When you edit a message and click apply, it takes you to the screen saying "edit applied to message..." and you have to click continue to get back to the thread.

Is this really necessary? Surely it's a waste of a perfectly good click? Why not just go straight back to the thread and do away with the pointless middle step?

It's what's known as feedback, to let the user know that something has happened and they haven't just been booted out. But, yeah!

Ultimately, it'd be best if that window could be cut out and the user returned straight to the thread, possibly with a temporary yellow "Post updated" bar at the top or something so that they know that their change has been applied.

Probably or possibly. Can't say I have strong feelings about it, but I can understand why some might feel it gets in the way.

Yeah, that'd work. It would save us all a few precious seconds.

I've wondered about this myself.

Not that it's a glaring flaw or anything, but it does seem that it could be dropped in favour of something on the thread page saying the thread was updated with your post/edit.