I loaded up iC8 today and spent some time looking around. Two things hit me, and I'm here to share them, and ask for comments.
THE WORST
This would have been a good opportunity to offer the user the option of a lighter theme. I'm not the only one that finds the BLACK EVERYWHERE a bit harder to read. I did notice that the text itself was sharper and crisper than it used to be, and I am grateful for this.
THE BEST
I loaded a project I've been working on, loaded Motion LIVE, and what to my surprise did I find listed on the Character List but the two people, and the two cats as well. Hot Damn! What an unexpected surprise! I'll be trying this out very soon! Thanks!
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"Less clicks good, more clicks bad."

UI is still atrocious IMHO. 
I've got items atop of items all crammed into one screen. Tried downsizing the scale of my display and still annoying. 
You'd think they could come up with a way of making the UI more intuitive, but no. 
Even after doing so, I'm still stuck having to shrink the scale so's to be able to see the dang export button. Much as it was with CC3. 
If only they could've allowed for the resizing of dialogue boxes. In such a case I'd have been willing to just do that so's to see the stupid button that's hidden below the screen. BUT NO. Too much to ask for.
PATHETIC!

Oh, and while I'm at it.
Re-examined that export dialogue box to have another look. Yep, they've got scroll bars on the side. As if pretending to be useful.
Does nothing to alleviate my problem of not being able to see the button unless I rescale my screen only to have to rescale back up again. 

Great thread.
imo,
The Best
The shared content folder between IC8&CC4 is a major improvement.
Getting rid of 3D Xchange makes the entire workflow smoother.
Hotkey/game controller animation more intuitive
I am enjoying the UI; especially the the pre-configured workspaces (more like Blender).

The Worst
Haven't figured out how to batch Install all my content.

Nathan

-- Yes, 3DX is nothing but a big fat import/export filter. Making it a standalone application always seemed peculiar.
-- I don't know what this "game controller" business is yet, but I've got my fingers crossed.
-- As for the content folders, I'm hoping I find a way to impose order on them.
-- Blender is a tad more configurable than iC8. UI color is an example.



"Less clicks good, more clicks bad."

Generally speaking, UI design has gone downhill quite a bit in the last 20 years. Tom Peters would say, "We're no worse than anybody else." When the bogus terms like "app" and "cloud" came along, usability became less important. Now the new marcom word "pack" has joined them. Me, I studied Jacob Nielsen, so I didn't expect this.


"Less clicks good, more clicks bad."

BEST
Improved animation features, ability to overlay and mix tracks, adjust motion direction, etc.

WORST
Having to pay for motions to use them in Motion Director, making what could be a cornerstone feature very limited


Mirror Valley
*Tales of the Strange and Unusual*
Mirror Valley on Youtube

So you're able to see the export button in CC4 without resorting to a tiny screen? 

Enjoying Blender is dependent upon knowing where everything's hidden. Thus, it's all out of the way. That's the beauty of it IMHO.
Unlike CC4 and IC8 wherein everything's in your face.

Usability means, every tool you need is easily found in a logical place (not in 40 different locations). Usability does not mean, every tool you own is on the bench at the same time. :-)



"Less clicks good, more clicks bad."