I don't want to test your new theories on interface design.
I don't care.
I just want the system you built that works, which is the reason I started using your software in the first place. I'm not using it because I care about its development, I'm using it because it helps me perform a task. It's a tool. A spanner. And I don't want my spanner to suddenly grow wings and a steering wheel.
It is not my job to help you do your job.
It is your job to help me do mine.
Hire some testers, don't force your userbase to arbitrarily relearn their tools because of what you learned in your HCI class, or because management are getting antsy about competition and need a way to make themselves feel relevant. Whimsical change is for things and people that aren't being relied upon.