Long-time and happy XFCE user

It used to take one click to switch workspaces. Now it takes several, after you search for the correct one. It used to take one click to bring back a task you hid from your view (minimised). It takes several now, after you search for the correct one. Shortcuts on the desktop (which I never use, but others do) do not exist any more, so opening a favourite file is now more difficult (i.e. requires more GUI actions). And so on and so forth.

These are regressions in the _graphical_ UI. The proper thing may apply to libraries and other under the bonnet improvements, but it certainly doesn't to GUI.

Gnome design documents talk at length about users being distracted by the taskbar, workspace switcher and other things that would tempt them to switch (but not activities button?). These users could always use autohide of the panel. Creating overview, which complicates things, requires unnecessary GUI actions, attacks user with animations and so on, is the root of these problems. Nobody needs an overview on a desktop/laptop computer with decent resolution (I know some will claim they do - see autohide). These are the things that tablets/phones may need, because there is physically no space to put interface elements that enable switching.

These are design problems. Or more specifically, design regressions.