Agree with this. There's a lot of talk, but one needs to assess what Steemit is as an entity, and what the more longer term users are providing. Sure, there are many short-term users who will cheat the system and then get bored of that, but over time Steemit should mature to be an 'ecosystem' that does what it intends: rewards those who post unique content that their followers like.
User-friendly. Yes, a little, although a learning curve also deters a lot of people. Certain areas like images etc I agree.
More exposure: yes.
Many of the other changes that are mentioned need to go back and think again about what kind of website you think Steemit is. Personally, I like the trending etc categories. But we need to try and lessen the whale war content, but if that's not possible, it might just have to be one of the downsides that balance with the upsides.