Depending on the scenario, but to me, it does.
Let me give you an example:
Right now I need to have extra free space and Finder says I have 10GB left.
So I look at a folder that says it’s taking 100GB (Logic Pro files). Let’s say each one is 1GB. So I go over 100 files, open them, optimize them (in Logic it would mean using the Clean Up option to delete files no longer needed in the current project) and I can go from 1GB down to 5MB on each file. Awesome!
Now, after spending 2 hours working on this, I look at Finder and the available space… still 10GB… all because the files I deleted are most likely clones. So I just wasted 2 hours doing something that did absolutely nothing.
So yes, knowing if a file is the original or a clone can help the user save time and organize things. So for example if we could run a script or open an app that would say: if you want to free up space, delete any of these files (shows list), along with how much free space it would create, that would be awesome.
I love the APFS system, but in this case, it’s a bit ambiguous. You end up not being able to really trust when it says “X amount of available space”, because you can’t just delete a file and get that space back.