Alas, I'm not much good for data because I don't "design" per se... It's more like sculpting, because I know a feeling, a look, subtle proportions, I have 30 years worth of experiential (not scientific) experience on the platform so I know what I want and can see / smell a ghost image of it in the back of my mind so it ends up being more intuitive.
But I am the exception, in many ways.
I'll sound like a jerk here, but with due respect, also remember that "recreational" fliers aside, over 99% of the hard core quad fliers in the world, even many of the "masters and experts", quad flying is still something they just do on the weekend, so even for decades on end it's not the same as a day in and day out driver who actually can DO everything they're claiming to be an expert on.
This doesn't de validate their experience or taste, but it's a very real dynamic that is rarely spoken of - proof is in the pudding.