LinkedIn has announced a redesign of its user profile pages, aimed at improving updating and search facilities on the site.

The professional networking service hopes the major improvements will increase interactivity on the site, which is already used by over 175 million people worldwide.

Including a larger profile photo, streamlined fonts and new contacts and interests displays, the redesign is the largest the company has made during its ten-year existence.

"When we have members come to our site more often, all of our lines of business get strengthened," says Deep Nishar, senior vice president for products and user experience, LinkedIn.

LinkedIn added 50 million new members last year with 23% now using the service primarily on their smartphones or tablets.