WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: New Acrobat Interface

for

From: Nick Bromley
Date: Aug 15, 2023 2:17AM

The switching of the left- and right-hand panels was enough for me to revert back to the previous version as soon as I could.
I know we as users often grumble when the UI changes in any program/website, but in most cases you adapt in just a few minutes. But the level of changes here were so significant here I was staring at the screen not knowing even where to begin. The lack of insight into how this change would affect users' workflow is something else.
As for the accessibility failures - you really should expect better from a former sponsor of WAI, but maybe not given their recent track record. Perhaps it's all some colossal alpha version mistake release.
Thanks for posting those feedback links.

-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of <EMAIL REMOVED>
Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2023 1:13 AM
To: 'WebAIM Discussion List' < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Subject: [WebAIM] New Acrobat Interface

Wondering if any on the list have installed the newest version of Adobe Acrobat, version 2023. And if so, what are your thoughts about the new interface, which Adobe has called the "Modern Viewer."

I'm talking about Adobe Acrobat software, not PDF files in general which can be made and used by more than 100 different programs from other companies.

Please let Adobe's engineers know your thoughts at their User Voice webpage <https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/sug
gestions/47082691-ditch-the-2023-user-interface-in-acrobat> , https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/sugg
estions/47082691-ditch-the-2023-user-interface-in-acrobat

Your vote is critical to let Adobe's powers know that the latest version doesn't meet our industry's needs, and in fact, makes the software less accessible than before.

My reaction (disclaimer, I'm on Adobe's beta testing team and their community forums) is like hundreds of others who depend on Acrobat to create, use, and process PDF files:

1. It's inaccessible. So many features are not fully available to
screen readers and other A T: bookmarks panel, comments panel, redacting, digital signatures, OCR, accessibility remediation are just a few.

2. The interface consists of many panels with small grey icons
scattered throughout in no logical order. I'm sighted and can't find tools that I've been using for 20+ years.

3. They switched the left-hand panels to the right side, and the
right-hand panels to the left - for no apparent reason, other than to frustrate every Acrobat user.

4. Many of its critical tools are still broken - creating accessible
PDFs, signing PDFs, filling out forms, OCR, combining PDFs, editing PDFs - the list of problems in Acrobat is endless.

Thanks for your thoughts.

And if you want to disable the new interface and revert to the old, instructions are at the end of the webpage listed above.

-Bevi Chagnon



- - -

Bevi Chagnon | Designer, Accessibility Technician | <EMAIL REMOVED> <mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> >

- - -

PubCom: Technologists for Accessible Design + Publishing

consulting . training . development . design . sec. 508 services

Upcoming classes at www.PubCom.com/ <http://www.pubcom.com/classes>; classes

- - -