I disagree. These are some great examples of interfaces that make gathering user input more intuitive. You couldn't possibly delegate this information automatically, i.e. travel dates.
Also there is no mention of gradients... The article is exclusively about reducing the number of interactions to get the desired user input by using features other than default dropdowns.
This is a far cry from an article touting that they increased conversion rates by 300% by changing the color of the sign up button, and in fact it is changes to GUI's like this that separate "something useful" from being used, or being completely ignored.
Also there is no mention of gradients... The article is exclusively about reducing the number of interactions to get the desired user input by using features other than default dropdowns.
This is a far cry from an article touting that they increased conversion rates by 300% by changing the color of the sign up button, and in fact it is changes to GUI's like this that separate "something useful" from being used, or being completely ignored.