The best UI is the UI you're most used to. "Good UI" is snake oil peddled by UI/UX designers who continuously redesign shit by chasing trends they came up with in order to show that they're doing something and not get fired.
I think the only redesign I've wholeheartedly supported is TASVideos' overhaul, and it's because they made it more aesthetically pleasing AND more functional without fundamentally changing where things are or reducing information density. As you say, most redesigns are just mindless keeping up with the Joneses corporate BS or (even worse) hellish ways to force more ads and eNgAgEmEnT on users, whereas this redesign came out of a community need without profit motive.
The best UI is the UI you're most used to. "Good UI" is snake oil peddled by UI/UX designers who continuously redesign shit by chasing trends they came up with in order to show that they're doing something and not get fired.
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I think the only redesign I've wholeheartedly supported is TASVideos' overhaul, and it's because they made it more aesthetically pleasing AND more functional without fundamentally changing where things are or reducing information density. As you say, most redesigns are just mindless keeping up with the Joneses corporate BS or (even worse) hellish ways to force more ads and eNgAgEmEnT on users, whereas this redesign came out of a community need without profit motive.