Are You Supporting Legacy Users?
2.5K views · 2026-09-28
Interaction & UX
Legacy users aren’t always expert users. Consider these legacy user tips when updating your designs, so no one gets left behind.
Legacy users need additional support when updates are made. Explain what the changes are, keep patterns familiar, and give users control in order to work around common legacy user frustrations and challenges. Legacy users are skilled, but they’re not experts.
Read More // Supporting "Power Users" Isn't Enough: 3 Complex-App User Types → https://www.nngroup.com/articles/complex-apps-users/
Watch Next // Tesler’s Law: Shift Complexity to Simplify UX → https://youtu.be/mOaAFBlfTdg?si=OG0ymidbZ6FMG8qA
*You Might Like*
Designing Complex Apps for Specialized Domains (Live Online) // https://www.nngroup.com/courses/complex-apps-specialized-domains/
Journey Mapping: A Start-to-Finish Demo
(Self-Paced) // https://www.nngroup.com/contents/self-paced-courses/journey-mapping-a-start-to-finish-demo/
*Subscribe to our weekly newsletter* → http://eepurl.com/jn3Mf
*Stay Connected*
Linkedin // https://www.linkedin.com/company/nielsen-norman-group
Instagram // https://www.instagram.com/nngux/
_______________________________________________________
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:18 Supporting Legacy Users
0:48 Explaining Changes Clearly
1:23 Maintaining Familiar Patterns
1:54 Giving Users Control
2:32 Legacy User Challenges
Legacy users need additional support when updates are made. Explain what the changes are, keep patterns familiar, and give users control in order to work around common legacy user frustrations and challenges. Legacy users are skilled, but they’re not experts.
Read More // Supporting "Power Users" Isn't Enough: 3 Complex-App User Types → https://www.nngroup.com/articles/complex-apps-users/
Watch Next // Tesler’s Law: Shift Complexity to Simplify UX → https://youtu.be/mOaAFBlfTdg?si=OG0ymidbZ6FMG8qA
*You Might Like*
Designing Complex Apps for Specialized Domains (Live Online) // https://www.nngroup.com/courses/complex-apps-specialized-domains/
Journey Mapping: A Start-to-Finish Demo
(Self-Paced) // https://www.nngroup.com/contents/self-paced-courses/journey-mapping-a-start-to-finish-demo/
*Subscribe to our weekly newsletter* → http://eepurl.com/jn3Mf
*Stay Connected*
Linkedin // https://www.linkedin.com/company/nielsen-norman-group
Instagram // https://www.instagram.com/nngux/
_______________________________________________________
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:18 Supporting Legacy Users
0:48 Explaining Changes Clearly
1:23 Maintaining Familiar Patterns
1:54 Giving Users Control
2:32 Legacy User Challenges