Every two weeks a member of the UX research team would present a report of compiled feedback and, oh boy, did we ever hear about all things people hated about any UI changes.
Their complaints are typically completely valid, but there’s only so much we can do. We can’t just leave things alone because there’s always some new feature or ad product to work in. We UX designers did not choose what to work on any more than the developers chose what features to build.
People have different layouts in toolboxes, sheds, garages, kitchens, bathrooms, etc. Whatever fits them best. They highlight main features and hide the rest in shelves. But when it comes to UX, everything must have its very fixed special pedestal for some reason. Not your fault, the whole UX thing is absurd from inventory management pov. We used customizable toolbars all the time before someone decided that we are too dumb for that. We still make bookmarks, pin apps to start menus, arrange apps on dashboards. Users aren’t dumb, the premise is.
It might not always be the right choice because it could add enough complexity to discourage marginal users, but that’s different from not having something ‘we can do’.
Really just depends on the product and feature and the company culture. Submenus don't work when the feature has a powerful internal sponsor and they want it front and center.
Their complaints are typically completely valid, but there’s only so much we can do. We can’t just leave things alone because there’s always some new feature or ad product to work in. We UX designers did not choose what to work on any more than the developers chose what features to build.