Interesting article, but I largely disagree with it. A big part of my problem is that he doesn't talk about the differences between new users, and regular users

Interesting article, but I largely disagree with it. A big part of my problem is that he doesn't talk about the differences between new users, and regular users. Most of the users who simply read content, are looking for an answer to a particular question. Chances are, they're coming from a Google search for a specific problem, and SO has the answer. Their actions and expectations are geared towards finding the answer as quickly as possible. I can't say for sure, but I think most users don't have much problem seeing the question or scrolling down to see the first answer. They also probably realize it is the "best" answers by the score next to it. On the other hand, you have the regular users. Most regular users don't see the ads which bombard the newcomers, which already removes a lot of the ugliness from the screenshot he posted. Also, as a regular user myself, a lot of the other stuff he claims is "useless" is very important: the info bar at the top, the rep scores, the tags, all of it. I'm not saying Stack Overflow is perfect. But to understand its design, you first have to understand the different users who come to it, and analyze whether the "off the street" user manages to find their answers or not, and whether the site is good for the "community users" (obviously it is, considering its success). By the way, if anyone is interest, Jeff himself comment on the blog.