UX Case Study · Redesign · Mobile · Progressive Disclosure

LinkedIn

Job Post Redesign — Progressive Disclosure for Faster, More Confident Browsing

Restructuring LinkedIn's mobile job post information architecture — improving scanability, reducing cognitive load, and keeping candidates on platform without disrupting the recruiter workflow.

Role
Sole UX Researcher & Designer
Timeline
July–Aug 2024 · 6 weeks
Scope
Discovery → Usability Testing
Tools
Figma · Asana · Zoom · Google Forms
9/9
Participants validated the sectioned layout
9/9
Wanted multi-open accordions — V2 enabled
6 wks
Discovery → Usability Testing → Iteration
Problem→ Comp. Audit→ User Interviews→ Key Findings OST→ User Flows Crazy 8s→ Wireframes Prototype V1→ Usability Testing→ Iteration→ Final Design
01 — Problem Statement

Users are leaving LinkedIn — and saying why

LinkedIn's mission is to help users find jobs that match their needs, skill sets, and experience. But customers are struggling due to disorganized, inconsistent job posts — causing frustration and pushing them to competitor sites. Goal: introduce accordion-style design so candidates can browse the information that matters to them, increasing retention through higher applicant engagement.

"The job post just feels so busy and each is laid out differently."

Jamie L.

"I used another site and the job posts were so organized. I really don't use LinkedIn anymore."

Drew C.

"The current layout of LinkedIn feels like the information is just dumped there."

Charlie M.
02 — User Interviews · Key Findings

6 interviews · 45–60 min · Zoom

quality
4/6
Left due to poor information quality

Lack of thorough or accurate information — not competitor features — drove users away.

  • Inadequate descriptions
  • Incorrect information
Improve quality → improve retention
trust
2/6
Use LinkedIn as primary platform

Others prefer Indeed, Otta, Glassdoor, and company websites — LinkedIn is backup, not default.

  • Poor job tracking
  • Unclear ranking
Clarity builds competitive trust
security
4/6
Disheartened by scams & fakes

Scam calls, fake interviews, and fraudulent postings damaged trust and dampened motivation.

  • Fake postings
  • Security concerns
Security validates the experience
→

Core insight: The problem isn't missing content — it's organization. Users aren't missing information; they can't efficiently access what's already there.

03 — Define · OST & User Flows

Mapping pain points to design opportunities

OST
Outcome

Increase applications submitted vs. job post views.

Opportunity

Users struggle to browse lengthy, disorganized job posts efficiently.

Solution

AI parses job post content into accordion sections. Job poster workflow unchanged.

Why Progressive Disclosure

Shows essentials first, reveals details on demand — reduces cognitive load without removing content.

User Flow — Zero Added Friction
User Flow
Accordion tap reduces total interaction count vs. continuous scroll on mobile
04 — Develop · Crazy 8s & Wireframes

From sketches to hi-fi screens

Crazy 8s
Crazy 8s — rapid ideation in marker
Pattern exploration
Digital pattern exploration within LinkedIn's design system
Before → After

The layout now keeps both mobile screens in the same visual system: the current long-scroll experience is shown as a constrained phone preview, while the redesigned accordion concept is presented as the annotated design handoff.

Current — Linear Scroll
Current layout

"Information just dumped there"

Redesigned — Annotated Hi-Fi
Annotated redesigned wireframe

Developer-annotated accordion architecture for implementation handoff

05 — Usability Testing & Iteration

9 tests · unanimous on the accordion

Layout & UX
9/9
Accordion made it easier to find info
"It's nice I don't have to scroll through tons of information. I can go right to what I'm looking for."
Accordion Usability
9/9
Wanted multi-open sections
"I like opening multiple tabs. I'm interested in browsing all that information."
IA Issue Found
7/9
Unclear what's inside each section
"What's the difference between Job Description and More Job Details?"
Priority Order
6/9
Requirements, Salary & Benefits first
"I always pictured Requirements and Responsibilities as the same thing."
Design Iterations — Traceable to Test Findings
→Removed company information to focus entirely on improving job-specific content layout.
→Combined related sections — Requirements & Responsibilities merged, Salary & Benefits consolidated.
→Reordered sections to reflect user priority: Requirements → Responsibilities → Salary.
→Enabled multi-open accordions — all 9 participants wanted to browse multiple sections simultaneously.
V2 — Iterated Design
V2 — sections reordered, merged, multi-open enabled · interactive prototype

Less is more

Users need less information — but it must be the right information at the right time. Showing everything at once is not thoroughness; it's noise.

Progressive disclosure works

Accordion interfaces effectively manage complex information hierarchies. All 9 participants preferred the sectioned layout — unanimous validation.

Consistency matters

Standardized formatting is as important as content quality. Inconsistency erodes trust before a word is read.

AI as an enabler

Machine learning can solve UX problems without disrupting existing workflows. The recruiter's experience remains untouched.

Want to discuss this project?

I'd love to walk through my research process, design decisions, and usability testing insights.

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