Designing the damn thing

Sure, this sounds logical and by all means, design the damn thing.

But. Communicating clearly and succinctly what it is you do is important. You can't go into an hour long exploration of the UX field every time you meet someone. let alone do so and explain which parts you do, and don't, and why. So we have a dozen different job titles, each putting the emphasis on another part of the field.

Exactly. Let's start with "Designer" and see how that works. Very few expect one person to be able to perform every single aspect of Design so there will be an expectation that at some point you will bump up against your limitations. At that time, another "designer" may be necessary.

Agreed that getting into an hour long debate each time you meet a potential employer is sub-optimal (to say the least) but this just speaks to having your elevator pitch ready at any time. Good advice regardless of what field you're in.

I think just 'Designer' is a perfectly good title in a small startup, considering all the different hats we end up putting on.