I think it can be a challenge on both the supply and demand sides. On the supply side the profession has ballooned and subjectively it feels like a disproporti

I think it can be a challenge on both the supply and demand sides. On the supply side the profession has ballooned and subjectively it feels like a disproportionate amount of the growth has been folks who tend towards the "aesthetic" side and/or who lack stat/psych/research/engineering experience. Not that aesthetics isn't valuable, mind you, just that the balance feels off. On the demand side more product teams are considering UX but many of them seem to have the impression that UX is there to "make it look better". In my experience most teams are receptive to doing user research to identify and solve the underlying problems, but occasionally I'll get someone who insists that the solution is to use the latest UI fad. Combined and I can see why UX is being perceived as more shallow.