I have EQ7, and while I can't say how user friendly it is, because I have been using it since EQ5, once you learn it, it is very easy to start designing your own quilts.
If you like using your photos in your quilts, EQ7 does make it easier to put your photos into your virtual quilt, than earlier versions.
Like most things, you get out of it what you put into it. If you want to learn how to use EQ, then you can either use the manual, which is good. Or there are books written by EQ experts that show you step by step how to do everything in EQ. OR on www.quiltuniversity.com there are some classes you can take to learn EQ. I'm not sure you will be able to find any classes now, as they are winding down for the holidays, and won't start any new classes until after Jan 1. But I purchased the books for EQ5, and took classes at Quilt University, and that helped me learn the program much better than trying to do it from the manual or on my own. Also, EQ has a forum where you can ask questions of the people at work at EQ and get answers from the people that know the program the best. You can find that on the EQ website.