> I think you would be shocked at how often UX designers get greenlit to make a refresh based on vague things like the current code base being hard to use or keeping up with the Joneses of other products or just to have new marketing pictures that look "modern".
Not JetBrains, but I worked at a small app company that embarked on multiple UX re-dos for the vaguest of reasons. If your company has a charismatic VP of Design who has the CEO's ear, you're going to be spending your time on UX rewrites yearly. "It's not modern or sleek! It doesn't pop enough! We need to change our branding so it's fresher! Or, Users are confused with our current design! (without qualitative or quantitative user studies that show this)" It's never a measured attribute that they want to change. If you were a digital artist or interaction designer, you would have been able to build a great portfolio there in a matter of a few years.
Even with UX studies, it's very easy for people to get the answer they want or draw the conclusion they want to.
Worked for a company that went full circle multiple times on its UI for what was ultimately a very large form between a single page with collapsible modules and tabbed UI layouts as the UX feedback oscillated between "Users don't know all these options are there and we want them to discover them because they keep asking us to implement features we already have" and "Users are overwhelmed by the number of options on screen"
Bless their hearts, UI Designers. Just remodeled my kitchen and had to actively dodge my designers' and showrooms' recommendations of a "modern" look which is basically all white or make it look like a friggin office morgue. It's not flashy but it is very utility-first and is beautiful.
I aimed for something that _wouldn't_ need to change visually with the times. UI Design is often the exact opposite: showcase that your property is on the bleeding edge of design.
I wonder what they'll do once they realize you can only round a corner so much.
Not JetBrains, but I worked at a small app company that embarked on multiple UX re-dos for the vaguest of reasons. If your company has a charismatic VP of Design who has the CEO's ear, you're going to be spending your time on UX rewrites yearly. "It's not modern or sleek! It doesn't pop enough! We need to change our branding so it's fresher! Or, Users are confused with our current design! (without qualitative or quantitative user studies that show this)" It's never a measured attribute that they want to change. If you were a digital artist or interaction designer, you would have been able to build a great portfolio there in a matter of a few years.