Games on LinkedIn
Design leadership and direction
LinkedIn 2024
Why Games?
LinkedIn’s mission is to create economic opportunities for the global workforce. Members often struggle to start conversations and stay connected, lacking casual, engaging ways to interact. This weakens relationships and limits career opportunities.
Great workplaces thrive on informal, fun interactions like jokes and conversations. Puzzle games are a proven way to foster that fun. We set ourselves the ambitious goal of making LinkedIn the best platform for games that bring joy, boost productivity, and strengthen professional connections.
Making It Happen
We designed games for workday breaks—quick to learn in under a minute, playable in less than five, and challenging enough to feel rewarding. Realistic prototypes were essential, incorporating sound, motion, and haptics for delight. Start screens had to grab attention, clearly explain the game, and entice players. We carefully crafted names, icons, and colors to make each game stand out.
To boost engagement, we showed which connections had played and ranked players by company or school. End screens celebrated success, encouraged sharing scores, and introduced streaks and achievements to keep members coming back daily.
How It’s Been Going
There was plenty of skepticism within LinkedIn about launching games—it was a bold, unconventional idea. I was curious to see how our members and the public would react. For the most part, people like them. The press, albeit begrudgingly at times, admit they’re fun and foster connections.
LinkedIn games are helping deepen and reignite professional relationships. Growth is fueled by people connecting and sharing scores, with many new players joining through invitations from their network. Engagement has been very strong, with most players returning regularly. This bold experiment has proven its value, and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved.