Showcase and Grow

Problem Space

Emerging tech professionals face barriers in sharing their journeys, hindered by psychological challenges and the absence of a supportive platform for showcasing growth and collaboration.

Problem Statement  ‍

How might we enable tech professionals to overcome hesitancy and share their growth narratives, fostering a culture of openness and collaborative learning?

Problem Background  

With the tech landscape’s dynamism, individuals find navigating and pivoting within the sector challenging. The gap in expressing personal branding and the need for a community-centric sharing platform is evident from social media, forums, and market research insights.

Research Insights

User Pain Points

Through our surveys and interviews with tech professionals, including Associate Solution Architects, Quality Assurance Auditors, Senior Analysts, and Founders, we gathered extensive feedback on their experiences and hesitations with Building in Public (BIP). The primary barriers identified were fear of judgment, time management challenges, imposter syndrome, and handling online criticism. These insights were instrumental in understanding the multifaceted nature of the reluctance to engage in BIP, emphasizing the need for a supportive platform.

Supporting Data

An unequivocal finding from our research was that all participants, without exception, encountered hurdles in their BIP endeavors. These ranged from fear of judgment and imposter syndrome to concerns about maintaining a professional image while engaging in honest, open sharing. This unanimity highlights a glaring need within the professional networking landscape—a need 'Showcase and Grow' aims to address by offering a space on LinkedIn designed specifically for fostering a supportive and encouraging BIP environment.

Feedback

In the course of our initial research, the feedback from tech professionals clearly indicated a strong desire for a more integrated, user-friendly platform to facilitate Building in Public. Many aspire to share their tech journey in a way that authentically represents their personal and professional growth, including both successes and challenges. However, the absence of a dedicated space that offers both visibility and community support has been a significant barrier. This feedback is instrumental in shaping 'Showcase and Grow,' ensuring it aligns with the real needs of our users, making the process of Building in Public not just viable but also rewarding within the LinkedIn ecosystem.

‍

Landing on the Solution

Understanding the unique challenges our users face when engaging in Building in Public (BIP) on LinkedIn, we've crafted specific features for "Showcase and Grow" to create a supportive and enriching environment:

• Encouragement First Feedback Model: This feature aims to cultivate a positive atmosphere for new contributors by highlighting constructive and encouraging feedback, leveraging LinkedIn's existing culture of professional growth and support.
• BIP Scheduling & Reminder System: Recognizing the busy schedules of our users, this tool will integrate with LinkedIn’s notification system, allowing users to plan their BIP posts and receive timely reminders, enhancing the user experience without overwhelming their daily routines.
• Milestone Celebrations: Leveraging LinkedIn’s endorsement and recommendation features, we're introducing a way to celebrate personal growth milestones, aiming to boost visibility and recognition within the professional community.
• Constructive Criticism Toolkit: Building on LinkedIn's framework for professional interaction, this toolkit will provide resources and guidelines to promote constructive dialogue, enriching the community's feedback culture.

‍

Explanation of Solution

The development of the 'Showcase and Grow' feature was directly influenced by the detailed feedback and insights gathered from our engagement with tech professionals. Through surveys and interviews, we discovered a widespread need for a platform that not only facilitates the sharing of professional achievements but also addresses common barriers such as fear of judgment, imposter syndrome, and the challenges of managing online criticism constructively. The Encouragement First Feedback Model was envisioned to create a supportive environment that counters the fear of judgment, encouraging more users to share their journeys. Similarly, Milestone Celebrations aim to validate and celebrate every step of professional growth, directly addressing imposter syndrome by recognizing effort and achievements publicly.

The concept for Mentorship Matching emerged from a clear desire among users for deeper, more meaningful connections within their professional networks, indicating a gap in current mentoring opportunities on LinkedIn. The need for structured guidance and feedback inspired the Constructive Criticism Toolkit and Private Feedback Loops, designed to help users navigate feedback constructively and privately refine their shared content before public posting. The aspiration for a balanced approach to 'Building in Public'—one that acknowledges the challenges of time management and the desire for personalized learning paths—led to the introduction of the BIP Scheduling & Reminder System and Personalized Learning Pathways. These features are grounded in the collective insights from our research, tailored to empower users to engage in 'Building in Public' with confidence, support, and a sense of community.

‍

Future Steps

Feedback underscores the importance of aligning "Showcase and Grow" with LinkedIn's mission of connecting the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful. Moving forward, we plan to:

Enhance the Mentorship Matching feature for more relevant and impactful connections, leveraging LinkedIn’s extensive professional network

Explore deeper integration of BIP Scheduling & Reminder System with LinkedIn’s existing tools, ensuring a seamless user experience.

Further develop Private Feedback Loops to allow users to refine their content based on trusted peer feedback, reinforcing the platform’s community-driven growth ethos.

‍