LinkedIn's big desktop redesign is finally here
LinkedIn's big redesign has finally arrived.
The company is rolling out the redesigned version of its website, which adds new messaging and search features, a revamped feed and a simplified design that the company says makes the site easier to navigate.
The new look, which the company first previewed last year, is meant to bring the professional networking's desktop site in line with its mobile app, which was given a similar redesign last year. It features more streamlined navigation, with simplified tabs for accessing the different sections of the site.
The site should also be much faster, thanks to behind the scenes engineering improvements, says Chris Pruett, senior director of engineering at LinkedIn. "It's much more fluid and snappy than the old site. It's designed more like an application... which allows us to build a much faster site," Pruett tells Mashable.
The update also gives the site's search feature a boost. Users are now able to search for profiles, jobs and companies directly from the site's main search bar, rather than navigating to a different section of the site. LinkedIn says posts to its feed will soon also be brought into the new search features making it a true universal search.
Speaking of the feed, LinkedIn says it has tinkered with the feed's algorithims to make it more personalized and relevant to each user. The company also plans to add new ways for users to browse specific topics they are interested in from the feed.
Finally, LinkedIn has revamped its messaging feature so that messages can be accessed from a chat-style pane while looking at other parts of the site. This will also recommend connections to message based on whatever you're looking at. (If you're looking at a job post and know someone who works at that company for example, it will recommend that connection.)
More than a much-needed facelift, the site's redesign is significant because it enables LinkedIn's engineers to make future updates and other tweaks at a much faster pace, Pruett says. It also helps lay some of the groundwork for the more AI-focused features the company has planned now that it's part of Microsoft.
One such feature is a new messaging bot that will help users automatically schedule meetings and find places to meet. That feature, also previewed during last year's event, is expected "soon," according to the company.
Topics LinkedIn
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
