One of my biggest problems with so many #web projects is that I cannot control when they are upgraded. Sure, this #workflow is easier for devs, but wow, it can really screw users. I was force-upgraded to a whole new rewrite of online accounting software when I was under immense deadline pressure. The upgrade broke my time tracking almost entirely. And the new version has only slowed my work. I was happy with the old version. Controlling #UX change is key to #UserFreedom and is often overlooked.
I would say that the best way to roll out a complete redesign for a web app is to allow users to toggle between old and new designs for at least a couple of months, while setting clear expectations about when the old design will cease to be available.
@5thsun That's a good practice. I'm interested in #UserFreedom, which means that users should be able to choose to stay with whichever version they want to use, and even organize separately to get that version maintained as needed. This is what #FreeSoftware provides. That accounting software is one of the last pieces of proprietary software I use, time to check out the free software options again. Another way is possible!
@eighthave That’s interesting. I’ve only ever worked on commercial projects whose IP restrictions would never allow for that degree of freedom (especially the part about allowing users to band together to maintain their own branch of the software). Probably, most users needs are best met by following the developer’s intended upgrade path, but I can definitely see value in this level of user freedom. Especially when trying to keep obsolete hardware functional indefinitely.
@5thsun totally, keeping old hardware working is a great example of #UserFreedom, for so many reasons. If it works, don't fix it. And lots of people want to reduce the impact of their devices by keeping them alive as long as possible, even when the manufacturer isn't interested. #Debian and @postmarketOS are great examples of systems that keep current software running on old hardware.
