I think this hits the crux of the problem but not directly: An ugly design that works is actually a good design. Several people in this thread make the point

I think this hits the crux of the problem but not directly: An ugly design that works is actually a good design. Several people in this thread make the point that design isn't just the veneer, but definitely the whole user experience. But sometimes people confuse "looking pretty" with "well designed". Those often go hand-in-hand, but not always, which is very important to keep in mind. It's easy for folks who are used to conflating the two to accept a good looking design because it looks good, rather than it working well for the user.