I am an instructional designer for a software company. I use LucidChart every day for every project I work on. And I find it instrumental in doing my work unpacking complex topics.

It is frustrating to have to click open the options windows (text options color selectors etc) when I need to alter the parameters of a shape. And there's no neat way to have all the options windows open together - they're different sizes.

Why not put them along the right side in place of "Contextual Panel." I for one never use the contextual panel as it is. Or store it along the right below the contextual stuff in an expandable arrow.

Sub-issue: having to click twice to access the shadow options is a time waste.

Also forcing us to collapse the "Shapes in Use" area on every flowchart I open is a waste of time. Why even have this? 

Many of these usability quirks feel out of step with what most other flowcharting and design software does. And usability is about making software intuitive for customers no?