This document discusses best practices for communicating changes to users. It recommends communicating changes in advance, in context within the user interface, and in perpetuity through documentation. It also suggests being human, communicating across multiple channels, giving users choice and involvement in the process, and leveraging the community to communicate changes for you. The overarching message is that communicating changes effectively aids user success and is an important part of any product.

1. Communicating Change
Speaker Scott Kubie (@scottkubie)
Hashtag #commchange

2. Who’s working on
something that will
never change?
#commchange

3. Change is a feature.
#commchange

4. Communicating
change aids
user success.
#commchange

5. “We’re making
it better.”
#commchange

6. “We’re making
it better.”
“We’re making
it better.”
Not an excuse.
#commchange

7. Even things that are broken
or complicated become
things some customers
want to protect from
change because they’re
familiar with the intricacies of
how those things work.
Jason Fried:

8. Software is often
updated without a
user’s consent or
awareness.
#commchange

9. JND
#commchange

10. RTFM?
#commchange

11. WTFM.
#commchange

13. ⌘+C
⌘+V

15. Consider describing specific
bug fixes. If a new version of your
application contains bug fixes that
customers have been waiting for, it
can be a good idea to mention this
in your description.
iOS HIG:

16. How do great teams
communicate about
change?
#commchange

17. Communicate:
1. In advance
#commchange

18. Communicate:
1. In advance
2. In context
#commchange

19. Communicate:
1. In advance
2. In context
3. In perpetuity
#commchange

20. In advance:
Communicate
change early
and often.
#commchange

21. 51 comments

27. In context:
Communicate
change within
your interface.
#commchange

28. Photo: redninja24 on Reddit
#commchange

37. #commchange

39. In perpetuity:
Document
change for the
long-haul.
#commchange

46. Communicate:
1. In advance
2. In context
3. In perpetuity
#commchange

47. Bonus tip: be human.

48. Bonus tip: be human.

49. Bonus tip: be human.

50. Stepping it up:
1. Cross-channel
#commchange

51. Stepping it up:
1. Cross-channel
2. Choice
#commchange

52. Stepping it up:
1. Cross-channel
2. Choice
3. Community
#commchange

53. Cross channels:
Communicate
change where
your users are.
#commchange

54. #commchange

61. Pick a channel...or two...or three...
!
Twitter
Tumblr
Facebook
Reddit
Tech Blogs
User Voice
Get Satisfaction
ZenDesk
Google Groups
Mailing Lists

62. Choice:
Let users choose
change...or at
least feel like
they’re choosing.
#commchange

70. Community:
Make people part of
the process.
!
They’ll communicate
for you.
#commchange

72. #commchange

73. #commchange

78. Stepping it up:
1. Cross-channel
2. Choice
3. Community
#commchange

79. Communicating
change aids user
success.
#commchange

80. Change is a feature.
#commchange