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Acrobat for Windows and Mac: User Interface

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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:

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. The left panel is permanently positioned on the screen and obscures part of the document below. Seriously Adobe, WTF.

  4. The entire menu/panel system can't be customized, moved, or docked. Another WTF.

  5. 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?

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  1. Revert the interface back to what it was.

  2. Fix Acrobat's bugs. There are so many!

  3. 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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Bevi Chagnon | PubCom.com shared this idea  ·   ·  Report…  ·  Admin →

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  • Toni Brown commented  ·   ·  Report

    Everything about this change means that there are extra clicks that have to be made to get the job done. Why would you think that would be helpful at all? I do not understand why these changes are made this way. What you need to do is remove the so-called upgrades and go back to the drawing board. Pay attention to your users instead of the programmers that make changes for the sake of change.

  • Richard Roland commented  ·   ·  Report

    Baltimore CanvasProducts, Inc., this is just a temporary reprieve. We'll be walking the Green Mile soon.

  • LS commented  ·   ·  Report

    I want to open documents in separate windows. I want the ability to turn off Open Document as new Tabs in the Same Window back.

  • Beatrice Kern commented  ·   ·  Report

    Well, the time has come to say goodbye to Adobe and switch to more innovative providers. I'm not too old to learn new things, but learning junk from Adobe is too valuable for my time and money.

  • Joseph Colombo commented  ·   ·  Report

    I have the view zoomed out on all of my documents so point 3 doesn’t affect me as greatly as everyone else, however, it makes zero sense regardless. There’s so much wasted space on the top portion (You know, where the quick action tool bar used to be). All you needed to do was maybe shrink down the tabs a bit and update the font. The overhaul was absolutely unnecessary. The fact that it was just released without any warning literally impacted my job for a few days….When you have customers that pay an absurd amount for your product don’t change it. If you do update it give andvanced notice annd maybe get as much real life user feedback as possible and certainly don’t dramatically change the product for the sake of change or “modernization”.. It was a tool. A solid tool; flawed but extremely functional. Bottom line. You will lose hundreds of thousands of dollars if you stick with this redesign. There are plenty of competitors. If i have to relearn how to create forms, alter pdfs, and design documents. I can do it from another provider for much cheaper.

  • Richard Roland commented  ·   ·  Report

    Those of you who think this is just a matter of learning a differently layed out interface are in for a rude awakening.

  • Nora Hendren commented  ·   ·  Report

    Why...WHY...do we have to keep relearning stuff just because you apparently don't have anything better to do or have to somehow justify your salary? Some of us have work to do. This is a TOOL. Stop it.

  • Annika Wagenecht commented  ·   ·  Report

    Whatever y'all did with this update... UNDO it! It was fine before and easy to work with. Companies always try to change stuff around when it's perfectly good the way it is and I never understood that. Why make more work for yourselves just for it to have less value than before... This new update makes it hard to find anything, it constantly crashes and cannot support the basic things I try to do, like save a document, and its a nightmare.

  • Melanie Abramoff commented  ·   ·  Report

    I have disabled the new Acrobat. the new UI is horrible. If I am unable to disable this version, i will CANCEL MY ENTIRE CLOUD. I mainly use Acrobat for work and school and rely on it. I will find a different software to use if I have to use the 2023 version.

  • Beka commented  ·   ·  Report

    The new UI is horrendous. Why the side panels and top tool bar were omitted/completely flipped is beyond me. There is no logical way that this unnecessary change was thought of as a good idea for the program. It worked PERFECTLY fine before these updates. Now, I'm being charged MORE per license for these "wonderful" updates when they have actually severely impacted the day to day not just for me but my entire office. Considering many businesses are moving to the digital era, it's honestly quite the bold move from Adobe. Do you want to keep your customer base especially when this article alone lists competitors? Sure they MAY be inferior, but for how long?

  • Phylis McClain commented  ·   ·  Report

    The new layout is unorganized. I cannot add tools at the top, instead they are all over the place and the icons don't make sense. Productivity just went out the window. What a disaster!

  • Richard Roland commented  ·   ·  Report

    Adobe obviously has already decided to make this monstrosity of a UI permanent, and at some point to take away the ability to revert. We are so screwed. Adobe is an elephant with no concern for the ants (us) it steps on.

  • Bob Fillmore commented  ·   ·  Report

    Responding to Shashank Jain (Admin, Adobe) who said "...With the new interface we aim to..."

    You failed...

  • Donald Miller commented  ·   ·  Report

    Everything this person said....literally. What a disaster. I have absolutely disabled the new Acrobat. If I can't disable in the future, I will definitely be using another PDF program.

  • Alan Robertson commented  ·   ·  Report

    I've just seen the official Adobe response and am sorry to say it is factually incorrect - the ability to sign documents was NOT the same and I could not add my signature to documents until I reverted to old system. They have also ignored the total lack of warning to customers around the change or confirmed they will continue to support the old interface.

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