During these devlog updates you might be wondering why everything look do basic or "thrown together". The answer is simple really. That's on purpose.
It may not be pretty and it may not be the best representation of a final product but when developing large systems with LOTS of parts is best to follow a plan or a roadmap.
The goal for these systems initially is not to get them finished but to get them either prototyped or developed to the point where the bells and whistles are waiting.
You may ask why or find it off putting but honestly its the best way to go about developing something so large with so many moving parts. It allows developers to be able to structure the entire project much faster and lay the ground work allowing all the individual mechanics to slow together to neatly. If we were so focused on visuals at this stage then it would be a constant stop and start, leading to the project taking much longer. there is also the fact that visual elements will constantly change over the development lifecycle so locking anything in now, or even spending more time than necessary, is just a waste of time that those assets end up getting replaced anyway.
The interfaces might look jank and the assets clearly temporary but the mechanics behind them continue to develop quickly.
So what happens when the mechanics are solid? of course there will be changes up until release, no doubt, but once the project it at a level where all base mechanics are in place and the game starts to feel playable, that's the perfect time to work on the look and feel of the game. Improving visual assets, sound and game feel all at once. As these are all tied together, its the most efficient way of progressing!