We need to talk about UX roles.

This industry is suffering from a lack of clarity about roles, skills and methods. Every job description is vague, every recruiter is confused, every role seems to hinge on agile and every big organisation seems to really, really want us right now. Even if they don’t know quite what to do with us.

Many UX designers started their careers as Information Architects, Visual Designers, Writers, Strategists. We are used to seeing job titles change from time to time, as companies start to understand the depth of our work, and to accommodate trends and market needs. — The State of UX in 2017

The intersection of huge tech growth with increasingly available design and research talent has given rise to a new industry. One where we not only pump out websites and apps and services, but where we spend inordinate amounts of time thinking about how to make them better.

That’s my job. I work as a UX designer in Government in Australia, and I spend my entire day trying to work out what would make everyone’s lives a little easier, interactions a little truer, transactions a little funner, and — let’s be real — costs a little lower. I’m a thinker. I built on my background in tech and design, picked up some solid research skills, added some business process and a sprinkle of marketing, and voila! A user experience designer.

Or a service designer? A UX researcher? A digital strategist? An experience analyst? Design thinker? Stuff tinkerer? Unicorn? Power ranger? You tell me. Because I’m not sure I know the answer.

This isn’t the first time this issue has hit the digital industry. In fact, this issue is probably going to keep hitting the digital industry with every advancement in technology. I remember participating in online polls 6 or 7 years ago, where we all seriously hashed out how to describe the front-end developer role — web master or code jedi were still acceptable terms. I still hear from recruiters seriously confused about exactly what that role entails, throwing around some fancy words and hoping something will stick.

But I want to talk about where…