I’m a paying customer of the premium / family plan. I’ve enjoyed using and recommending Bitwarden to others for years now, in part due to being open source and free forever but also because of it’s simplicity and clean design. It was easy to use, and got the job done with minimal fuss.
However, the latest UI update to the extension and app has absolutely ruined this app for me, to the point I’m starting to look at alternative tools for myself and those I’ve recommended it to.
Not only is the new design clunky, and looks like it came from 5 years ago. The update has introduced a number of bugs or performance issues that make it unusable at times.
I’ve enabled compact mode which is better but does not solve all the problems.
1. Autofill is the primary action in the extension
When opening the extension there’s one job I’m mostly needing it to do. Autofill a login for me. That action has now been pushed down into one tiny button that says Fill. I’m pretty sure the whole login (the entire width of the extension) used to be the clickable area to autofill, with the option to view pushed into a smaller click area for when I need it.
If Bitwarden hasn’t associated a login with a URL yet (which is actually quite common in my use) then this is even worse because those logins do not have a fill button, instead it appears I have to click on the more options dropdown to reveal the fill option.
2. Hide all items initially
The previous version had separate tabs for the vault and the tab. This helped reduce clutter, and keep a focused experience for the primary action (see point 1). In addition to supporting those elements, it also helped keep a level of information security when using the laptop in a public place, or when having to use the password manage when screen sharing.
The new version shows everything in the vault alongside the logins for the current tab. This clutters the experience, reduces focus from the job at hand (logging in to a website), and exposes several unrelated websites and logins I have accounts for to anyone who might see the screen. Whether the tabs are merged or not, all items should be hidden initially until the user prompts to find more.
3. Generate a password without switching between keyboard/mouse
When I open the extension I’ve switched from a keyboard mode to mouse mode. Don’t get me wrong I love using the keyboard (I use vim, btw). This switching mode has a cost especially if I have to switch frequently back and forth. I can get most jobs done in the extension without touching the keyboard, except the new generate password form has ditched the slider inputs for setting password length. So I now have to switch back to keyboard briefly to enter a number for the length, rather than adjusting the slider for length like I used to. This adds friction due to the switching cost.
In fact one of my biggest gripes before the update was that I had to type in my email address and usernames when they’re typically the same for most logins, the only thing I really wanted from Bitwarden was for it to save or let me select one of my existing usernames/emails from a list when creating a new login.
4. Simple, clean and harmonious and consistent design
Some of the screens aren’t that bad, but there’s an over use/reliance on borders in a few places. It can feel a bit boxy. Especially in the forms, strip back some of the borders please. They look so dated. Instead make use of color, size, and space to create separation and contrast.
There’s also some inconsistency in sizing, for example the icons in the bottom tab bar of the extension feel huge in relation to the other UI elements.
The elements in the top right of the panel (New, popout, and account) have no harmony, they feel unbalanced. Specifically it doesn’t help that the heights of the new and the account buttons are different, and the popout button needs a rethink to establish better harmony.
[BUG] Extension window refuses to appear when signing in with biometrics on Mac OS
Lastly, I’ve had it a number of times where after opening the extension and getting prompted for biometric auth with touch id on my laptop that the extension stops working completely after authenticating. The extension window just won’t appear, the button will show that it’s supposed to be there with it’s active state, but nothing happens. I have to close the browser and reopen to get back to unauthenticated state and then login with password manually.
I really hope this feedback helps, it’s a shame it doesn’t seem there a way to opt-out of this design or revert back to the old extension. If I could I would.
I’m sure there’s more things I could give feedback on but I don’t really have the time to do a better job at pulling it all together so this is what I could come up with. These are the key things that came to mind though, and if they were solved wouldn’t put me in a position where I’m considering alternatives.
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