LinkedIn updates

LinkedIn rolls out major redesign

19/10/2020 14:30:24
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Its last major redesign was five years ago when the social media world and technology was quite a different place, so what can we expect to see from LinkedIn’s recent updates and how will they improve the user experience? 
 
LinkedIn explains that its redesign will make the user experience “easy, inclusive, enjoyable, and most importantly put the community front and centre.”

Here we have outlined some of the recent design changes which you will start to notice as they are rolled out across the globe:

Stories

Taking the lead from platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram, which have had stories features for yonks, LinkedIn has followed suit and rolled out its own stories format in a bid to further enable conversations and build virtual communities. Rather than rushing to jump on the stories bandwagon, LinkedIn says it has taken time to understand how the format will fit within a professional context.

LinkedIn stories will allow users to post videos, images or words to their profiles which then disappear after 24 hours. It presents an opportunity for users to connect in an informal way. For example, use it to share your current working from home set up; ask advice on work issues; publicise your product launches or product features.
 
Our verdict? It’s a useful addition and will certainly lighten up the content on LinkedIn, but it may take some people a bit of time to get used to. Primarily, LinkedIn is a professional platform and some may not feel comfortable, yet, to show their less formal side. 

Search 


LinkedIn’s updated search tool will now incorporate more of its functions into the results it shows. Where its search function was previously about finding a person or a job, it will now find all relevant information relating to the search term. For example, if you search for ‘Wordpress’ the search results will include jobs relating to Wordpress, people who have Wordpress as a skill, new learning relating to Wordpress or relevant groups relating to Wordpress etc.
 

Online meetings

 

The start of the Covid-19 pandemic brought about the meteoric rise of the online meeting. So, it’s no wonder that a natural step for LinkedIn was to make it easier for users to start online meetings via their chosen meeting platform such as Zoom or Teams. Accessing through a link in their LinkedIn message thread, users can now start or continue conversations face to face.  


New look


The new design is intended to be warmer, more intuitive and more inclusive as it has been designed to be easier to navigate. LinkedIn is soon to introduce its own ‘dark mode’ to help protect users’ eyes when spending long periods of time looking at computer screens. 
 
Illustrations have been extended across the platform to be more inclusive, showing people with a range of abilities, a wider range of jobs and industries as well as people from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities. In addition, the new ‘open to work’ profile photo frame will allow those looking for work to easily show that they are open to new opportunities. 

With more people working remotely and with reduced opportunities to network in person, there’s no better time to up your LinkedIn presence or incorporate it as part of your social media strategy, if it doesn’t already feature. This latest redesign should help bring you closer to your contacts, make it easier for you to engage with new contacts and make the user experience simpler.

If you’d like to find out more about how you or your business can make the most of LinkedIn read our latest blog, download our free LinkedIn guide or give us a call. 

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