I feel your pain IBJoel/IBBobi, and am happy not to be experiencing it firsthand
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One specific comment with respect to white space. The volume of information that any individual member is able to provide/display in their user profile column creates a problem. White space below a post isn't much of an issue when someone who displays very little user information contributes a post. IBJoel's post a couple up from this one is an example. However, Travelchurner's post, directly below IBJoel's post, has considerably more white space because of all of the "Programs" information in his user profile box.
Widening the user profile column is one possible solution, but not the best option IMO. Personally, I liked the way Xenforo handled/handles this. Basically, that platform limits what is displayed in the user profile section. If a user wants to know more about a poster, s/he can click on, or hover over, the poster's name to gain access to this information.
Best of luck with the redesign.