Do the users still prefer the old version of the software ?
I was recently reading an interesting article on “Reasons Why People Prefer The Old Version Of Your Software” from DeskMetrics .
It is really an interesting article that explains the reasons why people prefer the old version of your software .
An interesting statement “Respect users’ choice and never impose an automatic update” .
Here’s my opinion on the interesting article
Yes the developers love to create a brand new version of the software , but does this new version always have a new or huge UI changes , i doubt that …
Older versions might be running stable and fine at the customer , but what happens when there is a environment change at the client like the upgradation of the old operating system to the new one and what happens when come of the components used in the Application is not Supported in the new OS ? or what if the client has some new requirements to the existing Application ..
These things sometimes might need the Application update and is infact necessary that there is an automatic update so that users always have the option of using the updated Software .
When there is a radical UI Changes , then it might be necessary to train the users on how to use the App or infact a solid documentation / user guide for using the Application .
Yes , the users choices must be respected but should there be an update to the existing software automatically and is it viable at all scenarios ?
Hi Kumar,
I’m from DeskMetrics and we really appreciate that our posts are been discussed on other blogs. Thanks for the mention!
Answering the question you proposed, there is always an exception for every rule. For example, Google Chrome do background and no-asking upgrades. Google almost never change something in the UI and its QA process is very rigid about the Chromes’ quality.
But the reality is quite different in major software houses around the world. Many programmers don’t do unit, regression and functional automated tests and this impacts directly on overall software quality.
This situation is more critical on enterprise software. In this case, environment doesn’t matter: if your software only runs on Windows 95, users won’t bother about Windows 95. Now, try an adaption/refactoring to make it run on Seven/Vista and be prepared to not have vacations for the next year
Conclusion: there is an exception for every rule! On our post we were talking about big UI changes; anyway, it is an awesome discussion!
Hi Herberth ,
Nice you see your comment .
You are very much right “there is an exception for every rule!”…
Anyways the post was just from my point of view . By the way i did look at other few articles of yours too . really impressive ones