A fundamental point IMO that you are missing is that there are a few differences between a work of art and a programs UI. 1. A work of art is created by defini

A fundamental point IMO that you are missing is that there are a few differences between a work of art and a programs UI. 1. A work of art is created by definition to be beautiful. While a beautiful UI is awesome and definitely something to strive for, it is not the end goal. 2. A UI can be changed after its release. Unlike art, you can release a UI and then later change details that are important. 3. Most companies do not have the manpower or time to actually get to the place where the entire product is pixel-perfect. pg's mantra is: "release early." This means that not everything is going to be perfect and you have to decide what corners can be cut and which cannot. (You cannot simply state, I am going to cut NO corners). 4. A UI is likely to change. When you first release a UI you dont really know how it is going to be used. Therefore, as the OP suggests the improvement from 95%-98% really does seem like a pre-optimization. That said, the UI should make the experience easier in that it aids the function. I would take it a little beyond that where you want something attractive to look at, but it doesnt necessarily need to be in the v1. As the UI matures over time beauty in design becomes a more important goal.