One problem with interfaces like this is that they are an abjection of ownership. The situation probably doesn't warrant a dedicated designer, and the developer

One problem with interfaces like this is that they are an abjection of ownership. The situation probably doesn't warrant a dedicated designer, and the developer who make it, probably thought 'I'm not a designer, that will do'. The amount of times I've heard 'Just add a button to do it' from 'backend developers'.. The point is, software is there to serve a user, and if you can't envisage the user using the software, then you don't understand the requirements. It's not a design question. Too much responsibility is deferred as 'design' when it's actually a fundamental part of solving the problem at hand. Not that design isn't also important, but the perception that usability == design needs to change.