I have to agree with the author at least in terms of Android L's material design. Sometimes it's clear what's going on or what you need to do to get a specific action done and sometimes it's damnably confusing in another context. I think minimalism is okay if it's meant to remove redundant UI elements but being minimalist for its own sake isn't a good idea for devices because they're about utility. Aesthetics is okay when you're figuring out how to make the whole thing look good as it feels, but if you make it damn near impossible to make sense of how to use a device then it's just putting lipstick on a pig.