Isn't the point to not style it? Hence "no nonsense."

That big red "buy now" button following me down the page is absolutely the most obnoxious thing I've ever seen. I physically cringed when I saw it.

You put UX/UI designer, but you don't have any UX work to show. You should remove the UX part of your title until then because when I see that happening, I can only assume that you're labeling yourself without knowing what you're labeling. It shows how green you are.

Secondly, marketing sites strongly dominate your selection of work. As a client, I see that and say "ok this guy basically knows how to design marketing sites" and hire you for that job only. You should show mostly the work that will attract the clients you want.

Dribbble is an awful place for a portfolio. It will generate interest in your work and give you visibility, but it will not get you the higher paying clients you're trying to attract. High value designers show thought process, design process and can tell you the outcomes on the business that their work had. It's impossible to do that in 400x300 characters and a short paragraph.

Back up your design decisions with data, reasoning, and benchmark what you've done against a competitor. Point out the deltas and tell the client "this will do X for your business." Ask if they have a long term design strategy. They won't - most small businesses can't think in terms of design beyond their own noses - but asking them that will show that YOU are, and therefore your value perception will rise.

You're selling them something that will have to carry their business for the longest amount of time possible. Design trends will come and go, and you're trying to help them avoid the design investment as few times as possible over the next 5-10 years. Be empathetic and talk in their terms, not in abstract designer speak. They care about their business, they know they need design and they likely have a reason for seeking out a professional - so tell them why the work your work will get them the results they're looking for.

Don't just raise your rates for the sake of raising your rates. Clients who have worked with multiple designers in the past know what they're paying for. They could be coming to you because your rates are low, but at the cost of quality. Sometimes they're looking for that. Be honest about your expertise, otherwise it will blow up in your face. The best part about design is that with every new project you learn & get better. A year from now you could be a badass if you work at it enough. You could also be in exactly the same boat. It's totally up to you & how many projects you complete between then and now.

Ugh, so jealous. Looks like an awesome update. Wish we could use Layervault!

Nope. Axure is way faster.

Sigh. Come on guys, you're better than this.

Right ...

Sometimes it includes it. Sometimes it doesn't. It isn't set in stone.

In most cases it's not a good idea to separate UI and UX into different roles, jobs, etc.

In most cases with startups it isn't a good idea. I've seen it work well in large companies, and I've seen it work well in companies with 30-50 people. Usually startups don't know what the hell this "UX" role is they're hiring for they just think they need it and go full steam ahead. This makes the entire process a clusterfuck.

In my experience, it's an excellent idea to have 1 resource dedicated to understanding users & architecting flows based on user expectations, and 1 resource dedicated to UI. I have never met a UI designer that has ever done a contextual inquiry or even talked to users for that matter. And even then, they usually ask leading questions and spoil the data all together.

The answer you'll probably see most is "it depends." Depends on the UX person's experience & skills, and depends on what your team wants them to be responsible for.

You should choose tasks that you think would benefit from dedicating an entire resource to, that you don't necessarily have much time for or things that aren't your strongest forte. Don't expect them to be artistically inclined, however, know that there some UXers that are. If your team has a really badass illustrator or a person who is really friggin' good at polish, then you won't need to look for someone with those skills.

Be prepared to share duties based on the ebb and flow of projects, and be prepared for the UX person to already have their own process in place. I'm sure they will be able to spot all the places their skill set can add the most value.