LinkedIn Contact Management Proposal, UXDi
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The document outlines proposed new features for LinkedIn's mobile app aimed at enhancing contact management for users, focusing on identifying whom to contact and when. User research highlighted the need for simplification and better organization of contacts, leading to the development of a 'shortlist' feature to prioritize important connections. The aim of these features is to improve user engagement and streamline the networking experience on the platform.
LinkedIn Contact Management Proposal, UXDi
- 1. LINKEDIN CONTACT MANAGEMENT Proposed new features for the LinkedIn Mobile App by Linda Joy Javier Abanses Valentina Kogan Karl Scott A project for UXDi Winter 2014 " at General Assembly, NYC
- 2. LinkedIn LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network, with 280 million users worldwide in 200 countries! ! Their mission is to connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful. !
- 3. The Brief Mobile use is increasing, but LinkedIn wants to continue to push its growth. Specifically, they want to add contact management features to the app. ! Objectives ! Help users determine: • Who to contact • When to contact them • How effective their outreach is • Create a minimum viable product to serve ! those needs
- 4. DISCOVERY Business Goals and User Research
- 5. Business Model • Over half of LinkedIn’s revenue comes from paid recruitment tools. • But most LinkedIn users aren’t actively job hunting • Most are “Explorers” or “Tiptoers”: Employed but open to good opportunities Business Goals Keep the talent pool engaged, to serve their recruiter clients Push mobile use Brand Goals Top Professionals Vital Service Smart Helpful Talent Solutions Advertising Paid Subscriptions
- 6. Current Contact Management • New desktop features • New “LinkedIn Contacts” app creates a “to do” for each connections job change, work anniversary, and birthday • Reminders, Notes & Tags They’re already offering a fair bit of contact management… So, how will we make it better?
- 7. User Research Method! We used Quantcast, SEC Filings and LinkedIn’s own blog to uncover as much as possible about LinkedIn users Findings! • Demographics: affluent, 25-55, college graduates, and male • They have a lot of contacts (over 50% have more than 300 contacts) • About half spend 2+ hours a week on LinkedIn, the rest spend 0-2 hours Source: SocialMediaToday.com
- 8. The Talent Pool According to LinkedIn, 44% of working professionals are “Explorers” – not looking for a job but open to good opportunities Source: LinkedIn Talent Blog A further 15% are “Tiptoers” – considering a job change but only reaching out to close connections
- 9. Surveys & Interviews Method! We surveyed 40 users on their LinkedIn behaviors and professional goals, and interviewed 6 in-depth. Findings! • Main grievance: too much going on! • But all find value in LinkedIn • Don’t want to disconnect from annoying/ irrelevant contacts.. “Just in case” • Most don’t manage their contacts (at all) • Unaware new contact management features Opportunities Identified! • Need to simplify things so that users can actually enjoy using an app that they value
- 10. Personas Method! We organized and re-organized the attitudes and behaviors we uncovered in our interviews into patterns Findings! We uncovered 4 user personas to start, but soon realized we had two main user types to serve: proactive and passive explorers Opportunities Identified! We can focus our efforts!
- 11. Dina The Tiptoer 29 year-old project manager at Red Shift a digital post-production firm in Providence, RI I love my job, but I want to be ready for my next big thing. Attributes Tech savvy Goals Motivations Tries to stay organized, but very busy –Stay open to job opportunities –Financial success Always on a look out for new connections / opportunities –Build successful future –Professional Success –Keep network healthy –Personal Satisfaction Already reaching out a bit to close contacts about career opportunities –Make useful connections Checks in with LinkedIn regularly Engagement & Activities Frustrations Behavior Computer: iMac. High use at work and home –There's a lot if noise in feed (but she skims and finds what she needs) –Adds new connections often –Hard to keep track of everyone –Difficult to maintain relationships long-term –Tries to manage contacts, but can’t keep up –Doesn’t find LinkedIn intuitive –Likes, comments and messages Mobile: iPhone and iPad. Fluent, but not a power user. –Collects interesting people –Uses app to respond to invites,quickly skims feed (occasionally). –Researches companies
- 12. Nick Passive Explorer Late 30s. Networking is necessary evil. Back-end engineer at Unroll.me (email management startup), a small, 8-people company in New York City. Attributes Doesn’t see himself as much of a people person. Sees himself as a good developer, and part of that is going to workshops on new software and technology. Goals Motivations –Get a good job that he likes –Professional Respect –Stay connected to contacts –Personal Satisfaction –Stay open to opportunities Also goes to a local tech meetup. It’s such a relaxed setting that talking to new people is easy, even for an introvert like him (free beer helps with that.) Engagement & Activities Frustrations Behavior Computer: Macbook Pro Mobile: Android power user. –Refers to LinkedIn as “bad Facebook with ties” –Mostly just responds to requests –Feed is useless. –Barely looks at the feed –A lot of things are either not meaningful or not intuitive. –Occasionally adds people he meets –Too many notifications. –Hard to trust (not enough transparency). –Prefers Twitter for industry updates
- 13. User Goals Nick Passive Explorer Late 30s. Back-end engineer at Unroll.me (email management startup) Networking Dina Nick is necessary evil. “The Tiptoer” “The Explorer” It’s a small, 8-people company in New York City. Attributes Sees himself as a good developer, and part of that is going to workshops on new software and technology. vations Goals Motivations –Stay open to job opportunities –Research companies for future job opportunities • Build successful career Also goes to a local tech meetup. It’s such a relaxed setting that talking to new cial success people is easy, even for an introvert like him (free beer helps with that.) –Stay connected to contacts • Not actively looking, but –Stay current with industry updates. wouldn’t mind a dream job finding him • Ready for the next big thing, ssional Success Doesn’t see himself as much of a people nal Satisfaction person. already quietly reaching out to Frustrations close connections Engagement & Activities Behavior • Doesn’t want to waste time on Computer: Macbook Pro, running Parellels for Windows at work. Carries it home after work. avior –Looks like LinkedIn is trying to be Facebook, (and a poor version of that). –Always responds to requests –Feed is useless. Mobile: –Occasionally adds people he meets –A lot of things are either not meaningful or not intuitive. –Reads Twitter for industry updates • Stay connected to quality Android power user. s new connections contacts cts interesting people –Too many notifications. –Hard to trust (not enough transparency). ages and organizes contacts acts with contacts (occasional ents and messages) • Stay in touch with past app to respond to invites,quickly feed (occasionally). arch companies “boring Facebook” –Barely looks at the feed –Occasionally tweets himself (mostly re-tweets) • Uses LinkedIn because out of obligation
- 14. Primary Solution: The Shortlist The Shortlist! • Your most important contacts – your best alliances and your inspirations, the people you hope will be good resources in the future • Self-selected, but LinkedIn offers suggestions Benefits! • Now Nick and Dina’s feeds are more manageable and they focus on who to contact, and when.
- 15. Secondary Solutions Feature Benefits Filter Feed By Post Type See just the types of updates you’re interested in – less noise Filter Connections by field, company, and location Find the specific contacts you’re looking for without having to rely on a user-generated tagging system. Sort Connections by last contacted Helps Dina see who she hasn’t contacted in a while, so she can meet her goal of keeping her network active and healthy
- 17. Sketches • We created a “hotlist” feature – to target users’ best alliances and inspirations • Users like the hotlist idea – not the name • Inputting tags/notes/reminders is too much • Added filtering to feed and contacts work for most. Will leverage know data instead (endorsements, main industry) • Incorporated new desktop features (tagging, reminders, notes, how we met)
- 18. Digital Sketches • Feed navigation is getting too busy, so we’ll • Need to make adding to hotlist as easy as remove “Top Stories” banner • iOS 7 patterns aren’t so intuitive for users possible • Need a “hide” feature in addition to hotlist • Still need a better name than hotlist!
- 19. Axure Prototype • Replaced “Hotlist” with “Shortlist” • Shortlist feed vs Shortlist list confusion • Discovered UI inconsistencies • Improved hierarchy issues in text Link to Prototype • Path to shortlist feed should be shorter
- 20. Summary We’ve helped users: • Determine who to contact and when to contact them by helping them to target and keep track of their best contacts. • Easily filter out noise from less important connections • Leverage known data to filter contacts, rather than generating their own • We haven’t found a way to give feedback on how effective their outreach is, but we believe they will feel their outreach is more effective
- 21. THANK YOU! Be sure to find us on LinkedIn and add us to your Shortlist!