Appreciating and understanding the changes to the full extent would require a solid education in visual communication and typography. Just as you might look at my disgustingly hacked together jQuery scripts, a visual designer might look upon your typography with contempt.
That being said, Hische's changes concentrate on a more nuanced intuitive flow of the letterforms that to the lay person, results in a more balance at-a-glance look. It's hard, because it's very subjective, but Hische's redesign is the equivalent to using a spirit level when laying blocks. Hardly noticeable to the man-on-the-street under the microscope, but when delivered in context, consistently and as part of a whole, lends a stronger and more concrete presentation.
Are people switching to DuckDuckGo simply because of paranoia? I don't care if Google knows whatever I'm searching for, it helps them improve their search results. DuckDuckGo's search is nowhere near as good as Google.
