Translate the following blog post title into English, concise and natural. Return plain text only without quotes. 方法论：用户价值= 新体验-旧体验-替换成本
Have You Fallen Into the “Rebuild Fantasy” Trap?
How to Avoid Ignoring User Habits and Wasting Development Effort
As a product manager, have you ever been tempted to tear down and rebuild a system simply because it feels outdated — only to discover post-launch that users preferred the “old” way?
This article shares two real-world lessons that reshaped my approach to product decisions, and introduces a practical User Value Formula that can help you stay focused on what matters most: real user needs.
---
The Rebuild Fantasy: When Instinct Overrides Reality
If you’ve been in a stable business for years, you know the feeling:
You look at the product system — outdated interactions, convoluted logic — and think, “Let’s tear it down and rebuild it right.”
Or maybe you’re new at a company, facing a clunky legacy system, and your instinct is to design a perfect architecture from scratch.
I used to live in this mindset — until two painful experiences made me see how dangerous it can be.
---
Pitfall #1: Chasing the “New Experience” and Ignoring “Old Habits”
Context:
From 2018–2021, I managed B-end modules for a large education enterprise, serving teachers, consultants, and homeroom staff. Systems included curriculum, scheduling, and evaluations.
What I Saw:
- Teacher scheduling required 3 steps instead of 1.
- Important dashboard features were buried in menus.
- Adding a question type meant altering core logic.
The more I looked, the more I wanted to rebuild everything. I interpreted every complaint about “complex operations” as proof I was right.
What I Overlooked:
I didn’t measure replacement costs:
- Disrupting habitual workflows
- Migrating years of data
- Diverting R&D bandwidth from urgent needs
Outcome:
After launch, chaos:
- Users couldn’t find familiar buttons
- Historical reports went missing
- Submission took more clicks
Instead of celebration — a months-long firefight to restore the old functions.
Lesson:
I failed to respect the value of the old experience, which had embedded user habits. Ignoring learning curves, migration risks, and disruption costs can turn “innovation” into disaster.
---
Breakthrough #2: From ‘Must Rebuild’ to ‘Solve the Core Need’
Context:
In 2022, I joined an HR SaaS company. Day one: I was handed the stalled attendance system rebuild.
Initial Plan:
Conduct competitive analysis and create a perfect rebuild. But déjà vu hit — copying competitors wouldn’t guarantee value for our users.
Then the tech lead asked:
> “What exact problem are we solving for the user? Rebuilding is a solution — not the need.”
Shift in Approach:
- Paused competition study
- Reviewed 1,736 tickets, categorized by frequency and urgency
- Identified real priorities:
- Fixed overtime scheduling
- Customizable calendars
- Flexible shifts
- Compliance tracking
New Plan:
- Modular optimization in phases: schedule fixes → overtime → compliance.
Outcome:
- Staged release over 6 months
- Rave customer feedback
- Module set user satisfaction records and earned team bonuses
Lesson:
Without a clear need, even brilliant solutions are “castles in the air.” Ask before rebuilding: “What is the user’s real need?”
---
The User Value Formula: Your Decision-Making Compass
I condensed these lessons into a simple equation:
User Value = New Experience – Old Experience – Replacement CostWhy It Works:
It forces you to weigh gains, losses, and risks before committing to big changes.
---
Applying the Formula in 3 Common Scenarios
1. Competitor Launches AI Recommendations — Should You Follow?
- New Experience: How much does it really speed up screening? Is accuracy sacrificed?
- Old Experience: Manual processes may be slower but sharper on matching.
- Replacement Cost: 6 months R&D — could fixing small pain points now be more valuable?
---
2. UI Feels Outdated — Full Redesign?
- New Experience: Does it improve conversion or workflow speed, or just look pretty?
- Old Experience: Habits like “submit button bottom right” carry real value.
- Replacement Cost: 3 months dev + increased churn risk if users get lost.
---
3. Heavy Technical Debt — Rewrite with New Framework?
- New Experience: Will users notice and appreciate faster load times?
- Old Experience: Old framework may be stable and "good enough."
- Replacement Cost: Year-long freeze on new features; risk of data migration failure.
---
Mindset Shift: Be a User Value Actuary
We’re not artists chasing beauty, nor engineers chasing novelty for its own sake.
We must constantly calculate:
- Gains from New Experience
- Losses from Old Experience
- Risks in Replacement Cost
Tape this formula somewhere visible. Before deciding, run the numbers. You’ll avoid many costly detours.
---
Pro Tip: Leveraging Tools That Align With Real Needs
In a multi-platform, content-driven ecosystem, grounding big changes in real user value is powerful. Tools like AiToEarn官网 offer an open-source global platform for AI-powered content generation, cross-platform publishing, analytics, and model ranking — letting creators publish across 10+ major channels (Douyin, Kwai, WeChat, Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, X/Twitter) while monetizing efficiently.
For PMs, this mirrors product work: don’t just build — ensure it delivers tangible value everywhere it touches the user.
---
— / E N D / —
