It all depends on what you like, want or need. You can do a lot with Android, but if you don't need it, the only value you would get is just the exploration. What is it about Android that isn't "working well" for you? If you tell us, then perhaps we can point you in a better direction.
Without any more specific information, I'll give you some things that highlight what I do and use on my phone.
Usually, a couple of times a day, I adjust the notification volume level on my phone. For instance, when I go to bed, I want to still hear my phone ring on calls and my alarm, but not notifications such as emails or text messages. I use a widget called Volume Widget. It allows me to set 3 different sound profiles. I have one profile for sleep that turns notification sounds off while keeping the ringer and alarm on. I have a second for indoor, quiet environments where all of my sounds are at an average level. I have a third for outdoor, loud environments where the sound levels are all maxed. The widget is 2x1. It has one area for each of the sound profiles where if you tap there, it sets that sound profile. The 4th area on the widget takes you to the setting screen to configure the profiles. When I go to bed, I tap the widget to turn off notifications. When I go out, I tap to max out the volume. When I come home, I tap to set the volume to normal.
I have an SGS3. I use Nova Prime launcher to make better use of my home screens. For instance, I don't like the app tray that stays when I change home screens. I deactivate it. With the app tray deactivated, I configure my home screens to hold 6 rows and 4 colums of screen objects. That is 24 spots on each home screen for icons and widgets. This configuration allows me to make better use of the screen space and use fewer home screens than with the default TouchWiz launcher.
I am a fan of large, scrollable widgets. I use Android Pro Widgets. One of my widgets is 5x4 for Twitter. It is a widget that I can scroll down to see the latest Tweets. I also have a 5x4 calendar widget. I normally have it set to agenda mode which lists all of my appointments. I can tap the widget to switch to calendar mode.
Android allows you to set and change default applications. For instance, I use Chrome as my primary browser. I set it as my default browser, so whenever I tap on a URL, it will launch Chrome instead of the stock browser. You can set default apps for many things. For instance, if you use a mapping app other than Google Maps all the time, you can set that mapping app to launch every time you tap on a location such as an address in your Contacts app. Don't like Gmail or the stock mail app, download another and set it as default.
You have already mentioned keyboards, but I've just gotta plug SwiftKey and Swype again.
