In one of my previous articles, I mentioned that I worked at a Cumberland farms. From that job, I learned what makes good UX and UI in an app. But from that, I heard a quote I’ll never forgot when it came to the app’s criticism:

I don’t know why they changed the app! Everything was already perfect! Why would you update it just to be worse?

This customer quote allows looms in the back of my mind while I work. Cause it got me thinking. User experience (UX) is problem solving deep down. If problem is already solved, is a redesign even necessary?

UX=Problem Solving?

Problem solving and UX are in essence the same. Problem solving is quite literally in the definition of what User Experience is:

UX design combines problem-solving and visual design to make digital products feel intuitive and rewarding to use.

As a result, UX is meant to solve a problem within an app so that in the future, the app/website/product, you name it, can be more manageable, user-friendly, and rewarding. For that customer interaction, I wanted to see if a certain theory was true.

If a solution is found that makes the user experience better, should it be fixed/redesigned if it already works? Because user experience fixing IS the solution, how do you know when too many changes equals more damage than good?

Let’s Do Some Research (P1)

To get a good understanding, lets take a look at Amazon, which in my opinion is one of the products whose concept was always going to be successful. On the left is the Amazon in 2000, and the right is Amazon in 2026. Pretty different right? A lot of changes happened.

Now here is 2016 vs 2026. Despite the 10 year age gap, you can see that a while a lot still changed, a lot also hasn’t. The colors are the same, a lot of the icons are the same, even a lot of the formatting is the same. Why change things when they already work?

Let’s Do Some Research (P2)

But funny enough, there is a solution within my own problem. While yes, you could technically have an user experience solution and keep that way, that it shouldn’t stay the same completely forever. I found two great arguments that supported this fact.

Both are different but both also make a compelling case: there’s a difference between knowing what and when to relook at a user experience solution. The first article takes about refresh vs redesign. Author Ayana Smith makes a great argument: would you be putting on new paint (refresh) or straight up removing the wall (redesign)? You can refresh a page based factors like competitors and analytics without physically changing much of the design.

The second article focuses on when to redesign. It makes a great case on why simple re-evaluations can be beneficial. It also adds a great insight by saying:

If your product is already great, congratulations! But remember, this is when it’s most important to keep an eye on redesigning.

Because yes, despite a seemingly perfect solution, times will change. Competitors and sites will push to be different. A solution might not work now but could work in the future. It all depends what you pay attention to.

What Should You Take Away

For anyone who wants to look at user experience and know whether or not a fix is permanent, my answer is no. But a solution is still a solution. Until a better one comes about or times change, then yes, a solution to user experience can stay for a while. As long as you keep an eye on what is currentl in place, then you will be in good hands.