Recently saw Linkedin website update with various changes to simplify and clean up the interface. I think the front page is a great new look and for most users who use linkedin for reading about connections and companies, connecting and the odd search for an ex-colleague or future employee it is fine.
For those who use linkedin for the group and company page things just got a little harder. Gone are the days of having your group and company on the main page now you have to hunt through the menu to find it, add a post and then promote it. This also means that users will be less inclined to seek out groups and companies as they no longer appear in side menus or sidebars but in the More menu make interaction less likely. Gone are your interests and other easy to use menus, you now thrust into MS style ribbon with icons and a Notifications bell that seems to go off everytime I login into Linkedin.
The main irritation of the updated design is that they only revised some pages and the rest of the site is the old design (groups, etc) which is common a practice for Linkedin as they rarely update more than one page design at a time, whereas when other social media sites announce a revised design it goes through the entire site. Â How is it an irritation? If you go to groups page in the More menu your sent off into a new browser tab and then if you select settings or other menu cog menu item you are shown the old LinkedIn menu (text no icons).
I like Linkedin and also will but I find it strange that for a social company of its size and now with the backing of Microsoft that they can’t get it together to revise the brand and design throughout the whole site. They need to loose the startup mentality and mature into a company that serves its customers not vice-versa.