LinkedIn updates homepage with modern design

Business-focused social network LinkedIn has put a fresh new face on its homepage, echoing the design aesthetics of Facebook and Google+'s newsfeeds.

The new homepage is easier to use and sports a new "modern" design with richer visuals. It places the most important updates at the top of the feed and presents information in a format that is easier to read.

"We've revamped the entire Homepage experience with a new look and feel to make it easier to scan and find the information that matters most to you," said LinkedIn product manager Caroline Gaffney. "This simpler and cleaner design makes it easier to navigate the page and quickly find the updates you're looking for - whether that's a news article your boss has recently shared or it's to see who has just started a new job."

After launching social gestures such as comments and "likes" last week, LinkedIn's new design hints at the company's desire to move into a social content sharing space alongside social networks like Facebook or Google+. The new social features and richer update stream also position LinkedIn as a place users will visit on a daily basis, instead of being an occasional social network which users visit when they are looking for a job or want to update their CV.

"We've completely refreshed the way updates look and feel in the stream with richer visuals for easier scanning and viewing," said Gaffney. "You can also see a continuous stream of updates without clicking 'see more' to access all the latest updates from your network. It's also easier for you to see what your connections are talking about and engage in these professional conversations by liking, commenting or sharing the updates that are most important to you."

LinkedIn said the homepage changes won't end there. LinkedIn plans to offer additional features including further customization and enhanced functionality later this year.

LinkedIn users should start to see the redesigned website over the next few weeks.