P: New user interface lacks contrast and many usability cues, lots of other problems

Try clicking on a solid object (not in a transparent area): it should work if you do that if you have Auto-select Group checked.

On a positive note, Adobe makes it very simple to try the new version, and then roll back to the old version without nuking any of our settings and prefs. I've tried all the new 2015 releases, and keep rolling back to the 2014 version (which also runs much faster on my 2015 MacBook Pro.)

Here's a very specific, repeatable bug (can't possibly be a feature) in Photoshop 15.1

It's no longer possible to select a group of layers and then move those elements in the image (using the pointer tool) as a group. In Photoshop CC 2014, I can click on the group of layers, hit V hotkey and then drag the entire group of layers, which stay perfectly aligned to each other. In Photoshop CC 2015, if I open the exact same file, and click the group of layers, hit V hotkey, and try to drag, only one of the layers moves -- the other layers in the group stay put.

This is maddening.

Thanks, Chris, we just want to make sure we are getting heard and things will get fixed ASAP so we can all move on.

Thank you Chris. Good to know that the team is aware, and I hope these issues will be resolved soon.

Yes, your issues are being heard by the Photoshop team.

And yes, let's please stay on topic (discussing the actual problems with the current UI design) and not try to blame a single designer.

Rob, you're right in that it shouldn't be a witch hunt on Seth. He was simply leading a team that was solving specific problems, and likely didn't realize new problems would be created as a result. In saying that, someone needs to be held accountable, and the primary avenue for trying to find that accountability is right here.

Seth Shaw is THE public figure associated with this issue. No other representative of Adobe (except for very few times in this topic) has spoken about these changes. He is just the perceived cause of the negative change, and therefore the target of our frustration.

Perhaps the solution is putting some resource towards implementing the same vector & scalability to the old UI, and providing an option to switch between "Classic" & "Modern" UI Styles.

At the end of the day I don't think we care about Seth Shaw specifically, we just want to be heard by Adobe, and for the problem to be resolved. We don't feel as if either of those things are happening.

Here are the head honchos at Adobe. I'm in Australia so there is an 'au' in the URL, you may have to delete that.    https://www.adobe.com/au/leaders.html  Perhaps we should email them all the link this discussion.

Folks, remember, Seth Shaw was/is(?) only  a freelancer. Just because he has been the only one to post about the redesign doesn't mean he steered the boat.  

In all likelihood, it went something like...

Boss 1- "We need to refresh the PS UI.  Get it ready for the impending onslaught of touch screen users." (mistake #1)

Boss 2- "Who do we have on staff who can come up with something?"

Minion- "No one. That's why the UI hasn't changed much."

Boss1- "OK, put up an ad on Behance and let's get someone with a mobile UI background" (mistake #2)

later that week...

Boss1-"OK freelance guy, here's what we want.  Make it happen."

Seth- "But won't a mobile styled touch UI alienate your user base?"

Boss2- "We want to expand into touch platforms"

Seth- "But you already have too many touch platform apps as it is, and serious photographers, designers and retouchers don't use touch screens.  They use calibrated Eizo monitors, Wacom tablets, and keyboards.  Touch screens are great for McDonald's drive through windows, not professional visual artists."

Boss1- "Leave the marketing strategy to us and get busy designing something iPhone-like!" (mistake #3)

If we don't get a proper response from Adobe (I wonder how much goodwill their silence is costing them?) then it will be quite easy to start a campaign of notifying more senior executives to ensure they're aware of the points raised in this thread. All it takes is a few minutes on linkedin and you should be able to figure out who's who, then you can use the firstname.surname convention @17309390 to drop them a note. Clearly that's the only way that we're going to get a response here. Ignoring criticism is simply not a way to do business, I'm very frustrated by the silence on this topic. At the very least Seth should come on here to explain. The longer he refrains, the more damage he's doing, and the greater the eventual damage to his reputation. Let me put this simply: this issue is not going to magically go away.