the quality of how maintainable the source code is has no bearing on how a user perceives the software's usefulness.
If the software serves a good function for the user, they will use it, regardless of how badly the datastructures are. Of course, good function also means reliability from the POV of the user. If your software is so bad that you lose data, obviously no one will use it.
But you are conflating the maintainability and sensibilities of clean tools, clean code and clean workspaces, with output.
A messy carpentry workshop can still produce great furniture.
the quality of how maintainable the source code is has no bearing on how a user perceives the software's usefulness.
If the software serves a good function for the user, they will use it, regardless of how badly the datastructures are. Of course, good function also means reliability from the POV of the user. If your software is so bad that you lose data, obviously no one will use it.
But you are conflating the maintainability and sensibilities of clean tools, clean code and clean workspaces, with output.
A messy carpentry workshop can still produce great furniture.