing management burden for merchants.

New Thinking

We questioned how to surface new capabilities on the homepage—whether through geographic recommendation, persona tags, popular picks, or operational content—while ensuring data‑driven improvements for core metrics.

03 In‑Depth Interviews and Business Insight

Efficiency drives all decisions. The homepage focuses on delivering the right content quickly, relying on recommendation algorithms and natural traffic flow rather than heavy packaging.

Data Flow: Three Areas

High‑flow zone: stable traffic such as the “golden position” and search.

Medium‑flow zone: strong user demand or regular browsing, e.g., information feed.

Low‑flow zone: aggregated recommendations like business cards, local content, games.

Removing low‑flow content can affect overall click‑through rates, which currently account for about 5% of homepage interactions.

04 Lighting the City with Service

Since the 2020 launch of the LOCO Design System, we have upgraded to version 2.0 with the theme “Illuminating Every Person in the City.” The system emphasizes life, people, creativity, and ecosystem, and applies micro‑light design across function, visual, and motion dimensions in version 11.0.

Clear and Fast Service Query

The “golden position” remains the most stable natural traffic area, now enhanced with 3D material and lighting cues to improve recognizability.

Flexible Personalized Quick Entry

We introduced 3D Touch on business entry points to provide hidden yet easy‑to‑learn shortcuts, allowing core users to reach frequently used functions faster and giving businesses flexible content configuration.

Multi‑Dimensional Service Awareness

The original list‑style feed was replaced by a waterfall‑style card layout, expanding its screen share from one‑third to one‑half. This emphasizes high‑ and medium‑flow content (golden position and waterfall) while low‑flow items are embedded within the waterfall as recommendations.

05 Final Reflections

After testing nearly a hundred proposals, we realized that once a feature is launched it rarely disappears, often adding redundant content. When removing such features, we must ensure traffic is redirected wisely, staying focused on clear, difficult‑but‑right decisions.

58.com 11.0 will be fully launched before the 2022 Spring Festival, continuing to focus on core services for job hunting and housing.

We thank all design team members who contributed to this project.