Task 2 : New UI Migration

1. Risks in a Large and Long-Running UI Migration Project

• Inconsistencies between old and new UI:

Customers using both versions might experience usability issues or missing features.

• Performance degradation:

The new UI may introduce unexpected latency or slow rendering times.

• Functionality gaps:

Some essential features might be missing in the new UI due to incomplete migration.

• Customer resistance to change:

Some users may be reluctant to switch, impacting adoption rates.

• Testing complexity:

Manually verifying over 30 pages and 80 dialogues increases the risk of missing bugs.

• Knowledge gaps:

Many employees involved in the migration were not familiar with the old UI, leading to overlooked nuances.

• Integration issues:

If external systems rely on the old UI, compatibility problems may arise.

2. Potential Mistakes We Could Have Made

• Lack of detailed migration planning:

Not establishing a phased approach might have caused inconsistencies.

• Inadequate regression testing:

Missing test coverage could result in unnoticed bugs during migration.

• Poor user communication:

Not informing customers adequately about UI changes could impact usability and trust.

• Not considering performance testing early:

Without early performance validation, UI slowdowns may go unnoticed until deployment.

• Failure to validate user feedback:

Ignoring early user complaints could lead to more dissatisfaction after full migration.

3. Strategies to Minimize Risk with Reasonable Effort

• Phased rollout with A/B testing:

Gradually introduce the new UI to a select group of customers and measure adoption success.

• Comprehensive automated testing:

Implement UI regression tests using Playwright or Cypress to verify all pages and dialogues.

• Performance benchmarking:

Measure load times between old and new UI to ensure an improved experience.

• User-driven feedback loops:

Gather feedback via surveys and customer support interactions to refine the UI iteratively.

• Fallback mechanism:

Allow users to temporarily switch back to the old UI in case of issues.

• Parallel deployment strategy:

Keep the old UI available while ensuring full feature parity before shutting it down.

• CI/CD pipeline integration:

Automate deployment with test validation checkpoints to catch critical defects before production.

• Load testing in real-world conditions:

Simulate peak usage scenarios to ensure system stability.

• Cross-team collaboration:

Ensure developers, testers, and product teams work closely to verify feature completeness and consistency.

Conclusion

By implementing structured risk mitigation strategies, automated testing, phased rollouts, and continuous monitoring, we can ensure a smooth transition to the new UI while minimizing customer impact and technical debt. Additionally, a strong feedback loop will ensure that usability and performance meet expectations before completely deprecating the old UI.