My pet theory is that every software product has a "peak version". Before that peak version, the product is not yet in a complete state, and it is fairly obvious, both for the developer and user, what features are missing. Once the peak version is reached, new features are not added because they improve the product, but to justify selling the product again to existing customers, and to 'keep the team busy'. Instead o…
Users hate change
301–310 of 315 posts
Re: Users hate change
#302Earlier quoted context omitted.
>users expect it to change over time No, they expect to have the opportunity to upgrade to newer versions which may be different if they want those differences. They don't expect the one they bought, learned to use, and have grown proficient with to suddenly be completely different one day for no good reason. Consider buying a truck because you haul stuff around a lot. You don't expect to just come out to your drivew…
Your example is not addressing the point the parent made. Users definitely expect free updates to new OS versions with all the bells and whistles this version supports. They also definitely expect bugfixes. Nobody mentioned changing design here. I can guarantee you that inboxes of all iOS developers who have not implemented dark mode will fill up the first day iOS 13 is released to public. Heck, people expect your ap…
Its this weird delicate balance of improving the UI but not changing it too much. I tell people all the time UI is the hardest job in the world, an entire team of PhD's cannot get it right most of the time. Its simple an impossible task to consider the 'work flow' of every user- it is just beyond the scope of human intelligence I think.
All you can do is create a good UI that works for a majority of people, and try to manage it from there.
Re: Users hate change
#303Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's not exactly how the JetBrains perpetual fallback license works. You don't get a license for the last version you used under your subscription. You get a license for the version you had 12 months before you ended your subscription. If you buy an annual subscription, you are paying for 12 months up front, so you immediately get a fallback license for the version that is available at the time you start or renew t…
That looks like snatching defeat from the jaws of victory -- a model that could have been a beneficial arrangement for everyone, turned into something overtly customer-hostile with a rip-off feel to it.
Jetbrains has a price in mind for what they want to sell their software for, $X. You can buy it whenever you want for $X. To demonstrate that you may want to buy the next version of their software, they'll let you use the most recent version of their software for 12 months after your purchase, at which point they will stop and you will have to use the version you purchased.
Alternatively, as a different service, you can subscribe to the most up-to-date version of their software for a monthly fee. In an example of great customer service, Jetbrains will treat you at the end of each rolling 12 month period of subscription as though you had bought their product 12 months ago, and they will give you a free copy of that product!
If you're bothered that you can't subscribe to their latest-version service and then end your subscription and keep using the product, that's just silly. The price of the product is not $X/12, it's $X, and if you want it you can freely pay $X for it.
Re: Users hate change
#304Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Twitter's updates are very transparently pointless. They offer zero improvement to the user experience for any sector of the market. The only improvement seems to be that the new UI supports multiple accounts - something which I solve by using different Chrome profiles, much safer.
The old UI also supported multiple accounts, and quite well. Now I wouldn't know where to click.
Re: Users hate change
#305Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, this is not true at all. In fact, the very first software project I was paid for was a perfect example: I had to replace an ancient DOS based database app with something more modern. The end result had a GUI that was completely different, barely retained the same workflow, had tons of new input validation that users had to cope with all of a sudden. End result? They had a knee jerk hate for it when they saw it. T…
The users didn’t hate the change, this change means that probably the user training sessions were inadequate. If you show them all the things that make their lives easier during the training session, they will love you for it.
Re: Users hate change
#306Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The manufacturer keeps working to improve the quality Call me cynical, but I think it's naive to make this claim. Manufacturers don't optimize quality, they optimize profits. Even if there's sufficient competition, manufacturers don't race upwards to improve quality, they race downwards to reduce the cost and undercut the competition. You can see this in kitchen appliances. People complain about how they don't last…
Information asymmetry is also a problem. The $50 blender might be trading on a beloved brand name... but with the metal gears replaced by plastic and glue in place of the fasteners. How can the average person tell? What you really want to read is reviews from 3 years in the future but you can’t. So you buy the $30 blender because it’s too hard to assess whether the $50 one is worth it. I really liked the hn article t…
I didn’t see this at the time; if you remember the title or still have the link could you please post it?
Re: Users hate change
#307Earlier quoted context omitted.
Information asymmetry is also a problem. The $50 blender might be trading on a beloved brand name... but with the metal gears replaced by plastic and glue in place of the fasteners. How can the average person tell? What you really want to read is reviews from 3 years in the future but you can’t. So you buy the $30 blender because it’s too hard to assess whether the $50 one is worth it. I really liked the hn article t…
> I really liked the hn article the other day on assessing garment quality. I didn’t see this at the time; if you remember the title or still have the link could you please post it?
Re: Users hate change
#308> The more times you force me to change my behaviour, the more badwill (being the opposite of goodwill) builds up. Eventually I'll become so pissed off that I'll move, no matter what the cost. This is why I gave up my iPhone X. I just hated constantly re-learning Apple's new paradigm du-jour, and I absolutely loathed FaceID and the notch. Now I have a OnePlus 7 Pro, with "Touch ID" and no notch, and except for some f…
Re: Users hate change
#309My pet theory is that every software product has a "peak version". Before that peak version, the product is not yet in a complete state, and it is fairly obvious, both for the developer and user, what features are missing. Once the peak version is reached, new features are not added because they improve the product, but to justify selling the product again to existing customers, and to 'keep the team busy'. Instead o…
Re: Users hate change
#310Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Buy a software" is vastly different from "Buy a software license" Problem being, makers are now prohibiting you from owning your . From fixing your . From changing your so you don't need to buy . Now with forced updates, you're now literally prohibited from keeping the shovel you have and like!
You are using as though you haven't noticed the physical product companies are all racing to lock up their products in rent-seeking license agreements.