LinkedIn Tests Simplified UI on Desktop and Mobile: What It Means for Dubai Businesses

LinkedIn is testing a simpler layout for its menus on desktop and mobile, according to Social Media Today. The change folds several function listings into fewer tabs and arrives alongside longer text previews in the main feed. If you run a company page from Dubai, neither change needs urgent action, but both deserve a quick check.

One note for anyone who searched for LinkedIn tests expecting a skills assessment: this post is about a product experiment with the app itself.

What the new navigation menu changes on your LinkedIn profile

On the desktop site at linkedin.com, LinkedIn has merged its function menus into fewer listings. For people who manage their LinkedIn profiles, the Profile tab now links to analytics, saved posts and settings. That makes your profile page the first place to check when your post numbers seem to have moved.

A new More tab opens the rest, from puzzle games and news to groups, events, newsletters and video. If a feature feels harder to find after the update, look under More before you assume it has gone. The report says the new design is meant to fit how people engage with LinkedIn.

The mobile app and its lower menu bar

In the mobile app, the same menu updates appear in the lower function bar, the app's footer menu. The in-app functions sit in fewer, consolidated listings there as well. If your team manages the page from a phone, expect that bottom bar to look different once the test reaches your account. A screenshot of the new bar, shared with whoever else posts for you, saves a round of confused messages.

What longer feed previews mean for your posts

LinkedIn is also showing longer clips of text posts in the main feed before the "more" link. Social Media Today notes this could help creators with engagement. It could also push people to reformat "broetry", the line-by-line posts that used the cut-off to hide the main text. LinkedIn has mostly cleared those posts out already, and more visible text may give readers a reason to keep going.

For a business page, we think this is the bigger change of the two. The opening lines of a post now carry more of the job, because readers see more of them before deciding to click. A first line that names the topic and the point gives the longer preview something to work with. Strong openings are one of the core skills on LinkedIn, and the longer preview gives them more room.

Take a Dubai retailer announcing a new branch. It should open with the branch and the opening date, because a teaser like "Something big is coming" wastes the extra space. If your popular posts open with a teaser, test a version that states the point first. If your page posts in Arabic and English, check both versions in the feed, since the longer preview shows more of each.

Who the test affects in the UAE

LinkedIn says the test will reach users gradually, with details varying by region and language. The report doesn't list the regions taking part, so there's no confirmed date for the UAE yet. Two people in the same Dubai office may see different menus this month. Language settings matter too, so a colleague using LinkedIn in Arabic may see a different version from one using English.

For marketing teams posting brand content, the moved analytics and the longer previews are the parts that matter. Recruiters who post a job or connect with candidates face the same short learning curve as everyone else. Founders and sales staff who look for opportunities in their network should check where groups and events now sit.

Steps to take now on your profile page and business page

None of this calls for a new strategy, but a few small steps will help your team adjust.

• Tell everyone who posts for your page that the menus may move, so nobody wastes time hunting for analytics.

• The next time you sign in, check whether your menus have changed before you brief the team.

• Read each draft as it will appear in the feed, and put the main point in the opening lines.

• If you schedule posts through software or a similar tool, check how each one reads in the live feed.

• If you host events or run a group for your community, add a direct link in posts so people can join easily.

• Note your engagement today, so you can measure any shift once the new layout reaches your followers.

What the report doesn't confirm yet

The report doesn't say whether the tools for managing a company page are changing too. Check those separately once the test reaches your account, rather than assuming they've moved with the rest. It also gives no date for a wider release, so treat the new menus as a test for now. The feed preview is the change to plan future posts around, because Social Media Today describes it as already showing.

How we track a platform test like this

A layout test is no reason to change your plan, but it's useful to know if your numbers move while it runs. The Adnika Dashboard: one live view of a client's ads, analytics and CRM data, with AI recommendations reviewed by the strategist. For a social media client, it shows campaign results beside CRM leads, so a dip during a platform test is easier to spot. To see how we plan and run social media for businesses here, visit our social media agency in Dubai page.