I have also been thinking about the tools and menus in inkscape. I also think gimp is a good model in the way they manage tabs, which is very understandable.
I can make a document with some thoughts and suggestions that detail possible improvements to the user experience. I do a lot of mock ups and wireframes in my job and I am happy to create some detailed ones for inkscape. If doing that is welcome, I can work on it and submit through a new topic.
Inkscape has a ton of great features, but knowing how to get to them or navigate the UI is not always clear.