[TheFreeDictionary.com][1] gives this usage note:

> Usage Note: The suffix *-wise* has a
> long history of use to mean "in the
> manner or direction of," as in
> *clockwise*, *otherwise*, and *slantwise*.
> Since the 1930s, however, the suffix
> has been widely used in the vaguer
> sense of "with respect to," as in *This
> has not been a good year saleswise.
> Taxwise, it is an unattractive
> arrangement.* Since their introduction,
> these usages have been associated with
> informal prose, and they are still
> considered by many to be awkward. For
> this reason, they might best be
> avoided, especially in formal writing.
> The most obvious alternative is to use
> paraphrases, as in *This has not been a
> good year with respect to sales. As
> far as taxes are concerned, it is an
> unattractive arrangement.*

The meat of this suggests that using *-wise* to mean *with respect to* is considered informal and even awkward. I suspect that pushing the boundaries as you do in the examples to include such constructions as *user interface-wise* makes an awkward usage even more awkward, as your own instincts seem to suggest. I generally have no problem with informal speech or writing in informal settings *or for emphasis*, but whenever I feel I am pushing the envelope I'll pause, think, and probably recast the sentence.


  [1]: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/-wise