Ditch the 2023 User Interface in Acrobat
There are so many shortcomings and problems with the new 2023 GUI interface. Here are just a few:
Swapping left and right-hand panels for no reason. This does not improve anything for users. It just forces users to change everything about how they work in Acrobat every workday.
Functions are indicated by random icons. In the 90s, we learned that icons in software and websites don't work across different populations. Users have a difficult time figuring out what the heck they mean. Give text labels.
The left panel is permanently positioned on the screen and obscures part of the document below. Seriously Adobe, WTF.
The entire menu/panel system can't be customized, moved, or docked. Another WTF.
Hamburger menus (those obscure 3 horizontal lines) are used on mobile interfaces to collapse menus. They are totally unnecessary and inappropriate on desktop interfaces — where working people spend most of their time working. Give people real menus with real names. "Menu" is not accurate, either. What is the name of the other menu to the right? Menu 2? Cheeseburger Menu?
The new interface is inaccessible for those with disabilities who use assistive technologies, especially screen reader users. Adobe has seriously violated its VPAT with governments and corporations worldwide who are required by law to provide accessible work environments and tools.
Grey on Grey is not an accessible color scheme. Can't tell if some icons are active or disabled. Those with low vision can't discern the icons.
Digital signatures, Document Cloud (where Adobe stores your files by default), subscriptions, OCR, file creation, file combining, and accessibility all have reported major problems for the past few years...but rather than fix these critical problems, money was instead spent on rearranging the deck chairs on the sinking Titanic.
As long-time PDF consultants, my firm has found that the majority of customers are professionals who use Acrobat for their jobs. These are not "casual" users working on their smartphones. They are using desktops/laptops with full screens, not mobile devices to do their jobs. And they work with PDFs a lot.
They have developed actions and scripts to automate processes on dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of PDF files every day. These industries include print, prepress, graphic design, accessibility & remediation, accessible forms, variable forms, variable printing, data validation, financial institutions (think of all those bank statements every month!), health care, investment and finance, and manufacturing.
Dramatic GUI changes like 2023's completely change how these automated processes work...if they still work at all.
The cost to these industries to correct the now-broken processes — brought on by Adobe's whimsical, untested design idea — is appalling. If I was a major corporation hit by this unnecessary expense, I'd ban Adobe products from my company and look for another PDF vendor.
There are now many reputable competitors to Adobe Acrobat: See:
— https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-pdf-editors
— https://www.techradar.com/best/pdf-editors
— https://www.pcworld.com/article/407214/best-pdf-editors.html
Calling this Acrobat's "Modern Viewer" is a form of gaslighting Adobe customers. It's not modern at all — 30 years ago, using icons failed in software and web interfaces, and it's failing again with Acrobat 2023. Sometimes retro isn't good, especially retro user interfaces. Please don't attempt to bring back disco, old-fashioned 20 inch TVs, polyester suits, rotary phones and VHS tapes as being "Modern," too.
Ditch this "Modern Viewer" and instead give us a working tool to get our jobs done.
Revert the interface back to what it was.
Fix Acrobat's bugs. There are so many!
And improve the accessibility for those with disabilities (who can't get to the Comments panel, Bookmarks panel, understand what and how much is redacted, make edits or change the content, scale/enlarge the interface, nor sign a PDF).
For those still reading this, users can revert to the old interface for now (August 2023).
— Windows: Hamburger Menu / Disable New Acrobat
— Mac: View Menu / Disable New Acrobat
I have no idea who long Adobe is going to let us revert to the "real" interface.
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Daniel Prior commented
The new interface is terrible!
Went back to the older version!
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Rob Andrews commented
The new interface is terrible.
I vote to change the interface back to the way it was 10 or 15 years ago.
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InstyButte Typesetting2 commented
Please, everyone who agrees that the new interface is terrible, go to this thread, share your constructive thoughts, and upvote.
https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/suggestions/48153893-new-acrobat-wish-list-for-a-better-interface
It only has 21 upvotes, and is far more likely to garner attention from Adobe because it is focused on solutions, not just our anger and complaints. -
Jeff commented
Yep, there were shouts of joy here when I found the "Revert" function.
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Tamra Crews commented
The new GUI interface is guaranteed to give you carpal tunnel syndrome.
So. Much. Clicking. -
angela white commented
The new interface looks like it was designed for elementary students. I hate it.
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David Peters commented
This was to be expected, Denny.
Adobe has long turned into a company akin to Boeing, where the only thing that matters is pleasing shareholders instead of working on the product.
On the other hand, I must say that professionals who to this day still cling to Adobe Acrobat, which has long been degenerating into a disaster, are essentially getting what they deserve.
The dramatic decline of Adobe Acrobat was obvious ever since Acrobat DC was introduced about a decade ago. Refer to this thread for insight: https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/acrobat-dc-so-horrible-it-s-making-me-want-to-cry/m-p/7112360
Even back then, Adobe blatantly ignored the disastrous backlash from the professional community and simply continued on their path to turn Acrobat into a ridiculous kindergarten toy.
So move on, everybody. Nothing to see here anymore. This is flogging a dead horse.
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Denny Esford commented
February 07, 2024, I sent the attached with 500 hard copy pages of then-posted comments through February 006, 2024. Response? Crickets.
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Kristine Griba commented
To Anonymous, "The number of votes does not reflect the real world impact. In our organization there are 17 people using the disable approach after I followed the steps here." 👍🏻
I've been encouraging people to log in an up vote! It's the only way our voice will be heard... I'm trying to have the faith that we as customers will have an ounce of sway and influence LOL.
TBH, though, I doubt Adobe will listen. Call me bitter, but I think even if we were all to 'abandon ship,' they'd still motor on full steam ahead :(
Getting signatures in this new version during tax season (here in Canada) has been brutal. I'm resorting to ignoring CRA's formats in their forms because I no longer have the date format option I used to use all the time, and hoping for the best... Adobe doesn't even list our time zone in the settings :( Every time I call them about that, they tell me they will "mention it to their development team." 😖
Into the abyss we go...
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Anonymous commented
The number of votes does not reflect the real world impact. In our organization there are 17 people using the disable approach after I followed the steps here.
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barbara lerman commented
This is just not a good option. Pls change it back!
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Erin Burrows commented
I really hate the new interface. Luckily, we have the option to Disable New Acrobat in the menu, but how long will that be available? This change cannot have been based on real-world workflows, and it makes no sense to makes such drastic changes for no reason. It is ridiculous to have to go online and do a search on how to fix the new changes, which were seemingly implemented without warning and without user input. Maybe focus on speeding up how slow the program is before making nonsensical updates?
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luke burton commented
An easy fix for this issue is to use "find and replace".... Find an alternative and replace Acrobat with something better. Adobe dont give two sh*ts about the professionals or our issues, and they cant fix them... they cause them. Adobe make toys for children now and are getting rich doing it. Graphic designers (real, professional graphic designers) are leaving the industry purely because of Adobe and their arrogance and greed.
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Zaz Asp commented
Floating toolbar is highly inconvenient, blocking out the text I WANT to read and forcing me to keep moving the toolbar around when it could literally stay in the sidebar. There is also no option to hide or disable the toolbar at all which is amazingly stupid.
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Ian Caldwell commented
Everything about the "new" Adobe has made things worse in my workflows. Nothing has been improved and every action takes longer.
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Samuel Buggeln commented
It is truly shocking to have placed a "floating" menu obscuring the content of the document window, with no option to "float" the menu out of the way of the elements of the document in the top left corner that we need to work on! Honestly, the arrogance and cluelessness is breathtaking. Fixing this is not enough. Please fire people.
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dbutzner commented
I disabled the new Acrobat. The tool bar at the side is not user friendly.
It is hard to find the tools -
Gopa Campbell commented
In response to Lynn Serafinn (below), and in response to those who are frustrated by Adobe updating your Acrobat when you have already rolled it back, if you turn off auto updates, it will solve the problem: Acrobat--preferences--Updater--uncheck automatically install updates.
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Lynn Serafinn commented
The new interface drives me bonkers. Whose bright idea was this? I keep rolling it back, but then it changes to this counter-intuitive design with every Adobe update. Insane.
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Faith Ann commented
I really, really, really need the toolbar to be at the top where it is safely out of the way of the work that I need to do. If you are going to add new features, that is great. PLEASE leave the current features as an option. This is really slowing me down as I can't even see half of what I need to on my small computer screen.