I definitely didn't mean it in a pejorative way. I guess my question was, even though the whole concept of Lean Start-ups has gathered pace, why aren't UX folk

I definitely didn't mean it in a pejorative way. I guess my question was, even though the whole concept of Lean Start-ups has gathered pace, why aren't UX folks recruited? Because essentially, both are working towards the same goal - Customer Centric iterative development. I definitely don't think the role of a UX Researcher is a "non-essential specialization", but it is being overlooked. This blog post emphasizes my point even more (http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/02/24/designing-appropriately-for-a-startups-audience/ http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/02/24/designing-appropr...)