I’ve been wondering…what does UX mean to YOU? Everyone views it slightly differently, and I’d love to hear a diversity of responses on what you think UX is and what it means to YOU personally.
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If you’re an aspiring or job-searching UXer and you don’t have an answer that shows your point of view and approach to the industry, as well as a prepared defense of that answer, you should. This question is bound to come up in interviews at some point.
For me, UXers are inherently optimistic, empathetic problem solvers who see every interaction’s potential to improve our overall experience with the worlds with which we interact. That means our profession and passion is the practice of making the world a bit clearer, easier and more friendly one interaction at a time. UX should be a force for good, advocating ethical design practices, accessibility for all, and transparency of information and choices. While it’s possible to violate these principles over the short term in the name of a quick buck, building sustainable growth and customer relationships means capturing the trust of your users.
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UX for me (at least in my current role) is about advocating for users. It is about weighing up business goals, technical debt, resources etc and coming up with an achievable solution that offers the best experience for your end user.
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Buzzword.
Call me grumpy old man, even if I am only 34, but UX/CX etc are just new names for old problems.
I work as a designer. Just that. Right now, I design web apps… and while designing them, I care about * PLACEHOLDER FOR A HUGE LIST *… if that makes me a UX designer for some, fine.
Let’s just get the work done, ok? 
LMAO
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Via research for my dissertation, I have discovered most term searches for UX and user-centered involves computer and tech only. For me, UX is much much more and in dire global need. UX is the closest role with the ability to create human experiences for real-life. Social Systems Designing from a UX perspective and function, does not exist. And yet it is the one thing that is needed to develop stable and thriving lives. If we do not have human systems that work for all people then we need to be the collective (UX) group that designs them to ensure they work for all people.
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UX for me is about being the “why” guy. As in the 5 whys from Toyota/Kaizen, but not just while doing user research but during design and development with stakeholders. Being sure to poke at assumptions on feature requests, user stories, and perceived solutions. It’s easy to ride along and just implement the proposed solution, but it’s better for the user and business to be an architect and really understand the root of the request. Even at small, highly functional organizations, many tasks are the result of a game of “telephone”. Someone made an assumption, and after being passed around it became a solution.
Also, UX is fun 
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UX design is about bringing humans and technology closer together.
Agree on the “why” guy role. And it’s a different why than the one they talk about over in marketing or finance!
Yes, the UX term seems very IT-centered. I hold a masters degree in something my university called “Digital Design”: A mix of interaction design, design methodology, HCI, Software Studies, ethnography, coding and making. Many of our student projects were very much about “human experiences” as you say, with much attention paid to socio-cultural aspects and consequences of our designs. So many useful perspectives on the “why” of digital technology and its design.
However, outside uni - in the “industry” - the definition of a digital designer seems to be an Adobe Creative Cloud power-user and not much more. Very “how” - not very much “why”. I didn’t touch Adobe CC once during 5 years of uni, nor did I learn about agile development. Nothing wrong with those things, they’re quite useful, but they’re all about how to get stuff done - not why we do it in the first place.
What is Social Systems Design, and where can I learn more about that?
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