3 March 2008
Professional social network LinkedIn has recently unveiled a series of changes to its homepage and added a new system of navigation.
Navigation
The most noticeable change is that LinkedIn has replaced the previous tab-style header with a number of drop-down menus:
The style of drop-down tabs used on the LinkedIn site could benefit greatly from being designed as permanent links. The current menu redesign is incredibly fiddly and causes several accessibility issues.
On the positive side, LinkedIn has kept the number of options to a minimum. The menu also stays on even when you move the cursor away, which makes it slightly easier to use.
The new navigation style has been pushed out across the entire site, which ensures a consistent look:
Widgets
Having launched a developer platform in December, LinkedIn has now added more widgets to the site. The platform is more limited than other social networks', and new widgets need to match the ethos of the site.
As well as the related news module on the homepage, a customisable widget on the right hand side displays LinkedIn Answers related to your industry, as well as potential contacts and jobs.
Profile snapshot
On the left of the homepage, LinkedIn now gives users a snapshot of their profiles, giving information on current number of contacts, as well as allowing users to display their current status:
Traffic to the professional network has been greatly increased. LinkedIn currently has around 20 million monthly users.
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