Why are simple tasks getting harder on modern sites?

I spent ten minutes trying to update my notification settings on a forum this morning.

I ended up closing three popups, bouncing through two different preference pages, and almost changing my password by mistake.

The site looks gorgeous. Very modern, very sleek.

It just feels like we're sacrificing basic usability for aesthetics. Give me a plain page with clear buttons over a beautiful site that makes me search for everything.