I'd say generally, yes, design is disconnected from software engineering. However, there's also the human element to it -- we all have unconscious biases and p

I'd say generally, yes, design is disconnected from software engineering. However, there's also the human element to it -- we all have unconscious biases and preferences, which creative designs can play off of. To put it another way, I don't think less of anyone for having bad design (unless it's defectively bad), but a good design will naturally draw me and endear me to the content without me even reading a word.