This is a good base for learning how to stablize unstable element, one of the points you make is somthing i do if i'm going for completion over HQ and that's to blow it up, this stablizes the element and if you can get it to blow right away you don't lose too much dura but the quality is halfed so it's not good for HQ'n. As you said in your 1st point spamming "wait" isn't the way to go knowing when to wait and when Standard has the higest chance of succeding comes with practice.
To all the others who say this is a don't change crafting thread or i'm dissmissing randomness neither of these are correct, I still fail synths to the randoness of crafting and some things in the system do need to be changed.
Most are saying you randomly fail synths and i agree with this what i'm saying is it's easy to predict when this is going to happen and with some work you can somtimes turn almost certain failure into success other times you are not able to, but this is nothing new for SE they did this in XI too just here you have a slim chance to save it.
If what's going to happen next is (for the most part) predictable it's not 100% random. If you know when the elelement is going to blow and destablize you can more often then not prevent it and reduce your destablized element. Spamming standard is an almost certain way to get destablized elements often or have every action fail.
To make it clear on what i'm trying to say is if your calling for changes cos you beleive crafting to be a Mash the Enter Key system you're wrong (that's the sowest and most boaring way to do it), and it may be worth learning the system so you understand what needs to changed before calling for changes.
Edit:
could it be somone else found the pattern to this random system ^^
i agree this initial risk sucks but you do get use to it, these are the best synths when they catch you off guard and you have to work to finish it. the veriance of this initial risk may need to be more subtal for lower lvl synths to ease ppl in but this is one of those tweeks i'd say the system needs. it's nice to see someone else who understands the current system.
And a quick note to the comment above on skills, almost evey skill you need are obtainable at lvl 10 the're others that help also some of the L30's but these are nice to have and not essential.