In prev. version the variables list was large enough to get a quick overview of my styles. I don’t always know which color to pick so that was quite helpful. Also, I didn’t have to click between color/variables tabs.
Now, in the new version you waste literally 50% of that tiny little pane on fixed elements: the tabs, library selection, search + layer blend mode. And this way you made the pane focused on its UI and not on its content (if that makes sense) — quite the opposite of what Apple designers tried to achieve with the latest Mac OS UI, as questionable as it is.
I don’t like the grid view in either version because it doesn’t have names and the tooltip is too slow for me.
To sum it up: the current viewport for the color variables list is simply too small.
How to fix (couple of options)
- Make the pane resizable. Sure, it will cover the document’s content even more when open, but that’s fine since the pane is temporary anyway.
- Make the fixed parts scroll along with the variables list but keep the search sticky. No need to keep the whole header like you do now.
- Add min/max height to the pane and make it auto-adjust itself depending on the list height. Basically “height:auto” but from some min value up to some max value.
(I’m a long time user since 2013, still getting used to the newest version and overall it’s quite nice, but my not-the-smartest-ux-decisions radar still beeps sometimes.)