Increase regular user contributions
Increasing regular user contributions was a key challenge for XING’s social product. This work focused on identifying and validating new ways to inspire users to post and engage, leading to the introduction of Polls as a new contribution format across Web, iOS, and Android.
Impact
This work introduced a new contribution format that lowered the barrier to participation and increased engagement across the platform. By focusing on inspiration and resonance, it helped shift contribution from a small group of highly active users to a broader audience.
Role
Owned the design of new contribution features focused on increasing user engagement and resonance.
Year
2022
Context
XING had a low number of active contributors, with a small percentage of users responsible for a disproportionate amount of content. Research showed that most users struggled to find ideas or occasions to post, while others preferred to consume content rather than actively contribute.
Existing posting capabilities were also perceived as limiting, reinforcing the gap between highly active contributors and the majority of users.
Constraints
Any solution needed to respect XING’s professional context and feel appropriate for a work-focused network. Many users were not actively looking to contribute, so new features had to be immediately understandable and low effort to use. At the same time, the solution needed to provide clear value to users who primarily consume content, encouraging interaction without changing how they perceived the platform.
Understanding the problem
Research showed that most users didn’t contribute because they lacked ideas or clear occasions to post, and felt uncertain about how their content would be perceived in a professional network. Existing posting tools offered little inspiration, making contribution feel like effort rather than opportunity.
The challenge was to help users find meaningful reasons to contribute while keeping participation natural and appropriate to XING’s context.
Research results on post creation and interaction
Framing the opportunity
The opportunity was to increase contributions by lowering the effort required to participate and by giving users clearer inspiration for what to post. Rather than trying to force contribution, the goal was to introduce formats that felt relevant, familiar, and appropriate within a professional context.
Exploring solutions
I explored multiple concepts aimed at inspiring contributions, including structured templates and interactive formats. Competitor research across platforms with strong user-generated content highlighted formats that reduced friction while encouraging interaction.
Two directions were taken forward: posting templates designed to prompt specific types of content, and Polls as a lightweight way for users to engage their network. Early exploration focused on whether these formats felt appropriate for a professional network and whether users understood their value.
Snapshot on explorations around Templates and Polls
Validating the approach
Both concepts were tested across two usability testing sessions with eight users. Testing focused on whether users understood the new posting options, found them inspiring, and would realistically use them.
While users understood the idea of templates, they felt limited by XING’s professional context and indicated they would only use a small subset, such as welcoming team members or giving kudos.
Polls, on the other hand, were immediately understood and generated strong enthusiasm. Users perceived them as a familiar and valuable way to engage their network, making them the clearer opportunity to pursue.
Research results on post creation and interaction
Delivering the solution
Polls were designed and delivered across Web, iOS, and Android. As part of this work, I also created a reusable component and accompanying documentation for the design system, ensuring consistency and scalability across platforms.
Poll creation and visualisation in App
Poll visualisation in Web
Specifications for the Poll Bar component
Outcomes
Results 1 month after release
>1,000
Polls created
>700
users created a poll
>10,000
Votes cast
Polls proved to be a highly effective way to increase user contributions and engagement on XING. Within the first month after launch, more than 1,000 polls were created by over 700 users, generating 10,000+ votes across the platform.
The results showed that users clearly understood the feature, perceived it as valuable, and felt comfortable using it within a professional context. Compared to inspirational templates, Polls drove significantly higher adoption and interaction, validating the decision to focus on structured, low-effort ways of contributing.
Beyond the immediate impact, the introduction of Polls established a scalable pattern for future contribution features, supported by a documented component in the design system that can be reused and extended by other teams.