LinkedIn Redesign Review
28 Feb, 2008
I’ve been a LinkedIn member for several years, but it’s a social networking website that I rarely visit or use. Frankly, I didn’t get it. Tasks like updating a profile, which should be simple to do, always left me perplexed. My interactions with the site generally consisted of accepting requests (via email) to join people’s networks. To date, I’ve amassed a total of 84 LinkedIn connections, but overall the site provided me with little value. Many of my colleagues have expressed a similar lack of regard for the utility of the site.
Today, LinkedIn publicly revealed a new user interface that attempts to improve on the poor UX many of us have experienced with the website in the past. A lot of what LinkedIn has changed resembles other social networking/social media UI designs; do the enhancements work for the online community of business professionals?
LinkedIn Visitor User Experience
A new visitor to the LinkedIn website is presented with a fairly high-level description of the website’s services. The three services that are prominently featured include connecting with colleagues & classmates, job seeking and expert advice. There is a link for users who want more detailed information, but I have a feeling that the vast majority of people who come to the site have at least an idea of its purpose—many were likely solicited to come to the site via an email invitation from a LinkedIn member. The registration call to action is clear and well-placed on the page.
LinkedIn Member Dashboard
Enough about the visitor page; the real design changes took place for the registered users! A few improvements immediately stand out:
- The navigation has been refined. Gone are the tabs; replaced by a Flickr-style drop-down navigation menu. It’s visually appealing and simple.
- Many of the most commonly used features are now easily accessed via the left sidebar. There are expandable menus that reveal direct links to a user’s Profile, Contacts, Inbox and Groups.
3. Another feature of the left sidebar is the status update—anyone who uses Facebook will recognize that LinkedIn has appropriated the idea. - Facebook users will also see similarities to the main content area featuring Network Updates; Facebook calls this a News Feed, and it’s part of what makes Facebook so sticky.
- LinkedIn has also borrowed from several sites that use small, customizable content modules which they currently feature in the lower-right area of the homepage.
Overall, this is a step in the right direction for LinkedIn. I love the Profile Views feature which informs users about who and how many visitors viewed their profile page. Additionally, the Network Updates will help change the paradigm of the website and encourage users to engage more with members of their network. Profile editing has lost its mystery—a big plus. There are also featured news items geared directly to a member’s interests and affiliations.
On the down side, there is an awful lot of content vying for my attention. I think that new users will still be a bit perplexed as to how to interact with the various features of the site. I’m also not seeing a lot of originality. LinkedIn is looking to other successful Web 2.0 style websites and taking bits and pieces. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but there is also something to be said about innovation in this space.
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