Officially part of the Microsoft family for over a month, LinkedIn today unveiled what it called its biggest redesign since the site’s launch in 2003. The new look aims to make LinkedIn simpler, more intuitive and faster to use.
Comments about the new look so far range from “Facebook-like” to “less confusing” to “no longer terrible” (the last one coming from The Wall Street Journal).
In the works long before Microsoft closed on its $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn in December, the redesign was described last fall by vice president of product Ryan Roslansky as “the foundation for our future.” The new look doesn’t reveal any fresh integration with Microsoft, but does add new features such as real-time messaging, a refreshed content feed, an all-in-one search box and improved suggestions for users.
Emphasis on ‘Conversations and Content’
“[T]his desktop redesign brings conversations and content to the heart of the platform, so you can more easily share ideas, join a discussion, and discover news and topics you care about,” director of engineering Chris Pruett wrote today on the LinkedIn blog. “These changes put more emphasis on helping you be more productive and stay ahead in your career.”
The emphasis on conversations “you care about” is certainly Facebook-like. However, LinkedIn’s updated content feed is produced “[w]ith a combination of algorithms and human editors working together,” Pruett noted. Facebook came under considerable criticism after firing its team of human editors last year, a move many blamed for the spread of “fake news” in the leadup to November’s presidential election.
Rolling out to users over the coming weeks, LinkedIn’s new look also features a streamlined navigation bar and more easily refined searches covering people, jobs, companies, groups and schools. Further filtering will be possible when the site adds the ability to search posts as well as…