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How can we increase the value and impact of users’ time on LinkedIn?
My group & I started research into LinkedIn use together. We then separated for the design aspect of this venture.
Project Team - Ezra, Jacob, Lenna, Sara - UX/UI Researchers
Role - UX/UI Designer and Team Researcher
UX - Surveys, Interviews, Usability Testing, Affinity Mapping, Building Personas, Key Insight Extraction, Project Organisation, Value Propositioning
UI - usability testing, prototyping
Tools - Figma
WE DON'T LINGER ON
Learning about LinkedIn
The aim of our project was to select a client where we could present real solutions for improvement. All of our team had LinkedIn, and as UX aspirers there’s a lot to be said about LinkedIn connections. However, we weren’t loving using the platform, infact, after talking for 3 minutes, we found out that we spent less than that amount of time on LinkedIn at a time.
Users don’t feel engaged with LinkedIn
However, see it as
a valuable workplace tool.
Weekly LinkedIn check-ins last less than 5 minutes
On the search for others’ sentiments on the matter we discovered that over 50% of our interviewees (16) and survey participants(64) engage with LinkedIn at least once a week. However they spend less than 5 minutes on the platform at a time. There is scope for increasing the time spent on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is a useful workplace tool
We found out that nearly 60% of survey participants(38/64) found LinkedIn to be a useful tool for keeping up to date with their industry. Group discussion of our interviews led us to our driving question. How could we increase LinkedIn traffic, through relevant and interesting industry information?
How can we make personas linger longer?
Based on the survey results, a primary and secondary personas were created. Both personas have the same primary goal, to learn about the industry they are hoping to go into. The first being Sophie (industry explorer), who mostly uses LinkedIn to facilitate her career change, by investigating which industries she might be suited to. Nick (pro diver) on the other hand already knows what industry he is going into, however as he has little professional background, he wants to do everything he can to connect with, and learn about professionals in his desired industry.
CONTENT
and
CONNECTION
Providing Personas with a reason to Linger on LinkedIn
What can I provide them, to give LI that engagement, interest and spark they’re looking for?
What treasures can I bring to Nick and Sophie? The principle value points I decided to target, were that of helping LI users find content and connections they are genuinely interested in, through filtration and upgraded ways to learn about industries.
What do I want their quest to look like?
Determining a persona’s ideal state, is a bit like mapping out a perfect quest. How could I design their quest? and in turn design tools to improve the experience of this said quest. The following depicts the users’ ideal state using the tools I had come up with.
Added features and validated design choices
Emma, why & how will you build these features and validate these design choices? I collated these initial design ideas into a rough feature list.
First Prototypes tell of failed introductions
Feedback from initial usability tests prompted me to understand that overall, the concept made sense, and that the problems could be solved with the prototype. However the structure and flow of the app was unclear, cluttered and confusing at times.
1. Initial users were confused with ZipBot, Zippy didn’t introduce themselves properly in the messaging introduction.
2. The users were also uncertain as to how to interact with the livestreams, and how to select one conveniently.
Introducing Zippy, ties together the LinkedIn experience
With the later tests I included an appropriately introduced Zippy which helped to build an engaging live stream platform. This facilitates connection with others with similar interests and promotes relevant chatter on the page - we had found success. I tested my more final prototype on 5 lucky participants, all of which completed the assigned tasks of finding a stream to watch within 2 minutes. All participants had LinkedIn accounts, but used them rarely.
What’s the point of all this? 3 key takeaways
The first key problem with LinkedIn was that people who have linkedIn don’t use it often, although they consider it an important platform in keeping up to date with their industries.
1. Users get to engage with a functional chatbot to create their preferences, and have a sense of connection with LinkedIn and nostalgia to Clippy - NOW ZIPPY - much more LinkedIn
2. Connect through Mutual Interest
3. This format allows for Sophie, and Nick to learn about industries they are hoping to move into, making connections along the way!
Participants said they’d be more likely to use LinkedIn with these features!
The outcomes of this project included participants expressing their interest in these features, as well as general comments about these additions making LinkedIn “more fun and personable”. Who knows, maybe LinkedIn can read this someday?
"It's hard to learn & make friends as an adult"
- ability to create mechanism for relevant and timely feedback
- a passion for collaboration and learning
- capability to leverage existing solutions and enhance the experience for users and organisers
- enthusiasm for engaged inclusion
In the year 2019, I noticed that most of my friends were comfortable socialising in very specific spaces, and with very specific people. When I saw the same groups of people in new environments, they weren't engaged and open. Sounding familiar?
I spent time talking to them about these observations with the intention of trying to understand, Why?
That the way young adults in Sydney interact has changed a lot. The following table shows a selection of ways that humans have been creating social connection and learning from each other for centuries alongside a perspective on their purpose and following insights.
I used these insights to help me form a "core purpose" for what I was trying to achieve through this project.
Many people struggle with finding engaging and enjoyable ways to socialize and learn new things, leading to feelings of boredom, isolation, and disconnection.
1. The number of people in attendance
2. The feedback received after the event
3. External group confirmation - finding another group who have been on a similar journey
4. Branching out with audience and venue (Music Festivals, Fishburners, UTS StartUps)
I conducted light interviews, and then started conducting PowerPoint Parties in an initial agile format. Before each event, I would ask those attending and participating, "How can we set you up for success?"
After each event, I would ask those present and presenting "What could be different and/or better?" with the aspiration of taking on active feedback to enhance the experience for the next users.
1. So far we've started with a group of about 15 - 20 in the audience, with 8 presenters. All of the presenters were part o the audience as well.
2. The second PowerPoint Party was smaller, with 10 audience and 10 presenters.
3. The 3rd PowerPoint Party then grew, with 30-35 attendees and 9 presenters, which included trivia and active feedback measures. After receiving feedback rom participants. I decided to decrease the number o activities, to focus on the core purpose of social learning.
4. The 4th PowerPoint party was about 40-50 audience members with 12 presenters at a venue in Sydney.
5. The 5th Major PowerPoint party was at Dragon Dreaming 2021, a music festival near Canberra. There was between 60-100 attendees at the PowerPoint Party on the Sunday evening, with very positive feedback. "Just what I needed to break up this hectic event" with 4000 attendees at the festival. Included is a piece of feedback from social media.
"This is possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen. Just happened to be walking past to go to main stage at @dragon_dreaming_festival to see (my friends) delivering a presentation about I have no idea. Legit crying with laughter, as you can hear at the end"
A PowerPoint party is a simple yet effective way to solve the user problem of "not finding it easy to socialize and learn new things". By creating a fun and supportive environment that encourages creativity, humor, and learning, participants can connect with each other and expand their knowledge in a low-pressure setting. Whether in a social or professional context, a PowerPoint party can be a valuable tool for improving communication skills, building relationships, and fostering a sense of community.
Below is a small selection of the wonderful slides we've seen so far...
Improving User Experience for the Mobile Platform
A stock trading platform is a complex and technical tool that requires a high level of user skill and understanding. However, users find it difficult to navigate on mobile, choosing instead the desktop view, leading to lowered use rate, due to the increase of mobile phone usage.
Secondary research focus: younger users view the platform as being outdated and "for mature traders".
- stakeholder management and communication
- discussion guide writing
- running usability testing
- moderating Interviews
- writing reports
- providing recommendations
For this project, my team and myself decided to conduct a usability testing cycle. We used a structured and iterative process of testing and evaluating the platform's user interface and functionality with real users. By observing and analyzing user behavior and feedback, the platforms can be improved in terms of usability, desirability and efficiency.
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The client has continued to engage with us to ensure success for their platform.
The stock trading team conducted a series of usability testing cycles over a period of six months, involving a total of 41 users of different trading experience. The testing revealed several key issues that were impacting user experience, including the desirability of certain communication types and presentation of foreign exchange rates. Many participants were desktop-first, and let us know in the pre-screen and at the beginning of the interview, we tested with both mobile and desktop views to understand barriers in each. The team made design and development changes based on the insights and recommendations. The testing cycles showed significant improvements in user satisfaction, engagement, and ease of use in the platform, leading to increased user adoption and retention. We were also able to provide ways for the platform to 'future-proof' their engagement with users through the generative questions to provide regular and engaging updates to the platform.
Users who traditionally preferred the desktop view of the platform, were excited and motivated to try the platform on mobile after they were presented with the mobile prototypes. The majority of these participants commented that they would use the mobile platform instead of the desktop view or alongside it. This demonstrates that the rate of mobile use can be leveraged to increase the desirability with thorough user testing.
Usability testing cycles are a crucial component of improving the user experience and satisfaction of a stock trading platform. By involving real users in the design and development process, the platform can be optimized to meet their needs, preferences, and behaviors. Through a structured and iterative testing approach, the design team has identified and addressed usability issues, improved functionality, and enhanced the overall user experience. By investing in usability testing cycles, the international stock trading platform has differentiated itself from competitors and can continue their strong holding in the market
