I rode with cleats for about a month and finally pulled them off my shoes. They were just too much trouble. One more thing to deal with. I find that I need to come to complete stops, both planned and unplanned fairly often. If I had nothing but long stretches of non-stop goodness, then they would have the advantage of non-slipping and proper foot placement. Now it is embarrassing to admit but I actually fell over cleated in.
Most biking shoes come without the cleats and have generally stiffer soles than running shoes. You can try them without or spring for the cleats and pedals and try that out. I have the hybrid pedals that are platform and cleated on one side. I did get better at locating the cleated side without looking but it was just too much more effort for little return. I tried a set of Shimano shoes that were styled to look like casual walkers with laces. There was a leather loop holding the laces down and that got cleated into the pedal. It would not come out easily and I actually had to remove the shoe from my foot to remove it from the pedal. I still use cleats with my road bike. The shoes that still have cleats are Shimano with Velcro straps.
Keep in mind most commuters don't wear shoes at all (they live in underdeveloped countries) and do just fine.