Can you redesign one module first?
Yes. Redesigning one module first lets a company test the approach, the partner and the effect on users before committing to the whole product.
The first module should be one that users open daily and that carries the product’s core value, so the result is visible.
Table of Contents
Summarize with:
Key facts
- One module tests the approach, the partner and the effect on users.
- A module with daily use and known problems shows the result most clearly.
- Shared components defined in the first module are reused by later modules.
- What will be measured is agreed before release.
- Choose a pilot that tests the intended risk; a simple module can test collaboration or delivery, while a representative module tests wider design patterns.
How to set it up
- Pick a module with daily use and known problems
- Define shared components early, since later modules will reuse them
- Plan how old and new screens coexist during the transition
- Agree on what will be measured before release
Choosing the module
| Candidate | What it shows | The tension |
|---|---|---|
| The module users open daily | The effect on daily work | Changes reach many users at once. |
| The module with the most support requests | A measurable drop in tickets | It may not carry the product’s core value. |
| The module shown first in demos | The effect on sales | Demo screens and daily screens are often different. |
| The simplest module | Collaboration, delivery and limited shared patterns | A lower-risk pilot may be useful, but its results do not validate more complex workflows. |
Transition
Old and new screens side by side
During the transition users move between redesigned and old screens. Terms, statuses and record numbers must match in both, or users lose trust in the data. Navigation between old and new screens needs its own design.
The longer the transition, the more the old screens drift from the new components. A plan for the following modules keeps the coexistence period short.
Common mistakes
- Choosing the simplest module, which shows little
- Building one-off components that later modules cannot reuse
- Leaving navigation between old and new screens undesigned
- Releasing without agreeing what will be measured
Where we’ve worked on this