I noticed Steem had some engagement inefficiencies, here's some thoughts on the matter.

Let's compare Steem to it's proven counter-part Reddit.

Steem

Reddit

Initial Thoughts

1. Comments are way off to the right, my attention doesn't even really go there unless I force myself.
2. Steem voting seems arbitrary because of the way it's laid out. The prominence of voting in Steem is unclear.

Possible Solutions

1. Stack meta information like reddit does, seems to work well.
2. Move comments to the left.
3. Carefully consider the context and role of voting within the UX, location is everything.