Introducing mentorships in LinkedIn to drive engagement

Introducing mentorships in LinkedIn to drive engagement

Mentorships connect mentors and mentees to elevate the social value of LinkedIn.

Mentorships connect mentors and mentees to elevate the social value of LinkedIn.

Problem

Problem

LinkedIn is designed to connect professionals and facilitate career growth, but many users feel frustrated and stuck when seeking mentorship because...

  1. They don't know who is open to mentorships.

  1. They waste time reaching out to people who don't respond.

  1. They struggle to find mentors who fit their specific needs.

Hence, users are moving to competing platforms to start their mentorship journey but need to rebuild their profile credibility from scratch.

Problem

LinkedIn is designed to connect professionals and facilitate career growth, but many users feel frustrated and stuck when seeking mentorship because...

  1. They don't know who is open to mentorships.

  1. They waste time reaching out to people who don't respond.

  1. They struggle to find mentors who fit their specific needs.

Hence, users are moving to competing platforms to start their mentorship journey but need to rebuild their profile credibility from scratch.

How it all began…

Let's rationalise some of the design decision together!

How it all began…

Let's rationalise some of the design decision together!

First, why will LinkedIn introduce mentorships as a business?

First, why will LinkedIn introduce mentorships as a business?

Competition platforms are taking away engagement

Competition platforms are taking away engagement

  • LinkedIn posts have invite links to other mentorship platforms, driving engagement away from LinkedIn which results in mentors and mentees connecting there, reducing LinkedIn's activity.

An opportunity to improve engagement & social value

An opportunity to improve engagement & social value

  • This move will enhance LinkedIn's social value by boosting user engagement, retention, and overall activity, solidifying its position as the leading professional network.

All in all, this seemed like a practical thing to do, if it makes sense for the users and the business, why not try to build it?

Next up, research

Why did LinkedIn discontinue mentorships in 2017?

Based on the app screenshots found online, I hypothesized that it lacked a way to filter mentors, relying solely on a recommendation engine to find the right match.

Talking to users

Talking to users

I conducted casual 1:1 interviews with 3 mentees & 2 mentors and asked them about their experience with mentorships.

Key insights from mentors

They receive too many 1:1 call requests with no clear agenda.

Mentors want to dedicate specific 1:1 slots but lack effective filters to find candidates with the right intent.

Some mentors prefer charging a nominal fee to discourage meaningless conversations.

Most mentors want to find a worthy candidate who respects their time & effort.

Key insights from mentees

Mentees want mentors from specific industries.

Mentees often reach out to many on LinkedIn because it's unclear who is open to mentorships.

Next up, research

Why did LinkedIn discontinue mentorships in 2017?

Based on the app screenshots found online, I hypothesized that it lacked a way to filter mentors, relying solely on a recommendation engine to find the right match.

Talking to users

I conducted casual 1:1 interviews with 3 mentees & 2 mentors and asked them about their experience with mentorships.

Key insights from mentors

They receive too many 1:1 call requests with no clear agenda.

Mentors want to dedicate specific 1:1 slots but lack effective filters to find candidates with the right intent.

Some mentors prefer charging a nominal fee to discourage meaningless conversations.

Most mentors want to find a worthy candidate who respects their time & effort.

Key insights from mentees

Mentees want mentors from specific industries.

Mentees often reach out to many on LinkedIn because it's unclear who is open to mentorships.

Stalking the competition

I reviewed products like Topmate and ADPList, which offer a mentorship experience to understand user behavior better and a scope for a new solution.

While most competing platforms lack user profile data, LinkedIn can leverage its existing data to better tune the recommendation engine of mentorships. This would be a key differentiating factor.

Stalking the competition

I reviewed products like Topmate and ADPList, which offer a mentorship experience to understand user behavior better and a scope for a new solution.

While most competing platforms lack user profile data, LinkedIn can leverage its existing data to better tune the recommendation engine of mentorships. This would be a key differentiating factor.

❋ analysing topmate & adplist ❋

What do users want from mentorships?

What do users want from mentorships?

To better define user needs, the next step was to create user stories, which would serve as a basis for the solution's goals.

❋ user stories ❋

Introducing LinkedIn Mentorships

Based on the insights from user research and understanding of similar apps, I identified key features that could provide solutions. I framed my solution around these four main goals:

Access and filtering

  • Prevent spam bookings by limiting access to the feature.

  • Enable mentees to filter down the right mentor based on LinkedIn profile data.

Credibility and recognition

  • Build recognition & respect by linking mentorship stats on the user profile.

Request system

  • Create a straightforward mentee request system for mentors to screen the right candidate.

Monetization & engagement

  • Enable mentors to monetize their sessions.

  • Nudge mentors to offer long + short-term engagement options.

Introducing LinkedIn Mentorships

Based on the insights from user research and understanding of similar apps, I identified key features that could provide solutions. I framed my solution around these four main goals:

Access and filtering

  • Prevent spam bookings by limiting access to the feature.

  • Enable mentees to filter down the right mentor based on LinkedIn profile data.

Credibility and recognition

  • Build recognition & respect by linking mentorship stats on the user profile.

Request system

  • Create a straightforward mentee request system for mentors to screen the right candidate.

Monetization & engagement

  • Enable mentors to monetize their sessions.

  • Nudge mentors to offer long + short-term engagement options.

Feature discovery & access

Mentorships, but not for everyone…

Gatekeeping the feature to prevent spam bookings

Access to this feature is limited to users with 500+ connections as they would be users who spend a lot of time on LinkedIn. This ensures active participation, reduces low-intent sessions, and enhances the overall mentorship experience.

Feature discovery & access

Mentorships, but not for everyone…

Gatekeeping the feature to prevent spam bookings

Access to this feature is limited to users with 500+ connections as they would be users who spend a lot of time on LinkedIn. This ensures active participation, reduces low-intent sessions, and enhances the overall mentorship experience.

❋ full overlay sheet for discovery ❋

Entry point to the mentorships feature

I analyzed the information architecture and decided to place it under the sidebar menu. I introduced it via a guided tour to improve discoverability.

Primary entry point - Sidebar menu

Secondary entry point - "My Network" tab

Entry point to the mentorships feature

I analyzed the information architecture and decided to place it under the sidebar menu. I introduced it via a guided tour to improve discoverability.

Primary entry point - Sidebar menu

Secondary entry point - "My Network" tab

❋ feature entry point ❋

Onboarding wasn't just a formality! It was lengthy but meaningful…

The goal was to allow mentors to set preferences for finding suitable mentees.

The onboarding solved multiple problems such as —

  1. Asking mentors for the industries they worked with - This was done to help mentees filter the mentor based on their specific requirements

  1. Reducing no-shows & missed sessions - Integrated WhatsApp reminders for mentors so that they never miss a session.

Onboarding wasn't just a formality! It was lengthy but meaningful…

The goal was to allow mentors to set preferences for finding suitable mentees.

The onboarding solved multiple problems such as —

  1. Asking mentors for the industries they worked with - This was done to help mentees filter the mentor based on their specific requirements

  1. Reducing no-shows & missed sessions - Integrated WhatsApp reminders for mentors so that they never miss a session.

❋ onboarding mentors ❋

❋ categorisation & prioritisation of data ❋

Figuring out the navigation

I wanted to create a common experience that allows anyone enrolled in mentorships to be both, mentor & mentee.

This led to a two key decisions -

  1. The creation of the overview tab - It was a hub for users to adjust preferences and review their journeys as a mentor and a mentee.

  1. The schedule tab - For users to view all their bookings with mentors & mentees.

❋ navigation & hierarchy ❋

Figuring out the navigation

I wanted to create a common experience that allows anyone enrolled in mentorships to be both, mentor & mentee.

This led to a two key decisions -

  1. The creation of the overview tab - It was a hub for users to adjust preferences and review their journeys as a mentor and a mentee.

  1. The schedule tab - For users to view all their bookings with mentors & mentees.

❋ navigation & hierarchy ❋

Finding a mentor

Finding a mentor

Mentor card

Most users on other mentorship platforms check the mentor's LinkedIn profile separately to know more about them.


To solve this pain point, I added important profile details, like work experience, upfront. Balancing all of this information in limited space was tough.

The focus was on balancing 3 main elements in as less real estate as possible

The focus was on balancing 3 main elements in as less real estate as possible

  1. What the mentor can help with

  1. Their work experience

  1. Mentor stats

❋ finer details of "mentor card" ❋

The flow to book a mentor's slot

The flow to book a mentor's slot

While everyone in this world prefers a simple way of booking a slot, I introduced friction through screening questions, agenda selection, and paying beforehand.

But why introduce friction?

But why introduce friction?

Conventionally, people never pay beforehand, but why do it here? I considered demanding payment while requesting as this intentional friction would encourage mentees to choose sessions wisely.

❋ finding a mentor flow ❋

Defining the mentee side experience

Defining the mentee side experience

The first question - How should requests be represented?

The first question - How should requests be represented?

The request card should resemble the mentor profile card but focus on different decision points for mentors to choose the right mentee.

  1. Screening questions with agenda

  1. Work experience

  1. Session details, including date and time

  1. Mentee stats, like attendance and reviews

Let’s have a look at how this information can be represented -

❋ finer details of "mentee request card" ❋

The flow where mentors accept requests from mentees

❋ ACCEPTING REQUEST FROM MENTEE FLOW ❋

Overview page — To sum up everything

Overview page — To sum up everything

While designing the feature's navigation, it was clear that an overview page was needed to allow users to manage their preferences and see everything at a glance.

Key goals for the overview page included:

  1. Providing entry points to start mentoring or be mentored

  1. Showing monetization details upfront with options to connect payouts

  1. Allowing easy access to edit their services

❋ OVERVIEW PAGE ❋

Integrating mentorships into LinkedIn’s ecosystem

Integrating mentorships into LinkedIn’s ecosystem

A major pitfall of the Mentorships feature was its hidden placement in the sidebar menu, making it difficult for users to stay updated.

Integrating it into the main ecosystem was crucial so that users never forget about the recent activity related to mentorships. This led to the notifications tab integration.

Profile tab integration

Profile tab integration

One core insight from mentors was their desire to showcase the time and effort they commit to mentorship to build their professional credibility.

To act on this, I decided to add mentorship stats to user profiles, highlighting the time and effort they invest.

❋ ECOSYSTEM INTEGRATION ❋

Metrics to measure success

Metrics to measure success

  1. Mentor-Mentee ratio - I would keep the ratio of mentor-mentee in check, keeping the ecosystem fueling from both sides.

  1. Number of sessions booked per month

  1. Onboarding completion - Since it's a fresh feature, I would track how many users are discovering the feature and onboarding on it.

  1. Churn rate - Since mentorships are a long-term game, users should use this feature for a long time to drive the most value.

My learnings

My learnings

  1. Always consider the business aspect and how a feature drives the core metric of a product.

  1. How does one carry forward an existing design system and language? Everything from analyzing components, finding some inconsistencies, and whatnot.

  1. Ensure the new feature integrates seamlessly into the existing ecosystem, and how it has various little details to consider like touchpoints, scalability & more.

Wrapping up, thank you!

Wrapping up, thank you!

If you’re still here, then I know you have found something interesting, or everything interesting maybe✨

I am looking for internships, let's talk about design & products.

fin.

fin.

Let’s create together!

I am open for internships :)

Let’s create together!

I am open for internships :)

Thank you,

I trust you liked it!

Priyansh Singara Version 20

Priyansh Singara Version 20

Copyrights 2024. All rights & wrongs reserved

Copyrights 2024. All rights & wrongs reserved

Copyrights 2024. All rights & wrongs reserved