flat design and washed-out colours are great compared to the graphics-and-rounded-edges horror that we used to contend with. Everything else, I agree with - especially around indistinct controls. Modals are fine as long as they have a clear shadow background and there's some kind of cancellation button on the main modal - and also, pressing ESC or clicking the shadow should close a modal. That's just UX 101.
> flat design and washed-out colours are great compared to the graphics-and-rounded-edges horror that we used to contend with
See my sibling comment: flat UI improved default aesthetics but hurt UX. We should have retained simulated depth (and higher contrasts for important UI elements) for the usability advantages. It was a matter of refining what we had, rather than tossing it all out.
flat UI doesn't have to be completely depth-free though. I agree with you when it comes to completely flat (metro-style) design where no depth cues are provided. Material and bootstrap styles are considered flat UI, from what I understand.
