DarkSwordsman
Before I start, this feature request is not going to be super fleshed out because I don't have the energy, knowing VRChat probably won't actually make these changes. I just wanted to provide my specific feedback about how I feel about these UI changes and hope that, maybe, some of this feedback is useful.
The new UI update brought many changes in an effort to bring support for micro transactions for profiles.
The Issue
The new UI for nameplates specifically is frustrating, because:
  1. The pronoun/status line is way too small to be readable from further than a few meters
  2. The group name and three icons on the right are hard to read against certain banners
  3. Banners are dimmed in an effort to solve 2, but don't entirely solve it
  4. The icons are small and hard to read at more than a few meters
How I'd fix it:
  1. Move the group name and icons above the nameplate, like it was before, and increase their size slightly.
  2. Remove the dimming on the group banner.
  3. Make the entire nameplate a consistent scale relative to someone's headset, like it was before (IIRC), so all text is readable, at least up to a certain distance. Then downgrade the size of the nameplate element if a user goes too far, rather than scaling it.
Other Thoughts
I am frustrated by this change because it doesn't feel like anyone at VRChat
actually tested the usability of it beforehand
.
To me, it feels like I'm being gaslit by the VRChat team, and I feel this way everytime there is a more business-oriented change.
It is clear that the devs do care about the platform, but it feels like business needs are outweighing the overall stability and experience of the platform. There are other features that have been waiting for months to years that would genuinely improve the overall UX and platform as a whole, but this feels like a step backwards with no notable benefit besides monetary.
It's hard to take this platform seriously, despite many good changes recently, when we are being told that user feedback will not fully change the outcome of this UI change (as mentioned by Tupper on another feedback request). Especially when this is another change in a line of micro transaction-oriented changes that were made recently.
It actually makes me worried about the long-term sustainability of the platform if they are pushing MTX all the time on top of VRC+. It feels like I'm just inundated with MTX advertisements in my notifications and overall UI experience. Not to mention, the FOMO. I see a bunch of cool new things that people utilize in their average VRChat experience, and it hurts to know as someone paying for VRC+ (since I see it as essential to my usability of the platform now), that I need to spend
even more money I don't have
just to get some of these cool cosmetic things or items.