Nitpick, "The core purpose of graphics in a GUI is not to be pretty" - Maybe for programs where it is for user reading and modifying data. But I'd argue that is

Nitpick, "The core purpose of graphics in a GUI is not to be pretty" - Maybe for programs where it is for user reading and modifying data. But I'd argue that is only a fraction of interfaces. Small business websites are very much made to look a certain way, to make you feel the business is competent and trustworthy. You only really need the data that is their phone number or contact details or inventory specifics. But yes, data-based UI is just assembling data in the shape that a human brain can download faster, which can be more efficient if tailored to be brain-specific (e.g. a notes app is laid out by the user who will consume the data).