Yes, riot sucks both in its current "desktop" implem (electron indeed) and the web version - tried it about two months back. You can tell there's possibly something worthwhile there though; eventually it may become usable for work.
I found the way the software tries systematically to push the user towards the "official", centralized matrix server distasteful though.
Indeed, trying to find the balance between "accessible for your average WhatsApp user" and "powerful for more advanced users" is still something we're working on. Nothing deliberate here.
I found the way the software tries systematically to push the user towards the "official", centralized matrix server distasteful though.