When setting the colour in the editor the default setting for the opacity is initially zero. For the uninitiated this can make the colour setting appear not to work - particularly in a custom class. This catches me out often.
My suggestion is that if the colour settings are being manipulated and the opacity is set to zero, the opacity should be moved to 50% or 100% so that colour editing has some effect.
If the opacity is not 0 then the opacity setting should be unchanged.
I have raised this point myself previously. From memory I believe this is some kind of Bootstrap standard but I agree it is completely counterintuitive from a workflow perspective and occasionally confusing. I would prefer it this defaulted to 100% so the colour could be seen immediately and then reduced if desired.
The colour selections, global swatches etc is an area that needs a complete overhaul. I gather it is quite a big change though to do this.
I don’t like doing 'Me Too" posts, but I agree totally!