The Grayed-Out Control That Works

UPDATE as of May 8, 2017:

This article applies to the browser version of the site that went out-of-date in early 2017.

The other day I was having coffee and discussing some LinkedIn features with a friend. It was a very good session for us both. 

Case in point: On the web browser, we've all seen the "magnifier" icon to the right of the main Search field. Have you ever noticed the other control to its left? 

My friend, noting that the control looked "grayed-out" and inactive, was surprised that it could be clicked. Let's zoom in.

Yes, that gray-on-gray control is "live." Clicking it will reveal the choices below.

The default scope of searches is All, but you can limit the scope to People, Jobs, Companies, Groups, Universities, Posts and your Inbox.

What are some "takeaways" from this?

• Throw away your prior conceptions of user interface logic and the meaning of icons and colors when you use LinkedIn. It's in a world to itself.
• If you "mouse around" and look for things to click, you never know what hidden features you'll discover.

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