The Job Title Train Wreck
Boagworld: UX, Design Leadership, Marketing & Conversion Optimization
Red Tiles and Design Roles
This chapter delves into the foundational aspects of design, particularly within web and UI development, emphasizing the need for designers to understand coding and architectural principles. The discussion also addresses the complexities and overlaps in job titles within the design industry, advocating for simplified terminology and a focus on collaboration. Furthermore, it examines the dynamics of working in corporate environments, highlighting the importance of communication and flexibility to enhance creativity and productivity.
This week, we catch up on Paul’s latest adventures—from a memorable dinner with Todd “the accessibility guru” where we talked WCAG 3, to a deep dive into the shifting landscape of design job titles. We’ll share an app that brings real form fields into your Figma prototypes, unpack why “product designer” is suddenly on everyone’s profile, and wrap up with a classic Marcus joke to send you on your way.
App of the Week
We’ve been wrestling with Figma’s built‑in prototyping limitations—particularly the lack of real form fields—and this week we discovered Bolt. Bolt lets you import a Figma frame URL and instantly spin up an interactive prototype complete with working inputs and text fields. That means you can run realistic usability tests without hand‑coding forms or cobbling together workarounds.
Topic of the Week: Bringing Clarity to the Chaos of Design Job Titles
In an era when “UX designer,” “UI designer,” “product designer,” and “service designer” all coexist, you might feel like you need an advanced diploma just to understand your own role. We certainly do. Let’s unpack what each title really implies, why the trend toward “product design” worries us, and how you can bring crystal‑clear definitions into your next job posting or team conversation.
Why Job Titles Matter
Even if you’re happy wearing multiple hats, inconsistent naming can cause real headaches:
- Employer confusion: Hiring managers may post for a “product designer” but expect the traditional UX responsibilities you’ve mastered.
- Scope creep: Without clear boundaries, you’ll end up doing support tickets one week and sales decks the next—often without the title or compensation to match.
- Perception gaps: Outside the design bubble, “designer” still conjures images of pretty pictures, not strategic problem‑solvers.
Getting titles straight not only sets expectations for you, it helps stakeholders understand the value you bring.
The Rise of Product Design
Lately, many companies are retiring “UX designer” in favor of “product designer.” On the surface, this feels like career progression: a broader focus that spans UI, analytics, and even marketing. Yet we see two risks here:
- Internal focus: “Product designer” can imply you’re optimizing existing features and metrics, rather than uncovering latent user needs.
- Ambiguous boundaries: When design expands outward, it often steps on the toes of customer success, support, and even engineering roles.
If your title leans toward “product,” make sure you and your team agree on whether that includes user research, email flows, or post‑launch monitoring.
Breaking Down the Roles
Here’s how we interpret the four most common titles—and how they overlap:
UI Designer
UI designers focus on the look and feel of your screens. Their goal is to reduce friction and make interactions intuitive. Think pixel perfection, animation timing, and responsive layouts. They might not set research objectives, but they’ll ensure that every button state feels just right.
UX Designer
UX designers own the end‑to‑end experience. From SEO‑driven landing pages to post‑purchase emails, they obsess over every touchpoint. If you care about conversion funnels, user flows, or cross‑channel consistency, you’re in the UX camp.
Product Designer
Product designers straddle the middle: they build interfaces and track success metrics, but they’re also tasked with aligning features to business goals. In healthy organizations, they champion user advocacy and roadmap prioritization, but that balance can tip too far toward internal KPIs.
Service Designer
Service designers operate backstage. They optimize the processes and systems—think support scripts, training materials, or fulfillment pipelines—that empower on‑stage teams to deliver seamless experiences. Their scoreboard? Operational efficiency and scalability.
How to Bring Clarity to Your Team
Labels alone won’t solve confusion. Here’s how we recommend making roles crystal clear:
Define scopes explicitly
In every job description or team charter, list the deliverables you own—and those you don’t. For example, “Responsible for wireframes and prototypes, not email automation.”
Align on success metrics
Agree on the KPIs or user outcomes tied to each role. If you’re a UX designer, maybe it’s task completion rates; if you’re a service designer, it might be first‑response times.
Foster cross‑role collaboration
Schedule regular syncs between UI, UX, product, and service designers so everyone sees the handoffs and dependencies. That shared visibility prevents silos.
Revisit titles periodically
As your organization evolves, carve out time every six months to discuss whether roles—and their titles—still reflect who does what.
By naming responsibilities clearly and encouraging open dialogue, you’ll reduce friction, align expectations, and help everyone—from junior hires to C‑suite—understand what “designer” really means in your organization.
Resources of the Week
Here are two go‑to resources for leveling up your UX practice:
Leaders of Awesomeness
A free community and weekly webinar series led by Jared Paul that challenges conventional UX metrics and dives into real‑world best practices.
Baymard Institute
An extensive repository of user‑research reports covering ecommerce, web forms, mobile patterns, and more—now searchable via AI to surface exactly the studies you need.
Marcus Joke
“I never wanted to believe my dad was stealing from his job as a road worker. But when I got home, all the signs were there.”
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