LinkedIn has long been the leading name in professional social networking, but has struggled for years bringing a younger audience into the mix. With just 15% of users under 30 years old, millennial are vastly under-represented on the platform. By redesigning the look and feel of their website & introducing a completely overhauled mobile app, Voyager, LinkedIn has set themselves up to connect the youngest professionals to a community of seasoned LinkedIn networking veterans.
Mobile is the Key
LinkedIn's mobile application has been a pretty good user experience up to this point. The problem has always been with keeping users engaged for longer than a few minutes. Personally, I'd pop the app open, accept a few connection requests, read a news article or two about Apple (probably one of only a handful brands on my feed), and that was it. There was almost no attention-grabbing content from my peers, and even less from the companies I followed.
With the redesign, LinkedIn brought to my attention what I was doing wrong with their platform. I wasn't following enough and I wasn't sharing enough (essentially, the core of social media). As soon as I pulled up the new interface, LinkedIn walked me through finding more content to populate my feed. They made it so convenient too. Taking a hint from some of the greatest new apps (Tinder & Apple Music come to mind), LinkedIn began using "swipes" as a main form of user input. More importantly, your first introduction to this interface came in the form of a preference center where you customize your interests. Within a few minutes I had begun following some major Influencers in the Tech, Marketing & Entrepreneurial fields.
Preference centers are amazing for big data companies that want to paint a picture of their users. Site like Facebook have it easy when we spend all of our time "liking" things that interest us. However, in a business format, we're more likely to congratulate peers on new jobs than focus on the company they're joining. By introducing industries and Influencers in groups of five, we're able to quickly tell LinkedIn what we want to see and skip what we don't. Just like most internet radio stations, they're now constantly filtering for the most unique user experience.
With so many options for social interaction, these streamlined customizations do wonders for new user acquisition. Being able to interact on mobile is a necessity in today's market, and Voyager could be the much needed push to bridge the gap between young professionals and the existing LinkedIn community.
With the redesign, LinkedIn brought to my attention what I was doing wrong with their platform. I wasn't following enough and I wasn't sharing enough (essentially, the core of social media). As soon as I pulled up the new interface, LinkedIn walked me through finding more content to populate my feed. They made it so convenient too. Taking a hint from some of the greatest new apps (Tinder & Apple Music come to mind), LinkedIn began using "swipes" as a main form of user input. More importantly, your first introduction to this interface came in the form of a preference center where you customize your interests. Within a few minutes I had begun following some major Influencers in the Tech, Marketing & Entrepreneurial fields.
Preference centers are amazing for big data companies that want to paint a picture of their users. Site like Facebook have it easy when we spend all of our time "liking" things that interest us. However, in a business format, we're more likely to congratulate peers on new jobs than focus on the company they're joining. By introducing industries and Influencers in groups of five, we're able to quickly tell LinkedIn what we want to see and skip what we don't. Just like most internet radio stations, they're now constantly filtering for the most unique user experience.
With so many options for social interaction, these streamlined customizations do wonders for new user acquisition. Being able to interact on mobile is a necessity in today's market, and Voyager could be the much needed push to bridge the gap between young professionals and the existing LinkedIn community.
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