Now, I agree that Inkscape has a fairly solid UI as far as OS software goes.
BUT, in general, UX and interaction design simply is not a reductionist process the way implementing functional requirements is. It is an inherently holistic endeavor, an art more than a science, and that is why it helps tremendously to have a single competent person in charge who has a vision of how things should work.
I understand that to the typical programmer mindset it is frustrating when people come and complain that the UI is clunky and unintuitive without being able to express their frustration as a list of actionable "this does A but it should do B" tickets. But that's just how it works! Understanding and empathizing with the users simply requires a different skillset than programming.
I don't think anyone disagrees that the interface is less than perfect for them. And there is no one ideal user interface for everyone.
That's how software goes, it's a conglomeration of all the features for all of it's myriad of uses. What would benefit one use case might be detrimental for another, and no one UI/UX developer is going to be able to fathom all of those different use cases or conceptualize a UI that's ideally suited for them all.
What you do often get with dedicated resources is a direction drive and clarity of vision that is not in line with what everyone wants and their UI/UX ends up driving people away.
I don't use half of what Inkscape has to offer and I use Inkscape for two very distinct and very different use cases. And for both of those use cases Inkscape is far and away the best piece of software.
For web development, Inkscape is my go to SVG editor. I don't use it as a vector drawing tool at all, if the drawing and filter capabilities went away it wouldn't matter much to me. But the ability to quickly manipulate canvas sizes, add and remove objects, and tweak paths is essential.
When I use Inkscape as part of a CAD/CAM solution engraving, the use case and what UI/UX elements are important is completely different than when I'm optimizing SVG Assets for the web. Certain UI/UX elements I require as a web developer could vanish and I wouldn't care as a CNC operator.
I'm reasonably certain that much of what I value in Inkscape isn't of much use to someone who is producing vector art.
BUT, in general, UX and interaction design simply is not a reductionist process the way implementing functional requirements is. It is an inherently holistic endeavor, an art more than a science, and that is why it helps tremendously to have a single competent person in charge who has a vision of how things should work.
I understand that to the typical programmer mindset it is frustrating when people come and complain that the UI is clunky and unintuitive without being able to express their frustration as a list of actionable "this does A but it should do B" tickets. But that's just how it works! Understanding and empathizing with the users simply requires a different skillset than programming.