I've been helping a family member who is disabled and I've realized how much more difficult each re-design has gotten for those who don't have sharp eyesight and good manual dexterity. The top menus blend together into a mass of text, tiny icons are difficult for shaky fingers to tap. Colors blend together and have little contrast i.e., it's not quickly apparent which tab you are on, it's barely a shade different from the others. Themes are not the answer, they don't change the basic design elements.
I ended up looking through former designs and became nostalgic. There was a time when Firefox's visual design was very clear, functional, and easy to access. Tabs were obviously separate tabs, add-ons were obviously add-ons, bookmarks on the toolbar were obviously differentiated from the other rows and from each other, and the webpage was obviously separate from the top bars. All of these design choices make the browser so much easier and faster to use. Elements that are hidden away are another frustration for people. Don't take it for granted if those are easy for you, in time, we all experience challenges to our vision. And who likes straining their eyes?
Is Firefox only for the very young and fit now? Is it more important to look cool than for it to work for people? After all, we're not hanging the design on a gallery wall; function is the most important thing.
Just my thoughts. Designs should be tested on people of all ages and on people with physical/visual challenges.
