Since April 2008, I've been a Principal Designer at LinkedIn. Below are some of the projects I have led while there. To see examples from other companies, click the company name on the right.
In 2011 I led the redesign of LinkedIn Events. This was a total reimagining of the product. We starting out by looking at the event lifecycle (before, during, and after), and analyzing the needs to the key user types (organizer, presenter, attendee, and follower). Our key focus was to help organizers promote their event and for participants to network.
Below is a screen capture from the design prototype showing the detail page for an event. Attendees and followers can introduce themselves, ask questions or share information about the event.
Next is a screen capture of the event attendees page. Participants can refine the list using the controls on the left and then reach out to individuals they would like to network with.
During my time at LinkedIn I have had the opportunity to completely redesign the jobs experience - Job Seeker, Hiring Manager, and Recruiter. One of the goals of the redesign was to move the job experience away from the traditional "post and search" model, and more into a service that recommends matches to both the job seeker and the employer.
Below is a screen capture from the Jobs Home Page on LinkedIn. The page is intentionally simple and uncluttered. Notice the section "Jobs you may be interested in". These are recommendations based on what we know about you from your LinkedIn profile, as well as people like you. Because LinkedIn profile data is so rich, we are able to make some very good recommendations.
When a job seeker views a job on LinkedIn, they see how they are connected to the job - that is, who in their network can help them land this job. They can also share the job with others (on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn groups) as well as follow the company.
Matching works both ways. LinkedIn suggests jobs to the job seeker, it also suggests candidate matches to the job poster. Below is a screen capture that shows suggested candidate matches. These matches are based on the job description the job poster created. Each match has a match score, and the recruiter or hiring manager can save the match as well as send a message to the potential candidate.
A LinkedIn profile serves as your professional identify on the web. People conducting web searches for particular skills are able to find and connect with you. Your profile serves as a place for you to tell your professional story. Where did you go to school? Where have you worked? What accomplishments are you most proud of?
A LinkedIn profile overlaps a lot with a resume, so why have both? In 2011 we asked ourselves that same question, and decided there was no reason. We know that most recruiters always look at LinkedIn profiles for candidates, so why not just eliminate the resume and let Job Seekers apply directly with their LinkedIn profile.
In May 2011 we began testing Apply with LinkedIn. Below is a screen capture from the initial version. Someone viewing a job listing on an employer website is given a choice of filling out an application form, or using their LinkedIn profile. When the job seeker chooses to use LinkedIn, a window opens displaying their profile. The user clicks Submit Application and the information is sent directly to the employer - either by email or by ATS integration.
Not surprisingly, the response to Apply with LinkedIn has been overwhelmingly positive. Apply with LinkedIn is a major milestone in the evolution of the professional web.
In addition to the main LinkedIn site (linkedin.com), LinkedIn also has other products. While at LinkedIn I've had the opportunity to redesign one the most popular of these products - LinkedIn Recruiter.
The primary objectives of the redesign were:
· Bring relevant information to the user rather than making them search for it.
· Reduce the amount of space devoted to navigation. Free-up space for page content.
· Bring the design more in line with the recently redesigned LinkedIn consumer site.
· Provide users with information about team members.
· Foster re-use of designs and code between the consumer and recruiter web sites.
Below is a profile viewed in LinkedIn Recruiter. Photos aren't displayed in order to not bias the recruiter. Profiles can be saved to projects and the recruiter can add notes and set reminders (e.g. "Call this candidate on March 7")
Corporate recruiters frequently work on teams. Each profile has a summary of team activity, so that the recruiter knows who has contacted the candidate, and what the current status is.
Below is another example from LinkedIn Recruiter that shows some the the analytics features. Administrators see a roll-up of information across the recruiting team.
Lastly is a closeup of the redesigned Recruiter home page. The home page provides a dashboard of activity relevant to the Recruiter, including team activity across projects.
LinkedIn Recruiter is an indispensable tool for thousands of corporate recruiters. We worked closely with our customer partners in designing the new version. First, we held in-person sessions where we listened to the needs of our users. As we designed the new version we showed it to a sample of our customers and iterated on the design based on their feedback.
Most enterprise software does not have a good reputation a for being easy to use. Our goal was to change this by taking the best of what we had learned from the LinkedIn consumer site and applying it to the needs of corporate users. The response from customers has been very positive. It's not uncommon for us to hear comments like "that sure doesn't look like enterprise software". That makes us smile a lot. We are learning more every day and have lots of additional enhancements planned.
Below are some links with additional information.
· 2011 LinkedIn Recruiter navigation redesign
· 2010 LinkedIn Recruiter homepage redesign.
In 2009 I led the redesign of LinkedIn site navigation - a total revamp of primary, secondary, and tertiary navigation across LinkedIn. This was a massive effort that touched every page on the site. In addition to simplified navigation, the redesign updated the visual style of the site and freed up an additional 30% of screen real estate for page content.
The old persistent left-hand navigation was removed and a new global navigation bar was introduced on the top of the page.
The global navigation bar
The global navigation bar is always available. Menus provide quick access to popular LinkedIn features. For example, the Groups menu has links for finding and creating groups; it also has quick links for the groups you access the most often.
Local Navigation
When the user is in an area of LinkedIn (such as Jobs or Groups) they see local navigation. The major sub areas are in tabs along the top of the page. If the page allows filtering of content (such as Discussions or Search Results) these options are shown on the left.
The redesign process
We began the redesign effort by analyzing how people use LinkedIn. We looked at what features people use the most and pored over several years of usability research on the site. Armed with this information we began doing design explorations of how to better organize LinkedIn features, and make them more convenient to find and use.
We factored into this effort additional features we knew were coming. We narrowed down the designs to a few candidates we felt were strong contenders. We then prototyped these designs and had users perform tasks with the prototypes in the usability lab. We went through numerous iterations until we arrived at a design we felt worked the best. We rolled the design out slowly, first with just a small percentage of users. Gradually we ramped up until we were at 100%
Unlike other websites that have alienated their user base with major changes to the user interface, the LinkedIn navigation redesign was well received by the press and by users.
Below are my posts to the LinkedIn Blog announcing the new design.
· Blog post announcing general availablity of new design.
· Initial blog post announcing testing of the new design.
