This is probably going to make me sound like a curmudgeon, but:

While most of us are used to this system and its quirks, that doesn’t mean it’s without problems. This is especially apparent when you do user research with people who are new to computing...

I don't understand this thinking (1), and worse, the workflow described seems like it will just make things more confusing (2).

(1) Most tools humans have developed are not especially intuitive - you usually need someone to teach you at least the basics, and then you need to practice. Consider a driving a car, operating a sewing machine, a microwave... Even something "simple" like a hammer has features that need to be explained ("turn it around, and you can use the claw on the back to remove nails").

(2) This seems like it just introduces more inconsistency. Right now, a new window opens on top, and you move it and size it however you need. This works for all windows. With the model described, windows sometimes float next to each other (but the arrangement is random), some times tile, and other times will open on a new workspace. And the tiling features get even more confusing - dragging one window over another causes them to tile, but what if I actually just want them to overlap?

I feel like this is just going to annoy anyone used to the current system and still require a learning curve for anyone new to computing.

I've used gnome 2 and 3, Unity, KDE 3, 4, and 5, and am on gnome 44 now - I actually think the current world is pretty good. I'd much rather see quarter tiling and gesture customization than a whole new window management paradigm.