Design is misunderstood, often by designers, and it seems like you also may have some misunderstandings based on your assessments of what should designers do (vs what they do). Based on your comment it sounds like the designers you work with have an over-emphasis on visual UI design. I don't think you are to blame though - I have observed a consistent dumbing down of design discourse and practices among people that don't take the time to learn the depth of what is available. This includes most practicing designers. I have observed that designers are less interested in educating the world about their practices than perhaps they need to be in order to change this situation. Design in most cases is essentially a set of knowledge work processes, the best of which is built on solid research practices informed by psychology and cognitive science.

For anyone interested in up-leveling their own understanding of design I recommend the articles, videos, courses and other materials available from the Nielsen Norman Group https://www.nngroup.com/