Weekend Testing Europe - Testing Session for LinkedIn

Great time had during Weekend Testing Europe, recommended for all to sharpen up your skills, ask questions, or just get a bit of practice. The exercise in principle was compare features from mobile to desktop on the beautiful LinkedIn app/site...

For those interested my testing session files generated:

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Linked In Mobile App

iPhone 5s iOS 8.3

Search Functionality

Risks:
## No access to search algorithm to verify results

Start:

##User needs to authenticate for search function to be available.

Flow:

##On tapping search and entering no details, contacts appear alphabetically ascending.
##Cancelling returns to home tab and reloads the Newsfeed.
##Options for the user:
People
Contacts appear alphabetically ascending.
Jobs
Displays a set of jobs you may be interested in 
? Unknown algorithm for this, would need to be verified ?
Displays option to set location
In a new dialog you can search for a location or use current
Using current prompts for access to location services
Don't allow and the screen goes blank you can only cancel.
App remembers that you have disallowed location use.
Companies
Displays the companies you are currently following
? What happens when you follow no companies ?
Groups
Displays your currently joined groups
? What happens when you have no groups ?
## Search
People 
Adding search terms filters your own contacts first, then returns those you may know
? Unverified algo here ?
TO CHECK - Searching on a full name of a contact you already have returns those you don't only
Can search with only 1 char -  hopefully this is managed in the search algo
Jobs
TO CHECK - Cannot search by company, only title
Title appears to be fuzzily matched, without location set you get jobs from all over.
With location set:
Latest jobs are returned first, lots of jobs in Leeds.
Location can be removed, returns to previous results.
Job title and location can be used in conjunction. 

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LinkedIn Desktop

Windows 8.1, Chrome 42

Search Functionality

##Risks:
Again, no understanding of the search algo
Should be aware that the aim is different here than the mobile experience, search for power and results rather than speed.

##Start:
User does not need to be authenticated to search
Minor functionality is available, searching by first name and last name
The search is a true 'elastic search' rather than the linear, categorised search.

##Search
Entering text exposes:
People
Companies
Showcased Pages
Groups
Universities
Features
Can search with 1 char - 18 results are filtered each time.
The 18 results are shared between the above categories
The search dynamically filters as you type.
Searching on a full name reliabily returns connected and unconnected users  (mobile app only unconnected users)
Company search defaults three options
Jobs
Those who work there
Those who no longer work there
Typing a search terms and the clicking search opens a new page with advanced search options

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Summary

-Desktop was a true elastic search, built for power with a dependable connection, mobile much more category dependant and about returning immediate results
-Desktop was much more powerful, but both filtered and gave suggestions as you entered data. Mobile good for filtering what you already have, desktop better for finding new stuff.

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If you haven't already, get yourselves signed up for next time:

http://weekendtesting.com/

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