I was soloing a 2D game just after those decisions you mention and hung out on #krita a bit during the period, as I was using it to paint the cut scenes etc...

I don't have anything but praise about level of thought that went into modelling the UI and considering different use-cases, by author(s) himself. Extremely open and inclusive (in the best sense of the word). These people know what they're doing and do it well.