LinkedIn "Circles"

Linkedin "Circles"

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with more than 600 million users in more than 200 countries worldwide.
As the member's network grows, it can be difficult to remember and properly associate all of the connections.

Project Overview

The aim of this project was to conceptually offer LinkedIn members a way to
organize their connections into custom groups on their mobile app.

Details

Problem

LinkedIn users faced a significant challenge in effectively managing and recalling the details of their ever-expanding network connections. As their networks grew, the lack of a robust grouping feature hindered their ability to organize connections into meaningful categories. This resulted in a chaotic and undifferentiated list of contacts, making it increasingly difficult for users to remember the context in which they connected or the specific situations, such as networking events or conferences, that led to the establishment of those professional connections. The absence of a streamlined solution left users grappling with a disorganized network, compromising the potential for more personalized and meaningful interactions. Recognizing this pain point, our project aimed to introduce a comprehensive grouping feature, addressing the need for users to categorize and contextualize their connections, thereby enhancing their networking experience on LinkedIn.

Objectives

- To introduce a robust grouping feature to empower LinkedIn users in organizing their connections into distinct categories, fostering a more structured and easily navigable network.
- To enable users to attach contextual information to their connections, allowing them to recall specific situations, events, or interactions that led to the establishment of each professional connection.
- To streamline the networking process by providing users with a tool to categorize connections based on commonalities, making it easier to identify and engage with specific subsets of their network for targeted interactions.
- To enhance the overall user experience on LinkedIn by providing a user-friendly and intuitive grouping feature that aligns with users' natural networking behaviors and expectations.

Goals

- To create a grouping feature that users not only use but genuinely love.
- To enhance the overall organization of users' networks, making connections more streamlined and purposeful.
- To collect valuable insights from user feedback, shaping future enhancements based on general sentiment and overall user experience.
- To successfully integrate the grouping feature into users' natural networking behaviors, aligning with their expectations without specifying detailed behavioral changes.
- To improve the discoverability of the grouping feature within the platform, encouraging users to explore and utilize the functionality without specifying specific metrics.

Research

User Interviews

Our user interview phase delved into the diverse experiences and needs of LinkedIn users in managing their professional networks. Engaging with a representative sample of users, we sought to uncover pain points and challenges related to network organization and connection recall. Conversations revolved around users' current strategies for managing connections, the context they found valuable in their networking efforts, and any frustrations encountered. Through these interviews, we gained valuable insights into the nuanced ways users desired to categorize and remember their connections. These candid conversations laid the groundwork for our grouping feature, ensuring it aligns seamlessly with users' natural networking behaviors while addressing their distinct needs. The research phase not only illuminated the gaps in the current networking experience but also paved the way for a solution designed with empathy and user-centricity at its core.

Needs

Users need a system that allows them to organize their growing network efficiently, ensuring easy navigation and management of connections.

Users have a need to remember the context in which they connected with others, such as the specific events or situations that led to the establishment of a professional connection.

There is a need for the grouping feature to be intuitive, requiring minimal effort to understand and utilize, catering to users of varying levels of tech-savviness.

Wants

Users want networking to be a straightforward and streamlined process, facilitated by tools that simplify the complexities of managing a diverse array of professional connections.

There is a desire for the ability to engage with connections in a more personalized manner, utilizing categorized groups to tailor interactions based on shared experiences or contexts.

Users want a visually intuitive system that aids in the quick identification and understanding of different groups within their network, enhancing the overall user experience.

Desires

Users desire a tool that enhances their professional memory, allowing them to recall details about connections effortlessly, fostering a more genuine and meaningful professional relationship.

There is a desire for a networking experience that feels effortless, where the platform not only facilitates connections but also provides tools that make managing and interacting with those connections a seamless part of their professional journey.

Users desire a grouping feature that is adaptable to their unique needs and customizable to reflect the nuances of their professional relationships, allowing for a tailored networking experience.

Proto-personas

Networking Enthusiast - Sally

Background:
Sally is a mid-career professional working in marketing.
She actively participates in industry events and networking functions.
Sally values maintaining a diverse network for professional growth.

Needs:
Organize Connections:
Sally needs a way to organize her growing network efficiently, especially after attending multiple events.
Contextual Recall:
She desires to remember the specific events or situations that led to connecting with each contact.

Wants:
Streamlined Networking:
Sally wants a tool that streamlines her networking efforts, making it easier to follow up and engage with connections based on shared experiences.
Visual Organization:
She wants a visually intuitive feature to quickly identify and categorize contacts by context.

Desires:
Enhanced Professional Memory:
Sally desires a tool that enhances her professional memory, helping her recall details about connections effortlessly and fostering more genuine relationships.

Efficient Connector - Bob

Background:
Bob is a tech entrepreneur with a busy schedule and a large network.
Networking is crucial for Bob, but time efficiency is a top priority.
Bob often connects with professionals at conferences and industry forums.

Needs:
Time-Efficient Organization:
Bob needs a system that efficiently organizes connections, saving time in managing a large and diverse network.
Seamless Integration:
He requires a tool that seamlessly integrates into his natural networking flow, minimizing disruptions.

Wants:
Tailored Interactions:
Bob wants a feature that allows him to tailor interactions based on shared contexts, making networking more purposeful.
Customizable Functionality:
He wants a customizable grouping feature that adapts to his unique networking style.

Desires:
Effortless Networking Experience:
Bob desires a networking experience that feels effortless, where managing connections is as smooth as establishing them, contributing to a more streamlined professional journey.

Solution discovery

The solution discovery phase harnessed the insights garnered from user interviews, propelling us toward the creation of a dynamic grouping feature tailored to meet the unique needs of LinkedIn users. Drawing inspiration from user desires for intuitive functionality and a visually organized network, our team embarked on a collaborative exploration of design possibilities. Whiteboard sessions and iterative prototyping became our compass, guiding us toward a solution that not only simplifies the networking experience but also enhances users' ability to recall and categorize connections effortlessly.

In crafting this feature, we prioritized adaptability, recognizing the desire for a tool that can evolve with the diverse networking styles of our users. The solution seeks to seamlessly integrate into the natural flow of networking on LinkedIn, introducing a layer of organization that complements rather than complicates the user experience. As we move forward, the solution discovery phase stands as a testament to our commitment to user-centric innovation, ensuring that our grouping feature is not just a functional addition but a catalyst for a more personalized, efficient, and enjoyable networking journey on LinkedIn.

User flows

Sketching the flows allowed me to digitalize the wireframes, so we could have a working prototype
for testing. Our team named this new grouping feature: LinkedIn Circles.

Here's the user flow, the current and the future state map that shows how a user gets to the
main screens and what they are looking to accomplish

Design

Wireframes

After rough sketching and studying the research and flows,
I was able to create our initial wireframes.

We decided to use a mid-fidelity prototype, saving time in this step and have more refinement visuals on the second round of test, after focusing on the functionality feedback.

Mid-fi UI designs

We decided to have the pre-populated search feature and the other flow options for V2 and V3 focusing on our MPV which was the Circle creation, adding the connections and notes.

Test

Usability testing

The usability testing phase marked a pivotal moment in refining our grouping feature for LinkedIn users. Through a series of structured tests, we invited participants to interact with the feature, evaluating its navigability, efficiency, and overall user-friendliness. Test goals ranged from assessing task completion success and time metrics to identifying potential errors and gathering user satisfaction feedback.

Participants were prompted to organize their connections, recall contextual information, and customize the grouping feature according to their preferences. The tests not only validated the intuitiveness of our design but also provided crucial insights into user adaptability and the impact on their natural networking behaviors.

Test goals

- To evaluate the overall usability of the grouping feature, ensuring that users can easily understand and navigate the functionality.
- To measure the success rate of users in completing key tasks related to organizing and categorizing connections using the grouping feature.
- To identify any errors or challenges encountered by users during the testing process and assess the effectiveness of error resolution mechanisms within the feature.
- To gather qualitative feedback on user satisfaction, preferences, and any specific pain points or delight factors identified during the testing sessions.
- To measure the discoverability and learnability of the grouping feature, assessing how easily users can find and understand the functionality without explicit guidance.
- To gather insights for iterative improvements, identifying areas where the design can be refined based on user feedback and observations during the testing phase.

Qualitative feedback from users shed light on pain points and delight factors, guiding iterative refinements to enhance the feature's discoverability and learnability. The testing process was not just a validation of our design choices but a dynamic collaboration with users, ensuring that the grouping feature seamlessly integrates into their LinkedIn experience, offering an efficient, enjoyable, and personalized networking journey.

The tests revealed that our scenarios and tasks were too convoluted, and the instructions were hard to follow. In addition, users were confused about parts of the interface, as well as the design of the Circles page. I decided to redesign it to match a system that is more familiar to users.

Design Iterations

New designs were well created, but resolving one issue revealed another. Users had mistaken the “+” icon in the footer for adding a new Circle. In addition, the notes feature was not very clear.

We solved these issues by changing the "posting" icon in the navigation and clarifying the notes feature with UX copy.
I redesigned the notes and circle indicators on the profile page.

We redesigned the invitation sent confirmation page so that it provided a clearer feedback for users and placed the newly requested person with a “pending” status.

On the profile page, we added icons that showed whether or not someone has a note or is in a Circle. Tapping on either icon gives you a preview of the information respectively.

User Comfort and Improved SUS Scores:
The users accomplished the tasks pretty well and smoothly, and we increased the SUS from 60% in the first test to 100% in the third test.

Conclusion

As we bring this project to a close, the evolution of our LinkedIn grouping feature reflects a commitment to enhancing the user experience and fostering more meaningful professional connections. The journey began with a deep dive into user needs and desires, setting the foundation for a feature designed to streamline networking and add a personal touch to connection management.

Through iterative design, testing, and user feedback, we've sculpted a feature that not only meets but exceeds expectations. The positive response from users during testing reaffirms the success of our design choices, emphasizing the feature's intuitive navigation, adaptability, and visually appealing interface.

However, this conclusion marks a checkpoint rather than a final destination. The ongoing collaboration with users, coupled with a dedication to continuous improvement, ensures that our grouping feature remains dynamic and responsive to evolving networking dynamics.

As we transition from development to deployment, the feature's integration into the LinkedIn platform signals a new chapter in users' networking journeys. The success of this project is not just a testament to our design and development prowess but, more importantly, to the synergy between user needs and innovative solutions.

In the spirit of perpetual improvement, our conclusion marks a stepping stone toward future enhancements and refinements. The journey doesn't end here; it transforms into a cycle of feedback, iteration, and evolution, ensuring that the LinkedIn experience remains at the forefront of professional networking.

In closing, the grouping feature encapsulates a commitment to user-centric design, innovation, and a shared vision of making networking on LinkedIn not just efficient but truly enjoyable. We look forward to the continued success of this feature, knowing that its impact will resonate in the ongoing stories of professional connections facilitated and strengthened through our collaborative efforts.

LinkedIn Circles makes it easy to connect with someone and place them into a custom group right at the point of connection.

Quickly type in a personal note to remind you where, how, and why you connected with a certain person.

Was it noteworthy?
Easily see which one of your connections is in a group or has a personal note.

Access those features from their profile page for quick editing.

Find your Circles
No need to tap around looking for extra menu options.

Conveniently get to the Circles page with one of three ways; search, the network page, or from a connection’s profile page.

Learnings

This project has been a dynamic exploration that has not only contributed to the enhancement of LinkedIn's networking capabilities but has also been a rich learning experience. Here are key insights gained throughout this journey:

The emphasis on understanding and empathizing with users' needs is foundational. User-centric design is not a buzzword but a practice that breathes life into innovative solutions.

Simplicity should never be underestimated. A clean and straightforward design not only improves usability but also elevates the overall user experience.

Users appreciate flexibility in design. The ability to customize and adapt features to their unique preferences and networking styles fosters a sense of ownership and personalization.

The project's conclusion is not a finish line but a launchpad for ongoing improvement. A culture of continuous enhancement ensures that the feature evolves with the ever-changing landscape of user needs and expectations.

The passion for creating a feature that genuinely enhances users' professional lives is the driving force behind innovation. It turns challenges into opportunities and keeps the vision clear amidst complexities.
This project is not just a chapter in design and development; it's a story of discovery, growth, and a shared commitment to making professional networking an enriching and enjoyable experience for LinkedIn users. As we carry these lessons forward, we look forward to applying them to future projects, continuously pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the realm of user-centric design.