Get Together
Competitive Analysis
To build a better solution, I looked at the pros and cons of LinkedIn’s current product, as well as that of a direct and indirect competitor—Shapr and Meetup. I focused on how people use these tools to expand their network and whether it’s done online or in person.
ProLinkedIn is a popular and familiar company so any new feature would be an extension of its existing product and won’t require extensive user acquisition and orientation.
ConThere’s no way to meet new people. Users can search for people but building a relationship requires several steps—the other person to accept the connection request, to respond to the message, and then to agree to meet.
ProUsers who use Shapr intend to expand their network so the likelihood of meeting in real life is much higher.
ConThis model of networking mirrors dating apps. Employing the same user flow (swipe, match, and chat) makes the experience feel unprofessional and blurs the line between personal and professional.
ProEvents are better for engaging in meaningful interactions and Meetup helps users discover events based on their interests.
ConThe online experience lacks a robust social aspect. Users can only interact with each other in limited ways before an event and can't connect after an event without using aseparate social network.
Get Together helps professionals discover and connect with new people rather than people they already know.
1. Help users connect with other people with similar interests and goals
2. Encourage meeting in person by promoting events relevant to their interests
I accomplish this in two steps: By promoting an actionable activity after connecting online, the user should feel less overwhelmed about “real-life networking” because they’ll have a companion to attend the event with.
Adhering to LinkedIn’s design system, I housed this feature inside the Dashboard. By making it an opt-in feature, users who choose to use it will enter with the intention of meeting new people, which should discourage empty connections.
When accessed for the first time, the user is asked to fill out their preferences. Designing the Interests section was particularly challenging because I needed to communicate to the user that the solution is not only asking for the traits that they possess but also for the traits of the people they want to meet.
If the user has two or more years of experience, the mentor option is enabled and turning it on adds a badge to their profile. This indicator lets young professionals see who is available to provide advice and allows experienced professionals the opportunity to show that they are willing to help.
Discover People is the core component of Get Together. Here is where the user can discover relevant people to start building a relationship with. The people shown here are based on the preferences the user set in the onboarding flow with the added personalization of showing people most similar to the user. Instead of implementing the “swipe, match, chat” flow, I decided to display multiple people to keep it professional.
The profile contains information specific to Get Together and is where I start promoting events as a way to meet in real life. I make it as easy as possible for the user to make plans by providing suggestions based on mutual interests and prioritizing any event where the other party indicated they were interested in attending.
Tapping “Start Conversation” opens a chat with a panel displaying the same suggested events as previous screens. This not only keeps them top-of-mind but also provides the user with a convenient way to view more information about the event or share it with the other party.
Discover Events is the complement of Discover People where the user finds an event first and then a companion to attend with if they are anxious about going alone. I highlight users who are interested in the specific event and prioritize those most similar to the user to promote meeting in real life.
Working on Get Together has been an interesting exploration into how networking, an inherently social activity, has both changed and stayed the same in the face of technology. The most well-known example of such technology is LinkedIn, whose mission is to connect the world’s professionals. By most metrics, they’ve been successful but I believe helping users connect with people they’ve already met is only half the solution. The other half is helping users discover people worth meeting.