LinkedIn has a new look.
The business social network, which Microsoft acquired last year for $26.2 billion, is rolling out over the coming weeks what it calls the largest desktop redesign since its inception. LinkedIn aims to streamline its site, make it faster, more intuitive and easier to jump between mobile and desktop.
In a blog post, the company said the main page is now designed to function more like a mobile app, with everything shooting off from a single page that doesn’t need to be reloaded constantly. Navigation has been streamlined, with seven categories across the top bar, such as Home, Messaging, Jobs, Notifications, Me, My Network, and Search.
The messaging interface looks a little like Facebook’s and includes several prompts to break the ice. Additionally, if a user is interested in a particular job, LinkedIn said it will find and suggest someone within that person’s network who works for the company to reach out to.
LinkedIn said it has also strengthened the search function, made it easier to see who is engaging with users’ content and added more tips to help users’ profiles stand out.
When Microsoft closed the purchase of LinkedIn in December, it said the company would still handle its own day-to-day operations. One of Microsoft’s main goals was to help speed up growth at LinkedIn, and it seems like supporting projects like this redesign would be part of that.
When the deal closed, Microsoft said it planned to integrate LinkedIn into its products. Here are a couple of the tie-ins Microsoft started pursuing right away:
- LinkedIn identity and network in Microsoft Outlook and the Office suite
- LinkedIn notifications within the Windows action center
- Enabling members drafting résumés in Word to update their profiles, and discover and apply to jobs on LinkedIn
- Developing a business news desk across our content ecosystem and MSN.com
