Generally I wouldn't label it as bad until I had walls in, since they can make a big difference to the look.
What I would have done in place, although it might be the wrong look for your build is to replace the 2x4's with some 1x2 ramps on the outermost sides.
Have you considered playing around the colour scheme, also?
Perhaps a brighter colour for the plates on top?
You might also consider re-designing the stairs path.
Generally, as far as I know, you tend to only get stairs doubling back on themselves (as in your image) in larger buildings with a stair well, like tall houses, hotels, offices and the likes. In which case there is often some gap in between the different stairs.
Why not try having a longer set of stairs which run in one direction and then take a turn left or right.
You might find a larger set of stairs is nicer than a very compact set of stairs.
Having just seen your last two pictures, I quite like the design you've gone for the underneath.
