Boagword has an interview with Andy Budd from clearleft where he talks about the expanding role and value of User Experience (UX) designers in a recessionary market. When the climate becomes competitive and it’s hard to distinguish by product or service, companies focus on retaining their existing customers by channeling their creative energies around delivering a better experience.
In a related thread of the interview, Budd also urges freelancers or designers new to the market to get out there and get involved in a web community: write a blog, set up a Twitter stream, go to conferences, an unconference, a BarCamp, etc. So he gives out some good inspirational words for new designers who might otherwise be a little shy and inclined to just hang out on the margins of the web.