If you want to see what techies are capable of doing when they’ve got their hands on a lot of data and a relational database, and no idea whatsover of user-interface design, have a poke around the new and improved VersionTracker.com.
Consistent alignment? Nope. Consistent color use? Nope. Consistent anything? Nope. Sensible use of contrast? Nope. Related things visually grouped. Not hardly.
I think every techie (myself included!) should frequently have a read of
[[[The Non-Designer’s Design Book, by Robin Williams]]].
I’m agree with the author.