I use a compact double and 10sp 11-28 on my commuter road bike, just because that's what it came with. Gearing seems fine for me. In my hilly area I make use of the entire gear range from 34-28 all the way up to 50-11.

Mostly, though, I stay in the 3rd-7th cogs most of the time. I usually start from a stop in the small ring and 5th cog from lowest. I usually switch between the small and big rings while on the 5th or 6th cog. Sometimes if the large ring and 5th cog gets too hard, I'll switch to the little ring and 6th cog, and can usually maintain about the same speed as before, but at a higher cadence.

I'm sure I don't have the best shifting and cadence technique, but it seems to work for me. My other 2 bikes are both 3x8, and honestly I prefer having only 2 rings up front. I'd probably like 1x if I could go to a 11sp cassette and just eliminate front shifting altogether.