How to keep shape of geometry when adjusting mesh? Using insets changes surrounding geometry.

The issue is that whenever insetting I or Extrude + Scale (E+S) the surrounding geometry changes.

Is there a way to accomplish this task without effecting the look of the surrounding mesh (or at least make it seem that the surrounding geometry belongs with the rest of the geometry).

I've attached some pictures:
click to enlarge









In the pictures notice how everything is smooth in image 1 but by image 4 the surrounding areas after the inset seem like something was modified. Now if I want to extrude that little section in image 4 inside the mesh and create a cave, the surrounding mesh will just look weird.
Whenever you have an object you want to smooth by adding geometry you should always try to work solely with quads (which you are doing right). However, vertexes which have more than 4 edges connected will result in an uneven smooth.

Topology like the image below is better but still not perfect. It really depends on what your end use is.
You, can add more or less sharpness by inserting 'edge loops' closer or further from the borders (which only works with good topology).


A better way going about modeling this would be something like the following image: (not perfect but should help you get on the right path)