Why do most major new versions redesign their UI?

[+Warwagon MVC]

Have you ever noticed how every new major version of a piece of software always has to have a new redesigned UI (Excluding Chrome and Firefox). For example It seems like every new update to Norton / Norton Internet security always has a new redesigned UI. What was wrong with the old UI? Although hit looks like Norton did damn good up until version 2008 then they started to change / redesign the UI every new version. Or is it software venders way of justifying the new upgrade?

Norton 2000

Norton 2001

Norton 2002

Norton 2003

Norton 2004

Norton 2005

Norton 2006

Norton 2007

Norton 2008

Norton 2009

Norton 2010

Norton 2011

Norton 2012

Norton 2013

[Guth]

my current media player UI and it works well with metro.... but this is not the default skin

I made the compilation and the artwork

[snip]

What player is that?

I'm still using Winamp as it plays FLAC and my whole collection is in FLAC. every other player I have used I don't like. I'm stuck with winamp but I hate the UI. I used to use Jaangle but its UI is even worse.

[remixedcat]

J-River Media Jukebox

[darkrats]

My pet peeve is when an application has a misture of UI designs. For example, Symantec Endpoint Protection. The main window looks like a cartoon while all the sub-windows look more professional:

[garwin]

To the user, the interface is the product. - Aza Raskin

[ramzorz]

Very nice presentation to the original poster. I agree completely. A change of UI is completely useless in my option. It throws the user off and I feel like the public is prone to viruses posing as faux software - since UI's are consistent, they'll think that the virus is just another part of the antivirus program. And what is it with corporations ripping off Window's style?

[Dan~]

It's so it looks modern. If no company did UI changes for major versions this thread would be called "Why don't most major.........."

I wouldn't buy a new car if it looked like it was build in the 90s

[.Neo]

Because everyone knows that without a massively different interface nothing else has changed either. It's just common sense.

[Tuishimi]

People are very visual. Minor functionality changes can be called major if it LOOKS different.