When we say “UX,” in general, we mean and the industry means:

UX + UI + Product + Systems + Research + AI + Motion + Content + Strategy. It is a broad, evolving umbrella—and the industry is rewarding designers who can demonstrate clarity, craft, systems thinking, design maturity, and end-to-end problem-solving. If you’re exploring new opportunities or are curious to know what is out there, there is no cost to apply to The UX List. Submit your portfolio, an updated résumé, and an up-to-date LinkedIn profile.

Once received, our team reviews your work through the lens of what great design truly requires today.

We look at:

• Your experience and industry depth — the spaces you’ve designed in and the range of problems you’ve solved.

• Your design thinking and doing — how you frame problems, define product experiences, and create with both simplicity and clarity in mind.

• Core craft — interaction patterns, information architecture, visual systems, typography, layout, and your understanding of color theory.

• Creative direction and taste — your ability to show restraint, create focus, and consistently deliver work that feels intentional, thoughtful, and human-centered.

• Ability to achieve “great” — that combination of EQ, clarity, and craft that allows designers to build experiences that solve real human problems while meeting business needs.

Our goal is to spotlight designers who not only have a great eye but also understand what great design is, how it works, and how to deliver it at scale.

Below is a comprehensive list of the major disciplines within User Experience (UX) Design, along with the industry-standard titles, roles, and trends for each. This reflects how the industry talks today across tech, product, AI, consumer, enterprise, and emerging fields.

The Disciplines of User Experience Design

Below you will find the Designers Who Fall Under Each Umbrella

1. Interaction Design (IxD)

Focus: Behavior, flow, structure, patterns, and how users interact with a system.

Common Roles & Titles:

• Interaction Designer

• UX Designer / Product Designer

• UX Architect

• Experience Designer

• Information Architect

• IxD Specialist

  Industry Trends & Language:

  Micro-interactions, usability heuristics, cognitive load, responsive states, guidance patterns, user flows, task modeling, decision architecture.

2. User Interface (UI) / Visual Design

Focus: Visual language, brand expression, craft, clarity, hierarchy, and aesthetics.

Roles & Titles:

• UI Designer

• Visual Designer

• Product Designer (UI-heavy)

• Communication Designer

• Brand/UI Hybrid

• Digital Designer

  Industry Terms & Trends:

  Design systems, atomic design, component libraries, elevation, motion, grids, typography, color theory, visual hierarchy, accessible color contrast.

3. Product Design

Focus: End-to-end ownership—problem framing, research, flows, UI, prototyping, and partnering with PM/ENG.

Roles & Titles:

• Product Designer

• Senior/Lead/Principal Product Designer

• UX Product Designer

• Full-Stack Designer (UX + UI + strategy)

  Industry Terms & Trends:

  0→1, iteration, roadmap alignment, prototyping, design ops, cross-functional leadership, KPI ownership, North Star experience vision.

4. User Research (UXR)

Focus: Understanding user behavior, needs, motivations, and validating concepts.

Roles & Titles:

• UX Researcher

• Design Researcher

• Human Factors Researcher (HFx)

• Mixed-Methods Researcher

• Qual/Quant Researcher

  Trends & Language:

  Foundational research, evaluative testing, diary studies, ethnography, JTBD, cognitive walkthrough, heuristic evaluation, insight synthesis.

5. Information Architecture (IA)

Focus: Organizing information so users find what they need with clarity and speed.

Roles & Titles:

• IA Specialist

• UX Architect

• Content Architect

• Interaction Designer

  Trends & Language:

  Navigation models, taxonomy, ontology, labeling systems, card sorting, tree testing, mental models, and structural clarity.

6. UX Writing / Content Design

Focus: Words as part of the product experience—clarity, intent, behavior, and flow.

Roles & Titles:

• UX Writer

• Content Designer

• Content Strategist

• Narrative Designer

  Trends:

  Voice & tone systems, conversation design, content patterns, system messaging, microcopy, error prevention, and AI-assisted writing.

7. Design Systems / Systems Design

Focus: Scalable components, tokens, patterns, and the connective tissue across products.

Roles & Titles:

• Design Systems Designer

• Systems UX Designer

• UI Engineer / Design Technologist

• Component Library Lead

  Trends:

  Tokens, Figma libraries, multi-platform systems, RCL/React, governance models, accessibility compliance, cross-BU alignment.

8. Prototyping / Design Technology

Focus: Advanced prototyping, interactive models, bridging design and engineering.

Roles & Titles:

• Design Technologist

• Prototyper

• UX Engineer

• Creative Technologist

  Trends:

  Hi-fi prototypes, Unity, Unreal, 3D prototyping, real-time physics, motion systems, VR/AR prototyping, AI-driven prototyping.

9. Motion Design

Focus: Animation, timing, transitions, and the emotional layer of UI.

Roles & Titles:

• Motion Designer

• Interaction Motion Designer

• Visual Motion Designer

  Trends:

  Motion patterns, easing curves, storytelling through movement, communicating state, and onboarding animations.

10. Human Factors / Ergonomics (HF/E)

Focus: Human cognition, biomechanics, physical-digital interaction, safety.

Roles & Titles:

• Human Factors Engineer

• Ergonomics Specialist

• HF/UX Hybrid

  Trends:

  Task safety, risk mitigation, cognitive load, regulatory compliance, surgical workflows, and physical device interaction.

11. Service Design

Focus: End-to-end journeys across digital + physical touchpoints.

Roles & Titles:

• Service Designer

• Experience Strategist

• Journey Designer

  Trends:

  Blueprints, multi-touchpoint orchestration, backstage systems, operations alignment, service mapping.

12. Design Strategy / Experience Strategy

Focus: Vision, problem framing, opportunity sizing, roadmap alignment.

Roles & Titles:

• Design Strategist

• Experience Strategist

• Product Strategy Lead

• Innovation Designer

  Trends:

  North Star visioning, opportunity mapping, prioritization frameworks, OKRs/KPIs, strategic narratives.

13. Industrial Design (when linked to UX)

Focus: Physical + digital convergence.

Roles & Titles:

• Industrial Designer

• Hardware UX Designer

• Integrated Experience Designer

  Trends:

  Digital-physical integration, device ecosystems, haptics, ergonomics, auto UX, wearables.

14. Accessibility Design (A11y)

Focus: Inclusive design and compliance.

Roles & Titles:

• Accessibility Designer

• Inclusive Design Specialist

• WCAG Specialist

  Trends:

  WCAG/Section 508, ARIA patterns, inclusive heuristics, assistive tech, contrast frameworks.

15. AI/ML Experience Design (Fast-Growing Discipline)

Focus: Designing the behaviors, boundaries, ethics, and interfaces of intelligent systems.

Roles & Titles:

• AI/ML UX Designer

• Conversation Designer

• Prompt Interaction Designer

• Data-Driven Product Designer

  Trends:

  Guardrails, context windows, memory models, agent design, explainability (XAI), responsible AI, predictive UX, intelligence design.