For example, when you start a direct chat, it's realy just a group chat with 2 people. If you invite another person (or even just an integration like giphy search!), the UI stops listing it under the other user as a direct chat and it seems indistinguishable from a chat room. Even removing the extra user seems to not get it classified again as a direct chat.
If Matrix people are reading this - it would be great to have better distinction between direct and group. And it would be nice if integrations could somehow not break that illusion. And perhaps a warning if adding an integration / user will irreversibly make a chat a group chat.
Can't wait to share some of the new designs with everyone!
If anyone has other suggestions or frustrations, send them to me - contacts are in my description.
I'm the guy working on a major UI/UX redesign for Matrix/Riot that Matthew mentioned above.
rooms, pms, all kinds of options, modern design in a layout that worked even at 1/4 monitor screen fine.
Of course it did not work on mobile - so it didn't have to think about how that would re-arrange and look. However it is clean and intuitive for many I think.
The backend options for changing colors and making / trading entire themes was decent as well.