Re:Ask HN: How often should you redesign your site?
by jwilliams on Friday December 05, 2008 @11:59AM
(#387237)
Depends - is the site mainly content or functional/transactional?
If it's mostly content then I'd say constant small revisions with the occasional overhaul. Tweak to whatever delivers the content best.
It's different for a functional site. Even if a tweak is an usability improvement, existing users will go "eh?" when you (say) move a button. If you did this too often it would actually reduce your net usability. I'd say changes to this kind of site would be better aligned with every major feature release... With a major overhaul probably being a rare event.
If it's mostly content then I'd say constant small revisions with the occasional overhaul. Tweak to whatever delivers the content best.
It's different for a functional site. Even if a tweak is an usability improvement, existing users will go "eh?" when you (say) move a button. If you did this too often it would actually reduce your net usability. I'd say changes to this kind of site would be better aligned with every major feature release... With a major overhaul probably being a rare event.