The changes in this version are really good, and Sketch definitely needed a UI update. It feels like in the pursuit of trends, some interface decisions ended up hurting usability. I don’t want to criticize you too harshly, because I truly love Sketch but unfortunately my workflow has become slower in the new version. Here’s why:
There’s a bug in the layer list where layers stop displaying correctly in the tree. Restarting Sketch temporarily fixes it.
The stepper buttons (increase or decrease arrows) in input fields are gone -for example, width, height, layout settings, opacity. Now I have to adjust values manually every time, which slows down simple operations.
The icons in the layer list were easier to read in the previous version. For example, folders had filled icons and frames did not, so it was instantly clear what was what. Now everything looks visually similar and harder to distinguish.
There is no longer an indicator showing whether a group or frame is open or collapsed.
The updated toolbar icons don’t show tooltips. For someone who still adjusting to the new UI, it’s difficult to understand what each icon does.
The previous versions of Sketch was a very convenient and userfriendly tool. Now I feel like I’m looking at a beautiful interface but at the cost of usability, and it has become uncomfortable to work in it.
Thanks a lot for this post; it helps us a lot as we continue to refine Copenhagen! (Also, we really appreciate your kind words)
Now let’s go through your points one by one:
That definitely doesn’t sound expected, but I can’t reproduce it. To help us investigate, could you share a short screen recording showing the problem in context? A quick video would help us understand exactly what’s happening and reproduce it on our end.
You are right, we removed the steppers to simplify the interface and reduce visual noise. That said, you can still adjust values quickly using:
Up/Down arrow keys (with Shift/Option modifiers for larger/smaller increments)
Click + drag on the field value right/left to increase/decrease its value
These interactions should give you even faster control than the old stepper buttons once you get used to them.
Thanks for highlighting this! We’re already tracking a few usability improvements for the Layer List. I’ll pass your notes along so the team can consider refinements, especially around visual differentiation for open/closed groups.
This is an intentional change. The new toolbar now adapts to your selection, showing only the tools that can be applied in that context. Previously, tools would appear but be greyed out, which added a lot of visual noise. The updated toolbar aims to surface only what’s relevant, reducing clutter.
If you miss having static access to specific tools, I recommend trying the Command Bar. It’s quick to access (CMD-K), and it learns the tools you use most, so it becomes even faster over time.
Thanks again for your message, and if you can share a video for point #1, we’ll jump on it right away.
Correction! The tooltips should still appear. I was thinking about the toolbar itself. Could you also show us that in the video? It would be much appreciated!
Layer list bug / Tooltips bug
To be honest, I stopped using the new version and went back to the previous one. It’s uncomfortable for me to work in the new UI, and I don’t really have time to track this bug again , so I can’t record a video, sorry. On the updated version (2025.3.1) I also couldn’t reproduce this bug.
Value adjustment buttons
This change still feels inconvenient. Now I have to switch from mouse or trackpad to keyboard just to adjust values by 1-2-3 pixels. It really seems like usability was sacrificed for aesthetics :c
Thank you! I really hope community feedback will be heard.
