True story:

Back in 2016 when I was writing the manuscript for my first book, we were feeling the floor begin to rumble with dozens of adjustments to LinkedIn’s User Experience (UX).

I submitted the manuscript, ahead of schedule, it was edited, designed, proofed, galleyed (is that verb?) and it went to press. Whew.

And then it happened…a major UX change was made.

“YIKES!” I screamed (actually not quite with that clean expletive).

I called the publisher’s CEO to get top level attention and intoned that classic line “stop the presses!” to which he answered, “this had better be a VERY good reason,” and after I told him I did not want my name associated with the last antiquated book on LinkedIn but rather the first good one, they agreed they did not want their name on it either.

I was given 90 days to turn around another manuscript. As LinkedIn slowly rolled out the new version to the membership. And they published my first book, and it still is the first new book on the then-new LinkedIn. Now in second edition (2021), it’s still remarkably relevant to what we use today.

But what about tomorrow?

LinkedIn is so hard to use, has rolled out more enhancements than places to logically locate them, has stuck Groups in the “For Business” tab at the top right (huh??), has so confused the average user that they cringe at the thought of adding something the just found out is newly allowed without knowing where to find it.

Now I want to go on record that really really love the benefit I have enjoyed from using LinkedIn, the beautiful friends and colleagues globally who enrich me and my vision.

Confused ad-hoc placement is not a hallmark of a well-designed platform. I just find it wonky and unwieldy, weird and woefully illogical in design and ease of usage at this point. Due for a remake?

Of course given how they have handled placement of the 160+ changes in 2023 alone, they might just startle us one morning, then roll it globally in its usual ways. Some will have it and some “have nots” will be frustrated.

Do I have any inside information? No. It’s a hunch.

It’s my belief this will happen soon. But when?