This has been a trend of post-modernism: form follows function. Anything ornate and not adding to function has been removed. Look at our buildings. Look at our

This has been a trend of post-modernism: form follows function. Anything ornate and not adding to function has been removed. Look at our buildings. Look at our cars. This movement gathered steam in earnest after WWII (it actually started in 1896!) and gets "cleaner" with every decade. Fast-forward 80 years and here we are. UI's are no different. Form follows function.