If damage boosts are within Bethesda's concept of "Balance" [... ] for Skyrim, why not make them gameplay friendly? Why force constant constant breaks in the action [on top of all the breaks in the action that come from spell changes] with repeated visits to the menu when enchantments can make them passive and user friendly?

Really Bethesda, I can't think of a decision on the magic system that makes the gameplay more pleasant than it otherwise would have been and a game designer who creates the level of detail you do doesn't possess that terrible a sense of aesthetics.