{"id":59833,"date":"2021-02-11T12:12:27","date_gmt":"2021-02-11T18:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cpanel.com\/?p=59833"},"modified":"2021-02-11T12:12:27","modified_gmt":"2021-02-11T18:12:27","slug":"meditations-on-software-and-ui-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devel.www.cpanel.net\/blog\/business-knowledge\/meditations-on-software-and-ui-updates\/","title":{"rendered":"Meditations On Software And UI Updates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, your favorite application, software, or website is going to eventually (and periodically) be redesigned. Odds are, at first, that you aren\u2019t going to initially be a fan of the new design. It\u2019s like when your local grocery store rearranges all the products on the shelves\u2026 why isn\u2019t everything exactly where I want it to be?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The simple answer is: because. But there is a much larger answer at play here as well; let\u2019s discuss it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are Software And UI Updates, Exactly?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We all know that software is (well, fundamentally code, but ultimately) an application that we utilize on a device of some sort that accomplishes some task for, or provides some value to, us. Software is what does the thing on the computer or the smartphone. It can be characterized by the functionality it provides, which can be upgraded, downgraded, or otherwise changed over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UI is the acronym for \u201cUser Interface\u201d which is the largest contributor to the User Experience (UX) that takes place when we interact with software. As an oversimplification for our purposes here, Facebook is software and the Facebook app on your phone is the UI. They work in tandem to provide us the experience of Facebooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes the software is updated, adding new functionality (like does anyone remember when the Like button first appeared?), and sometimes the UI is updated just to change the experience (infinite scroll wasn\u2019t always a thing, after all). The line between these two things can sometimes become fuzzy, but the software can be updated without changing the UI and the UI can be updated without any changes to the backend software, though often they can (and do) go hand-in-hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If It’s Not Broke, Why Fix It?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s just no way around it. Nothing stays the same, and the only guarantee is that change is inevitable; it\u2019s going to happen. So really the question isn\u2019t \u201cwhen,\u201d it\u2019s \u201cwhy.\u201d The reasons why a company or developer may decide to update their product are vast, but include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n