Improving your process won't move you from good to great design. It'll move you from bad to average.
A scientist builds in order to learn; an engineer learns in order to build.
A design style is defined by a set of microdecisions. A clear style reflects a consistent set. A clear style may not be a good style; a muddled one never is.
Successful software always gets changed.
System debugging has always been a graveyard-shift occupation, like astronomy.
We tend to blame the physical media for most of our implementation difficulties; for the media are not "ours" in the way the ideas are, and our pride colors our judgement.