As someone who has to use and administer JIRA I'll have to respectfully disagree. The nicest thing I can say about the product is that it was built "by engineers, for engineers". People who want empowering software that gets out of the way appear to have been an afterthought.
The backend application may very well be engineer-focused, but that speaks more to its flexibility than anything, IMO - as far as user experience, it's as empowering and minimalistic as you make it.
One of the few pieces of software I truly love.
In the real world, simplistic ticketing systems fail to meet enterprise needs, which are complex and peculiar, arising from weird contract clauses, irrational political outcomes, legacy processes etc etc. JIRA's multi-layered customisability is a huge boon in these environments.
Also, people aren't actually stupid. Yes, even non-engineers can use a complex piece of computer software! A little training goes a long way. Who knew?!
But as for the question, again not challenging, just curious:
What do you suggest as empowering, out-of-the-way, issue tracking software?
My only (but major) gripe I have with FogBugz is that it is stupidly hard to insert inline images in cases (compared to how easy it is in a github issue)..and while at it, the entire editor could use a makeover for ease of use/markdown capability
The price is steep for the most price sensitive users who probably already have experience in another tracking system. It's hard to get that user to try it the first time. Even the free version is very limited compared to other trials, allowing a total of 2 users, which probably isn't representative of the number of people involved when issue tracking is brought up.