While I'm in agreement that usability has taken a hit in the name of mass production and in UI due to the ubiquity of touchscreens, I suspect a detailed analysi

While I'm in agreement that usability has taken a hit in the name of mass production and in UI due to the ubiquity of touchscreens, I suspect a detailed analysis will prove your overall premise to be false. I think there is a standard of beauty and usability that is evolving in a healthy substrate of thought and taste. Some good ideas get losts due to time but will be rediscovered before long. Whilst I am often vexxed by both new and old design choices I am often utterly flawed as things align perfectly with my own tastes. The choices lovingly adhering to a given vision or theme. There are products both timeless and new that are a breeze to use, sparing your time and sanity.