When Instagram recently redesigned its logo, the response was overwhelming and almost exclusively negative. Changing from the old camera-rendered image with shades of white and brown, the new logo is a rainbow-colored aesthetic version of the previous image, with all the extra detail removed in favor of the increasingly popular concept of flat design. . Users were outraged and demanded a return to the old logo, but the backlash seems to have died down. Like every update to the Facebook interface for the past five years, what seemed unbearable at first was forgotten a week later.
Still, a negative reaction, however brief, can have a significant impact on a business, especially when associated with more drastic changes. While there are certainly great updates that have improved already loved apps, there are times when the updates fall short of what we want.
How do you know if you need to update your company app? Here are some factors to consider before you start consulting with designers and UX professionals. By setting clear goals and considering your company's past and projected future, you can determine how much your application needs to be redesigned.
When was your last redesign?
While most apps need to be updated at least once a month, there is a big difference between an update and a redesign. Updates fix bugs, respond to changes in the operating system, improve features, or fix small, superficial problems within an application. Regular updates keep things running smoothly and keep users happy, but they don't change anything.
A redesign, on the other hand, can change several key features of an app. Maybe the interface looks completely different, or there are a lot of new features you want to add. If your app hasn't been redesigned since its initial release but you've made a lot of small improvements, it might be time to release a redesign. Alternatively, if your starter site's design aesthetic is changing rapidly, you may need to update your app to visually tie it together.
Who will benefit from the redesign?
One of the reasons you should consider redesigning your app is because the current design doesn't serve a significant audience. For example, many companies find that they have an international audience that would benefit from multiple language options or accessibility improvements that would make the app easier for members of the disabled community to use. . These are all great reasons to redesign your app.
Regardless of your reasoning, though, you'll want to consistently and helpfully communicate the logic behind your redesign to users. As seen with the Instagram logo change, we can all be against change, so it's important to know why a design or feature change happens. Create an explanation for why you're redesigning your app and make sure that explanation is consistently used when resistance or objections are encountered.
Will the update cause more problems than it solves?
A big part of what we love about our phones and other devices is that they make everything so easy. Apps, in particular, reduce a lot of hassle, whether we're trying to read the news, place an order, or go on an online date. They kept everything there.
So changing the interface of your web application may make users feel that things are no longer where they expected. Even when this feeling is short-lived, making customers feel frustrated can result in further shopping cart abandonment, reduced customer traffic, and increased written complaints.
Before starting a redesign, you'll want to identify the core features of your app and focus on maintaining intuitive interactions with those features. Or, before launching the app, you might want to design a quick introduction to use with the new design. That way, when users launch it for the first time, they can choose to preview key features quickly. This can reduce customer complaints and other issues.
Application redesigns are often a way to stay current and align your business with industry norms and trends, but sometimes they're overkill. For the most positive impact, target and reach your new design.
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