UX designer salary

The history of each product begins long before it is in the hands of the user. And UX designers play an important role in the success of the project. User experience research helps companies produce popular and user-friendly products. Despite this, it is impossible to meet an HR person who fully understands the importance of a UX specialist. Professionals joke: the first thing you have to do in a new workplace is prove your worth.

UX designers are in demand in many countries around the world. Entrepreneurs and companies use UX designer services from a wide variety of niches. The gradation of salaries for UX specialists is as great as their demand. Among the countries where UX design is popular, it is worth highlighting:

UX designer salary in United States

The USA is the leader in terms of UX salaries. American companies dominate many manufacturing industries. Highly developed cities are the focus of UX designers. At the beginning of their journey, a UX specialist will earn $59,000, but a professional’s earnings can grow a high as $129,000.

The States, in every possible way, attracts designers from other countries. This creates healthy competition — the best of the best get jobs in good companies.

UX designer salary in Canada

Canada is one of the quietest countries on the planet, but life in Canada costs a lot of money. The salary of a Canadian UX specialist is slightly lower than that of an American one. A beginner UX designer can earn about $37,000. An experienced specialist can find a job with a salary of $69,000.

UX designer salary in Germany

This European country is not lagging behind the overseas leaders in technology development. The state encourages high-level foreign specialists and provides them with ideal living conditions. A beginner UX specialist can earn about $39,000. The average salary of a professional is $83,000.

In the last five years, UX design specialists have gained the greatest popularity in Singapore, Canada, the USA, Ireland, and India. Their skills are essential for companies when launching websites, web applications, and building programs. Without checking the user experience, evaluating it, and correcting the mistakes made, the company is unlikely to reach a place on the Olympus of business.

How are UX designer salaries formed?

The UX design niche is growing. Today, several new divisions have appeared with a different list of responsibilities. The salary of a specialist is formed depending on them. Let’s figure out the differences.

UX Designer

UX design does everything related to user experience. A UX designer is a versatile soldier in charge of user experience, user testing, wireframes, and prototypes. The average salary for a UX designer in the United States is $75,000.

UX/UI Designer

While these areas differ in some ways, most employers believe that a good UX designer has UI experience. The job of a UI designer starts where a UX designer’s mandate ends. The UI specialist is responsible for the user interface and everything related to it. There are a lot of vacancies for this position. The average salary for a UX/UI designer in the United States is about $85,200 per year.

UX Researcher

A UX researcher’s responsibilities include the first two phases of UX design. The UX researcher’s job is to pinpoint consumer pain points, test, and solve the problems as accurately as possible. In the US, a UX researcher, according to Glassdoor, can make an average of $85,382.

UX Writer

The UX writer position is relatively new. A UX writer is dedicated to creating mockups, doing research, and correcting mistakes – focusing on words that influence the user experience. According to the UX Writing Hub, US wages range from $75,000 to $125,000 per year.

UX Strategist

This position is a symbiosis of business strategy and UX design. The specialist understands the principles of business planning and correctly evaluates the significance of the user experience. Finding a balance between this knowledge, the UX strategist builds a work plan. According to Payscale data, the average annual salary for a specialist in this area in the United States is $83,000.

Entry-level UX designer

The more tasks in the field of user experience a UX designer can solve, the higher his level. An aspiring UX designer should:

• Understand the programming languages ​​HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Know Omnigraffle, InVision, Axure, and Balsamiq.
• Have experience with Photoshop and Illustrator.
• Master Lucidchart for working with projects.

The income of a young UX designer can be $80,000 per year. For professionals in the UX design niche, there is practically no limit.

UX design is one of the highest-paid niches. That is why the competition is growing in it. But new companies need specialists – it’s too early to talk about the over-saturation of the UX design labor market.

Junior UX designer salary

The salary of a junior UX designer depends on the city and company they choose.

Arctic Leaf Inc.

The company is offering work for a permanent specialist. The main requirements for the applicant are:

• Be creative.
• Understand the process – from the framework to the final result.
• Be able to effectively convey your view of the project and argue your point of view.
• Know the best practices and trends in Internet and mobile technologies.

GROUPVISUAL.IO

The requirements of this company differ from those of the previous one:

• Love to create visualizations and customize user experience.
• Interactive communication skills.
• Multitasking.
• Able to learn quickly.

Associated Bank

This vacancy is for young professionals with experience:

• Sbility to work with Sketch and iRISE.
• Sufficient knowledge to train novice UX designers.
• Graphic design skills.

Westminster

This company pays attention to the level of education of candidates:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Portfolio.
• Fluent in in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite.

Apple

To get a job at Apple, a Junior UX designer must:

• Be an expert in UX/UI.
• Be able to turn complex problems into elegant solutions.
• Own Sketch and Figma.

Each organization has its own requirements. Some companies focus on experience, while others emphasize creative thinking and a diploma. Knowledge of the technical part remains unchanged.

Junior UX designer salary in the USA

To determine which cities are the most interesting for this category, let’s look at the average earnings of a junior UX designer in the USA (according to Ziprecruiter).

City	Average annual salary, $	Hourly, $	Weekly, $	Monthly, $
San Jose	81,975	39.41	1,576	6,831
Oakland	81,031	38.96	1,558	6,753
Tanaina	80,664	38.78	1,551	6,722
Vasilla	79,335	38.14	1,526	6,611
Hayward	79,335	38.14	1,526	6,611
Seattle	78,799	37.88	1,515	6,567
Concorde	78,601	37.79	1,512	6,550
Sunnyvale	78,153	37.57	1,503	6,513
Santa Cruz	77,248	37.14	1,486	6,437
Seaside	76,226	36.65	1,466	6,352

The highest-paying Junior UX designer jobs are located in California, which is considered the Mecca of technology and innovation.

Mid-level UX designer salary

Intermediate UX designers earn significantly more money than beginners. Consider the job proposals of 5 of the most interesting companies.

Bixal

Job vacancy descriptions for the post of UX designer have the following requirements:

• a convincing and high-quality portfolio;
• passing the Public Trust security check.

Etsy

In the information about the vacancy, the company focuses on:

• the ability to effectively present design solutions;
• tolerance for ambiguity and healthy curiosity;
• the ability to translate quantitative and qualitative information into the design.

USAA

Applicants who want to work for this company is required to:

• have a bachelor’s degree
• demonstrate experience in Agile.

The Mid-level UX designer is required to have the appropriate qualifications. This can positively affect wages and career growth.

Mid-level designer salary in the USA

The salary of a mid-level designer depends on the location of the job.

City	Average annual salary, $	Hourly, $	Weekly, $	Monthly, $
San Jose	87,844	42.23	1,689	7,320
Oakland	86,832	41.75	1,670	7,236
Tanaina	86,438	41.56	1,662	7,203
Vasilla	86,437	41.56	1,662	7,203
Hayward	85,013	40.87	1,635	7,084
Seattle	84,440	40.60	1,624	7,037
Concorde	83,748	40.26	1,611	6,979
Sunnyvale	81,682	39.27	1,571	6,807
Santa Cruz	77,248	37.14	1,486	6,437
Seaside	76,226	36.65	1,466	6,352

Senior UX designer salary

Companies will pay good money for knowledge and experience. Here are examples of some interesting vacancies:

Lithia Motors Support Services, Inc.

Among the requirements for a specialist, it is worth highlighting:

• needs to have a compelling portfolio and examples of work over the past 3 years;
• ability to self-organization;
• ability to work in a team.

Apple

A Senior UX designer job requirements:

• over 5 years of experience as a UI Writer, Content Designer or similar position;
• understanding UX and how text and design can support each other.

For a senior UX designer, leadership skills and education are crucial to be successful.

Senior UX designer salary in the USA

The American cities that pay the most remain unchanged.

City	Average annual salary, $	Hourly, $	Weekly, $	Monthly, $
San Jose	145,365	69.89	2,795	12,114
Oakland	143,691	69.08	2,763	11,974
Tanaina	143,039	68.77	2,751	11,920
Vasilla	143,037	68.77	2,751	11,920
Hayward	140,682	67.64	2,705	11,724
Seattle	139,732	67.18	2,687	11,644
Concorde	139,382	67.01	2,680	11,615
Sunnyvale	138,588	66.63	2,665	11,549
Santa Cruz	136,982	65.86	2,634	11,415
Seaside	135,170	64.99	2,599	11,264

The salary range can vary depending on the location: in some cities, the salary of a Senior UX designer is almost twice the salary of a Mid-level UX designer.

Lead UX designer salary

Their salary is a reflection of how difficult their job is. It is impossible to do the job without possessing a good standard of knowledge.

Amazon Dev Center US, Inc

The company provides the necessary conditions for a comfortable work environment for a specialist. Requirements for the lead designer:

• over 6 years of experience;
• extensive work portfolio.

Expedia Group

Conditions for applying for the position of lead designer:

• more than 4 years experience in a relevant position;
• must possess leadership qualities;
• understanding of the basics and nuances of UX design.

The higher the qualifications of a specialist, the less explicit the requirements become. The explanation is simple. It is impossible to reach this level without education in all aspects of UX design. Companies focus their attention on the personal qualities of future employees.

Lead UX designer salary in the USA

The leading cities that have the highest paying salaries for UX designers remain the same.

City	Average annual salary, $	Hourly, $	Weekly, $	Monthly, $
San Jose	160,991	77.40	3,096	13,416
Oakland	159,137	76.51	3,060	13,261
Tanaina	158,415	76.16	3,046	13,201
Vasilla	158,415	76.16	3,046	13,201
Hayward	155,804	74.91	2,996	12,984
Seattle	154,753	74.40	2,976	12,896
Concorde	154,365	74.21	2,969	12,864
Sunnyvale	153,485	73.79	2,952	12,790
Santa Cruz	151,708	72.94	2,917	12,642
Seaside	149,700	71.97	2,879	12,475

Conclusion

The salary of a UX specialist increases according to their professional development. Please note, these are statistical data are only to be used as examples. Companies may offer completely different amounts for similar work. So it’s worth taking the time to find the most suitable offer.