Every recent UI update from Shopify seems to prioritize redesign over usability, and it’s becoming a real problem for day to day operations.
For stores processing orders constantly, speed matters. Repetitive workflows like fulfilling orders, checking details, printing labels, and managing inventory should be getting faster over time, not slower.
Instead, updates are:
Adding extra clicks to complete the same tasks
Moving commonly used actions into menus or secondary screens
Changing layouts without improving workflow efficiency
Real examples:
Order filters were changed and quick links were removed. What used to be a one click action to view unfulfilled orders now takes multiple clicks to get the same result
Updating quantities in variants and inventory is now buried in more embedded menus, adding unnecessary steps to a very common task
Product pricing used to show all key fields upfront. Now most of that information is hidden behind a submenu, requiring extra clicks just to access basic pricing controls. If this is meant to simplify the UI, there should at least be a toggle to show or hide advanced fields so stores that need it can work efficiently
These are just a few recent examples, but there have been numerous changes over the past year that feel like a step backward in efficiency.
These are not minor inconveniences. When you’re handling volume, every extra click compounds into wasted time and slower operations.
Consistency and efficiency should come first. If something works, it shouldn’t be changed unless it’s objectively faster or better.
Right now, it feels like UI changes are being made without real feedback from merchants who actually use the platform heavily every day.
Request:
Prioritize reducing clicks, not increasing them
Provide an option to keep or revert to previous UI layouts
Add a proper feedback channel for merchants before rolling out major changes
This isn’t about resisting change. It’s about making sure changes actually improve the workflow.
How do we actually get these kinds of changes to stop, or at least provide feedback that leads to improvements instead of more friction?
“Stop changing layouts for the heck of it.” - yep! I’ve been saying this for 2-3 years now. They DO NOT LISTEN though.
All of the recent changes are killing me.
Every single thing I have to do is now taking longer.
A great example is “Categories”. I hated it when this was introduced and complained at the time of the extra work. I became used to it UNTIL they changed it again during the week.
Up until a day or two ago, it would often recognise the product I’m entering (24-25 a day, so it’s a LOT) as Records & LPs. If the system did not recognise the product, it would at least default to Vinyl in Music and Sound Recordings, whereby I could click in the box and it would bring up Record & LPs, which I could then click on.
Bear in mind, NONE of this was required before Categories were added.
Now, it defaults to Vinyl in Music and Sound Recordings but when I click there, it removes it entirely and I MUST TYPE IN “Records”
How many extra clicks and work has that now added?
Remember, I’m doing this 24-25 times PER DAY.
“there have been numerous changes over the past year that feel like a step backward in efficiency”
and the developers just continue to make extra work for us struggling small business owners.
I know what you’re sayin, friction in a workflow at scale builds up fast. A quick workaround may be saving views, bulk editor, Shopify Flow automation, apps such as mechanism or matrixify to group repetitive tasks. Shopify APIs based custom admin apps can also bring your team back to its one-click operational workflows.
I created a Shopify Community account just to like this post. This has been frustrating me lately, but I’m worried it’s not going to get any better or that anyone’s complaints are going to be considered on it.
This. I post here repeatedly and NOTHING ever gets fixed i.e scaled back to how it was. These damned developers don’t have a clue how much extra work they continue to add to the running of a small business.
THIS. I have yet to see a change from them that doesn’t DECREASE my productivity. It really makes you wonder, who are they testing these changes on. Actual users? Just today I went to create an invoice, suddenly I have to click an add button instead of just typing in the items. That extra click x 500 times a day becauuuuuussssseeee ??? They think we have nothing better to do. I’ve been using Shopify for over 10 years and I SO badly miss the old days when everything was simple and it worked and competent useful people replied in chats. I used to be able to manage it myself, now i have to pay a bunch of money to have an expert manage just the basic things because they’ve made it so complicated. In addition to a massive decline in user experience, the cost just went up and up. PLUS all the add ons they force on us. It’s such a shame what they did to this once great company
shopify GET RID OF THE ■■■■ NEW HIRE WHO IS MAKING ALL THESE ■■■■ CHANGES, this person or team clearly have no idea what the end user whats or needs. They have never sat through 100 orders to process, in their life. This is not a tool to be aesthetic to your UI/UX hire. how about you actually get this team to do some inhouse panel interviews with REAL users to process over 100 orders a day then understand why your changes are beyond ridiculous. Or did you axe all the seniors and hire grads who have no clue about functionality versus aesthetics.