[sp00ls]

Reddit is looking like they might suffer a similar misstep. Not quite on the same level as Digg suffered for a number of reasons but still. They've been slowly rolling out and previewing a UI redesign. Comments on their UI redesign preview posts are overwhelmingly negative but they just keep pushing forward anyway. I don't understand why this is almost always the case.

[babesh]

It is usually because the design is some PM's means of getting promoted. It wouldn't look good if your work gets trashed. So it gets pushed all the way through and then they leave for greener pastures by touting the work they have done.

Someone else gets to reap the damage they have sown. But engineers do the same thing.

In this case, Snapchat just seems to be copying feeds to make money. And Wall Street is breathing down their necks.

[technofiend]

Their toxic community will kill them if a revamp doesn't.

[addicted]

Most redesigns go pretty deep before users are included. And by then your investment, financial, emotional and in lost time, is so high people try and rationalize the negative reactions and justify why users will turn around after a while.

What makes it difficult that even the most perfect change will elicit negative reactions from users. It's difficult to then separate what is a natural reaction to change from genuine problems in the new design.